State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister speaks to House members. Lawmakers have to pay back $10 million to the Lottery Trust Fund after a determination was made that lottery funds had been used to supplant instead of enhance education funding this year. Jim Beckel/The Oklahoman

Oklahoma lawmakers have to pay back $10 million to the Lottery Trust Fund before making any appropriations for the next fiscal year after a determination was made that lottery funds had been used to supplant instead of enhance education funding this year.

The state lottery was established with constitutional language that ensures any money raised through the lottery would be used to enhance education spending and not allow existing education dollars to be diverted elsewhere, and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services is tasked with ensuring that happens.

Last month, as a revenue failure was being declared with a budget shortfall of $878 million for fiscal year 2018, the state Board of Equalization was presented with the finding that lottery money had supplanted funds for education in fiscal 2017.