February 10, 2025 - February 14, 2025

The State Board of Equalization certified revenue projections on Friday for the upcoming fiscal year that lawmakers will use as a starting point to craft a state budget. 

Lawmakers will have up to $12.36 billion to spend in the upcoming year, or about $119 million less than last year, according to the budget projections presented by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

Click here to view the OMES packet presented to the BOE.

The Oklahoma House Appropriations and Budget Committee this week approved legislation that would reform the state’s administrative rulemaking process— the system through which state agencies draft regulations to implement laws passed by the Legislature.

House Bill 2728, authored by Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, would establish the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2025, modeled after similar federal legislation.

“This is a crucial first step toward increasing transparency and oversight over an unelected bureaucracy that has incredible influence on how laws are implemented,” said Kendrix, R-Altus. “These rules carry the force of law and largely take effect by default, which does not always serve the Oklahoma taxpayers well. This bill will ensure those elected by Oklahomans have greater oversight of the regulations impacting our state.”

If HB2728 is enacted, all proposed rules would be submitted with an economic impact statement, while proposed rules with a projected fiscal impact of at least $1 million over the first five years would require separate proactive legislative approval.

The bill would also establish the Legislative Economic Analysis Unit (LEAU) within the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) to provide independent reviews of agencies’ economic impact statements to ensure accuracy and completeness. This is modeled after many states that have put in place this third-party evaluation system for administrative rules, which has saved millions in cutting excess red tape and ensuring legislative intent is followed.

“This simplifies the rulemaking process and ensures agency rules are given a third-party thorough review before going into effect,” said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow.

HB2728 passed the House A&B Committee unanimously and will next be heard on the House floor.

Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday replaced three of his appointees to the Oklahoma State Board of Education, criticizing the state’s top school board for driving up “needless political drama” rather than academic results.

The board shakeup follows “ongoing controversy at the Oklahoma State Department of Education and disappointing scores on the (biennial) National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP),” according to the governors’ announcement.

NAEP scores released last month showed Oklahoma again scored in the bottom 10 of the nation in reading and math and failed to make any significant improvement over the past two years.

“After months of headlines followed by disappointing NAEP scores this month, it’s clear that our education infrastructure has fallen prey to needless political drama,” Stitt said in a statement. “If we want to be the best state for business, we need to make sure our kids have a path to success. It’s time for some fresh eyes and a renewed focus on our top ten goals.”

Stitt ousted Donald Burdick, Kendra Wesson and Katie Quebedeaux from the board. He announced he will replace them with Ryan Deatherage, of Kingfisher; Michael Tinney, of Norman; and Chris VanDenhende, of Tulsa.

Wesson declined to comment Tuesday. Burdick did not immediately return a request for comment. Oklahoma Voice has been unable to reach Quebedeaux.

Board members Sarah Lepak and Zach Archer will keep their seats, and one seat on the board is vacant, as it has been since May 2023. The three new appointees will be subject to state Senate confirmation.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who leads the board, fired back at the governor with a strongly worded statement Tuesday afternoon, saying Stitt’s move “undermines Oklahoma kids and parents and an America First agenda.” Every board member has voted in line with Walters without exception since he took office in January 2023.

“Governor Stitt has joined the swampy political establishment that President Trump is fighting against,” Walters said. “The board members that stood with us, working with the Trump Administration to make our schools safer and better, have been fired for political purposes.”

In recent months, the board has approved Walters’ budget requests asking the Legislature for $3 million to spend on Bibles and a slate of new rules that would require schools to check students’ citizenship status, among several other controversial proposals.

Walters, who is Stitt’s former education secretary, and the governor have mostly avoided criticizing each other directly over the past two years. Tuesday’s events mark a significant shift in dynamic between the two Republicans.

“Stitt believes that the federal government, and not the people, need to continue to control our country,” Walters said. “This is disappointing but not surprising. We’ll keep fighting for school choice, parents, kids, and our teachers.”

Stitt appointed Burdick and Wesson in January 2023 and Quebedeaux in March 2023.

Lepak has served on the board since February 2022 and Archer since October 2023. Lepak and Archer were not present for the board’s most recent meeting in January when the remaining members approved Walters’ controversial rule proposals that include citizenship checks in schools.

Deatherage is the 911 director for Kingfisher County. Tinney is an attorney. VanDenhende is the CEO of Mint Turbines.

Governor says officials using children as ‘political pawns’

Gov. Kevin Stitt described his relationship with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters on Wednesday as “not very good at all” as he defended his decision to remove three members of the Oklahoma State Board of Education and lamented the use of children as “political pawns” by politicians seeking higher office.

