"United we stand," said Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Lisa Pryor today as she stood in solidarity with Senate Democrats and their House of Representatives colleagues in supporting the Senate Democrats' state budget plan.

"I urge all Oklahoma Democrats to stand united behind the responsible Democratic budget plan and strongly support all the courageous Democrats in the House and Senate who are standing up for working Oklahomans," Pryor said.

The House Republican Leadership and Governor Brad Henry are pushy a so-called compromised state budget that offers tax cuts for the wealthy few few, while the burden of state government - infrastructure, roads, state employee salaries - falls onto the backs of working families.

"Democratic Senate Leader Mike Morgan has a reasonable plan that provides investment in Oklahoma and targeted tax cuts. The Democratic plan calls for increasing the standard deduction to provide "real" tax relief for most Oklahomans, rather than tax cuts that disproportionately help the privileged few," said Pryor. "Raising the state's standard deduction to the federal level will give Oklahomans a bigger tax "cut" than they would receive under the plan proposed by House Speaker Todd Hiett and Governor Brad Henry.

The Democratic plan would also provide a $3,000 pay raise for teachers (raising them to the regional average ahead of the schedule proposed by Governor Henry), a pay raise for school support personnel, a 5% pay raise for state employees, a $130 million funding increase for higher education, an investment of $25 million per year for 20 years to bail out the grossly under-funded Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System, and would leave almost $400 million dollars for additional state investment and maintenance.

Pryor encouraged Democratic voters to call their Representative (405.522.8502) and Senator (405.524.0126) and encourage them "to stand firm behind the Democratic budget plan and Oklahoma's families."