Raises for DPS, Corrections Advances in House
Bills calling for raises for Oklahoma troopers, correctional officers advance
By Michael McNutt | Published: February 22, 2013
A 16 percent pay raise for state troopers and a measure that would increase the starting pay for correctional officers and provide a 5 percent increase for other officers and state Corrections Department workers won unanimous approval Thursday from a legislative panel.
The two bills, which have a total price tag of nearly $20 million, now advance to the House of Representatives Appropriations and Budget Committee.
Troopers, who haven’t had a raise in pay since January 2007, now rank 16th among law enforcement agencies in the state, said Rep. Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, author of both bills. A trooper’s starting pay would increase from $38,000 to $44,194; House Bill 2145 has a price tag of $7.3 million.