Stitt’s announcement Tuesday that he had acted to replace three members of the board drew strong criticism both from Walters and Attorney General Gentner Drummond. Walters has been widely viewed as a potential candidate for governor in 2026. Drummond has already said he’s running to replace the term-limited Stitt.

In a social media post, Walters accused the governor of joining “the swampy political establishment that President Trump is fighting against.” Drummond posted separately that Stitt “is not a true conservative” and that, among other things, he gave permission to former President Joe Biden to settle Afghan “refugees” in Oklahoma and “stabbed President Trump in the back” by endorsing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president.

During a Capitol press conference that lasted about 20 minutes Wednesday, Stitt fielded questions that almost exclusively focused on education and on policies to remove undocumented immigrants from Oklahoma and how those policies might affect schoolchildren.

Democrats in both the state House and Senate have opposed rules put forward by Walters and the State Board of Education that would call for parents and students to share their immigration status with schools. Hundreds of people turned out to protest at the board’s last meeting.

Stitt said his decision to replace the three state board members was based more on concerns about lagging National Assessment of Educational Progress scores of students and perceptions that Oklahoma has failed to achieve better results during Walters’ tenure as superintendent.

“It’s really about outcomes. When I see our NAEP scores not improving, when I see things that are messed up or wrong or kids being used as political pawns for some political stunt, it’s just frustrating,” Stitt said. “The bottom line is when you think about the outcomes and where our kids are compared to other states, we’re not doing as well as we should. So we’ve got to get that fixed, and that’s the big picture. I’m just trying to get a fresh set of eyes on that school board.”

Asked if he had declared schools off limits to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents or others who might enforce immigration policies, Stitt said he had not made any formal declarations.

“(But) collecting 6-, 7-, 8-year-old kids’ addresses and immigration status in Oklahoma? That is not a public safety issue,” he said. “Let’s go after the bad guys. Let’s go after the people who are committing crimes, and let’s not terrorize and make our kids not want to go to school. … It’s doing something that we shouldn’t be doing in Oklahoma.”

Stitt said he was “100%” in favor of defending U.S. borders, “but to use our kids as political pawns is just unbelievable to me.”

He said he’s been told by law enforcement agencies that collecting immigration data on children wouldn’t help their efforts, and he pointed out that the Oklahoma Constitution requires the state to educate all children in the state.

“I’m going to make sure that every kid feels safe being educated in the state of Oklahoma,” he said.

Stitt has defended Walters in the past, saying the superintendent should be allowed to carry out the responsibilities of the office he was elected to occupy.

“But I’ve got to call balls and strikes,” he said.

“When I see people attacking our state, not doing a good job in education, I’m going to step in and do what I can to try to fix it.”

He was asked to describe his current relationship with Walters.

“I don’t think the relationship is very good at all. After I read what he said, it didn’t sound like he liked me too much,” the governor responded. “I know he’s running for other office and trying to get headlines. And he can do that all he wants, but when we focus on kids and outcomes, let’s make sure we’re keeping kids at the center. When you’ve got failing test scores and turmoil and drama and he’s the superintendent of education, he needs to be held accountable for that.”

He predicted that more rhetoric from Walters and Drummond will be forthcoming.

“These guys are running for office, trying to get their names in the paper, and Oklahomans can see right through that. That’s why Oklahomans hate politicians so much,” he said.

The Oklahoma House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved its first bill of the session, a measure that would require public schools to ban students from using cellphones and smart watches while on campus.

House Republicans and Democrats voted 82-9 Thursday to advance House Bill 1276, authored by Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, to the Senate. Passing a cellphone bill is a priority of House leadership and the Governor’s Office for this session.

The bill would require school districts to implement policies prohibiting the use of cellphones and other devices on campus before the beginning of the next school year. Districts can choose to allow cellphone use, but all adopted policies would be subject to annual renewal.

The legislation allows for exceptions to the policy for medical issues documented by a licensed professional where a cellphone would be needed for support.

House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said in a statement he is “proud that our caucus identified this as a priority before session and moved quickly to make this happen.”

Democratic representatives, including Reps. Andy Fugate of Oklahoma City and Trish Ranson of Stillwater, asked Caldwell if districts can choose to carve out time for device use for educational purposes or at certain times. While Caldwell said he doesn’t think districts should, he said they do have the ability to do this.

One of nine Republicans voting against the legislation, Rep. Mark Lepak of Claremore said while he agreed with the policy, it was a hard piece of legislation for him to vote for or against.

He said school boards already have the power to pass restrictions on cellphone usage, and questioned if this bill was designed “to take the heat off of them.”

