Oklahoma state Capitol news briefs

Gov. Mary Fallin on Wednesday vetoed a measure that would have removed the salary cap for deputy directors and division directors of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and would have allowed the agency's director to set their pay. House Bill 3152 also would have removed the salary cap for the directors of the OSBI, the Board of Dentistry, the Board of Nursing, the Teachers' Retirement System and the Banking Department. “While I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the particular state agencies receiving pay raises from House Bill 3152, I know that there are state employees at all agencies who work hard and may be deserving of a pay raise,” Fallin said in her veto message. State employees haven't received an across-the-board pay raise since October 2006. “Salary caps create a consistent level of pay for each position. ... Removing the salary caps allows the board members or directors of the agencies in House Bill 3152 to increase salaries, at will, rather than through the standardized guidelines established by the Office of Personnel Management.” HB 3152 sailed through the Legislature last week, the last week of the four-month session. The House of Representatives passed it 89-4; the Senate passed it 44-0 on Friday, the last day of the session.