“We are bursting at the seams with over 27,000 inmates ... and the state has made little progress on justice reform,” Allbaugh said. “As we've said before, reforms passed last session will help slow inmate population growth but do little to unseat Oklahoma as the world's top incarcerator.”

Lawmakers appropriated $517 million to operate the Department of Corrections for the current fiscal year after the board initially requested $1.53 billion for projects that included two new medium-security prisons and $107 million for maintenance and repairs. Lawmakers also authorized a $116.5 million bond issue to help the agency pay for some of its needs.

The $1.57 billion budget request submitted Tuesday would include funding for at least one new medium-security facility for men and money to expand current facilities. No sites for such work have been chosen, officials said.

Corrections officials estimate more than 3,000 Oklahoma inmates have hepatitis C, which is caused by a virus commonly contracted through intravenous drug use or unsafe sex. Potential complications of the disease, such as liver failure or cirrhosis, can be fatal.