He questioned Caldwell on how the purchase of storage spaces for devices would be funded as well as who would be responsible for lost or damaged property.

Caldwell said the districts would determine this at the local level in their policies.

He said the bill allows for school districts to choose how to enforce and limit cellphone use, whether that be leaving devices in lockers or purchasing pouches for storage. The bill does not require districts to store student devices, there is currently no funding for storing devices in this legislation.

He said this legislation will require a “culture change” from students and parents on how cellphones are used.

“We’ve all become quite attached to these little supercomputers that we carry around in our pockets. But again, the data is so abundantly clear,” Caldwell said. “We know it’s the right thing, and sometimes doing the right thing isn’t always easy. But yeah, I’ve heard districts that say, ‘Hey, would you just tell us, not give us the choice? And that way I can point the blame to you guys.’ I get blamed for a lot of stuff out of this building, so I’ll go ahead and be glad to take the blame on this one.”

A similar bill is being considered in the Senate. It narrowly passed through the Senate Education Committee Tuesday with a 7-5 vote.

Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby, today passed House Bill 1151 through the House Elections and Ethics Committee today.

HB1151 would shift school board elections to June and November from the current February and April election dates. The measure also standardizes term lengths for board members by making both elementary district boards and independent district boards four-year terms.

State law requires school districts to cover the expenses of school board elections. In 2023, these elections totaled $16.8 million of taxpayer money that Banning believes could be more effectively invested in education.

“Aligning school board elections with legislative cycles makes sense for taxpayers and voters,” Banning said. “This change will increase turnout, save school districts millions, and ensure board members are elected in a way that better reflects community engagement.”

Banning said low voter turnout has also been an ongoing concern. In April 2024, just 146 people voted in the Union Public Schools Board election for Zone 4. He said moving these elections to larger election cycles will help increase engagement and ensure greater community representation in school board races.

HB1151 advances to the House Government Oversight Committee.

The starting salary for teachers in Oklahoma might soon be increased by more than $10,000 after a Senate bill that seeks to raise the minimum salary unanimously passed committee.

Authored by Senate Education Committee Chair Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, Senate Bill 201 would increase the starting salary for teachers in Oklahoma from just less than $40,000 to $50,000 and set a minimum salary schedule. It also would modify other tiers of the salary schedule to reflect the potential change.

“For my purposes here, I just set the floor at 50 (thousand dollars) because that’s what’s happening in our surrounding states,” Pugh said during the Senate Education Committee meeting Tuesday. “That’s what’s happening in this job market.”

The minimum base salary for teachers in Arkansas was raised to $50,000 in 2023.

Pugh said the bill was not based on requests from school superintendents. He said it was based on a continuing need.

“If you really want to incorporate business principles into how we govern, every year we should be looking at the labor market,” Pugh said.

The fiscal impact of the bill would be a little over $640 million, Pugh told committee members.

Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, asked whether the bill would put a strain on state budgets, necessitate cuts or cause tax increases.

“This bill, should it pass and be appropriated, will require a balance of spending in other places to make sure it can be funded,” Pugh answered.

He added that teachers, like every other taxpayer, feel the effects of inflation.

“When the cost of eggs goes up, my teachers feel that cost just like I do,” Pugh said. “We dehumanize them to some degree as if they’re not taxpayers, or not part of this larger discussion.”

In Oklahoma, the starting teacher salary is $39,601. The average salary for teachers in the state was $55,505 in academic year 2022-23, according to the National Education Association, the largest teachers’ union in the U.S.

In comparison, teachers in the U.S. are making $69,544 on average with a $44,530 starting salary, according to NAE.

“We are, as a state, employing teachers and we have a duty to take care of them and to ensure that their rates are competitive, and that they can make a living on their service to the state,” Deevers said.

Deevers asked whether there’s a plan to implement performance metrics into the salary schedule to “ensure these increases are aligned with teacher effectiveness and student success.”

Pugh pointed to the Teacher Empowerment Program and said just 46 school districts in Oklahoma are using the state fund. He said the fund will have almost $40 million, adding that at some point, the state will reinvest that money into schools that are participating.

The Teacher Empowerment Program was approved in 2022 by the Legislature and receives state lottery money. It provides for raises of between $3,000 and $10,000 for teachers identified by their districts as “advanced,” “lead” or “master” teachers. No more than 10% of any district’s teachers can be chosen for the empowerment program.

“I don’t feel $39,000 is enough right now to be able to walk into a high school classroom of kids thinking about what they want to be when they grow up and say, ‘Come do this profession,’” Pugh said. “I don’t think it’s enough for families who may be struggling in this fiscal environment to say, ‘Please stay in this classroom because we need your expertise here. We need you to keep educating our kids.’ ”

The Senate Education Committee held its first meeting of the session Tuesday, beginning in the morning and dragging into the early afternoon.

During that time, the committee moved 12 bills, some more controversial than others.

Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, brought back a concept that has been long-debated in Oklahoma; moving school board elections to Novembers.

SB0006, by Seifried, modifies the dates for school board and career technology center board primary and general elections. It also modifies the filing period for the offices.

Seifried said she believes this would encourage more people to vote in school board elections since most people associate voting with the month of November. In answer to questions from committee members, she said most states hold school board elections in November.

Most committee members went out of their way to say they appreciated Seifried’s in-tent with the piece of legislation, but they had concerns about making changes to school boards in the middle of the school year and the cost of elections of school districts. There was also concern that straight-party voting, which would not include school board elections, might lead to some voters missing those votes.

The main concern was the politicization of non-party school board elections. Seifried argued this is happening anyway in many board elections. Seifried, and Committee Chair Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, both said it would be up to potential school board members to reach their constituents and make sure their down-ballot election was important to people living in their district.

The bill passed 7-5.

Committee members expressed even more appreciation, though a similar amount of concern, for Seifried’s next bill, SB0139, which also passed with a vote of 7-5.

SB0139, by Seifried and Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, requires each school district board of education adopt a policy prohibiting students from using cell phones while on the campus of a public school district from bell to bell. The bill defines the term “bell to bell” to mean the time between the first bell ringing at the start of the school day to begin instructional time until the dismissal bell at the end of the school day to end instructional time. It requires the policy include disciplinary procedures for violations. It permits the policy to provide certain exceptions. The bill requires the State Department of Education to establish a grant program to provide middle schools and high schools with grant funds to support implementation of the policies. It requires, subject to the availability of funding, not more than $2.0 million be made available to middle schools and high schools to purchase devices or equipment in which students in a grant recipient middle school or high school can store their cell phones during the school day. It establishes requirements for the grant program.

Concerns mainly circled around whether this should be legislated so tightly, or if it would be better to allow school districts to enact these policies. Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, said he worried about this policy getting between students and their parents. Sen. Dave Rader, R- Tulsa, shared an email from a teacher where this policy had been enacted at a school district level begging for the Legislature to pass the bill so they would not be “on their own” trying to enforce it in their classroom.

The committee was divided on SB0472, as well. SB0472, by Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, removes, for fiscal year 2026 and subsequent fiscal years, the ability of eligible students to accept a scholarship from the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program while participating in the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Program. It permits eligible students to accept a scholarship while participating in the Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit Program.

Bergstrom was asked to make sure the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship would be “the last dollar” and that private schools would not receive the entire allocated scholarship if the awarded scholarship went beyond the tuition of the institution. He agreed and reminded members that the title had been stricken from the measure. It passed 8-3.

Two of Pugh’s bills had few questions outside of clarifications and general appreciation from the members. SB0711 and SB0201 both passed unanimously.

SB0201 increases the minimum salary schedule for teachers. SB0711 directs climate surveys be administered to students, school staff, and parents and legal guardians of students enrolled in an elementary, middle or high school site.

As Oklahoma lawmakers consider how to best prepare students and regulate schools, a House panel approved new pre-college testing requirements and struck down a bill that would have required teaching of the “atrocities of communism.”

After a 6-4 vote, House Bill 1094 was the only bill to fail on Monday before a House subcommittee focused on education funding. Rep. Gabe Woolley, R-Broken Arrow, said he wrote the bill to ensure middle and high schools don’t skip lessons about the human cost of communist regimes.

Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber, pointed out these chapters of history are included in the Oklahoma Academic Standards for social studies, which dictate which topics schools must teach. The Legislature approves those standards, and he said lawmakers typically don’t select individual topics to require through statute.

“I don’t think there’s a person on this committee that doesn’t agree this is something that we need to cover,” Lowe said. “… I think it’s very, very dangerous to start setting this precedent. We’ll be doing nothing but that on every standard throughout the whole school system every year if we start doing that.”

Lowe’s HB 1087 earned unanimous support Monday. The bill would add 10 steps to the salary schedule for public school teachers. If it passes, teachers’ mandatory annual pay raises would continue for up to 35 years while working in public schools instead of stopping at 25 years.

It advances to the full House Appropriations and Budget Committee for further consideration.

A proposal to set a universal minimum ACT score for the Oklahoma’s Promise Scholarship also passed through the subcommittee.

The state requires a minimum ACT score of 22 only for students who are homeschooled or who attend a school that isn’t accredited by the Oklahoma State Board of Education. Students graduating from public K-12 schools or a state-accredited private school don’t have to make a specific ACT score to qualify for the scholarship.

Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener, called this “discriminatory” for homeschool families and proposed HB 1184 to “make it even for everybody.” The bill passed 7-2.

After lengthy questioning from Republican and Democratic members, the panel also advanced HB 1096 after a 7-3 vote. The legislation came from the subcommittee’s vice chair, Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, and would allow students to qualify for state-funded scholarships with a Classic Learning Test score.

The CLT is a lesser-known alternative to the ACT and SAT and is accepted in Oklahoma at only six small private universities.

Hasenbeck said the state should accommodate students who prefer the CLT as their college entrance exam by allowing them to use their scores when applying for scholarships from Oklahoma’s Promise and the State Regents for Higher Education Academic Scholars Program.

Rep. John Waldron, D-Tulsa, said he took the exam and questioned whether it upholds the state’s emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

“I had a good Catholic education that helped me answer the questions about Thomas Aquinas and (Pope) John Paul II,” Waldron said during the subcommittee meeting. “But I did find that it was light on math questions. And given that we have an agenda about STEM education in Oklahoma, are we giving students an opt-out from exam systems that would require a higher level of the skills we’re trying to encourage for the future of our workforce?”

Hasenbeck’s bill also would create a new Academic Performance Index to grade public schools’ rates of student attendance, dropouts, graduation, college remediation and Advanced Placement class participation, as well as their state test results.

The index would create another level of evaluation on top of the existing A-F report cards that grade school performance.

“We need to look to groups who are excelling at teaching students reading and math,” Hasenbeck told the subcommittee. “We need to look at their model, and we need to repeat that.”

The panel unanimously passed a bill from its chairperson, Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, that would create a new full-tuition scholarship for top-performing Oklahoma students who stay in-state for college.

Students would qualify if they score in the top 0.5% of the nation on a college entrance exam like the ACT or SAT. The bill doesn’t specifically mention the CLT.

The scholarship would offer the full amount of resident tuition if the qualifying student attends a public or private university in Oklahoma.

A Senate panel on Tuesday passed a bill that would prohibit smoking tobacco, marijuana and vapor products in a vehicle in the presence of a child.

Under Senate Bill 23, violators would be subject to a fine of $50 to $100.

The measure, by Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, passed the Senate Public Safety Committee by a vote of 5-3 and heads to the Senate floor.

Sen. Regina Goodwin, D-Tulsa, who voted against the bill, said she doesn’t smoke, but cigarettes are legal, and some people are addicted to them.

“Yes, they are dangerous though,” Stanley said.

Goodwin said private cars are like private homes.

Stanley said the state governs other behaviors in vehicles by requiring seat belts and car seats.

“This is just taking care of children,” she said.

Stanley, an educator, said she remembers children coming to school with smoke billowing out of the vehicle and wreaking of the smell.

“I realize people have a right to smoke,” Stanley said. “We just don’t want them to do it in a closed vehicle.” 

Reforming federal disaster response operations could benefit Oklahoma and ensure more money goes directly to those who need it, a state official said. 

President Donald Trump has called for eliminating or reforming the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is in charge of administering federal disaster aid and giving the funds directly to states.

Oklahoma, which is in Tornado Alley, ranks high among the states with the most disasters, according to several reports.

Since 2020, FEMA has paid Oklahoma victims about $447 million, said Keli Cain, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

The state has had eight federally declared disasters since 2020, she said.

“We don’t necessarily speculate on fully abolishing the agency, but we do believe that reforming existing programs could bring benefits,” Cain said.

The average individual assistance payout from FEMA to Oklahoma homeowners is about $6,000 for destroyed homes, she said.

“That isn’t enough obviously to help homeowners really recover from a disaster,” she said.

Cain said the agency has a lot of guardrails in place, which they don’t necessarily disagree with.

But it also has a lot of administrative costs, and officials would like to see more of those funds disbursed to impacted homeowners, she said.

Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, did not respond to requests for comment. Moore has experienced several tornadoes.

Former Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, said Trump’s plan is perhaps something worth looking at.

“But there has got to be something to take its place,” he said.

A Senate panel on Monday passed a bill that would put additional restrictions on the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority before it builds or modifies toll roads.

Senate Bill 80 would require the OTA to give notice to all affected property owners before a new construction or a modification is made to an existing turnpike.

It would also require a 30-day comment period for all interested parties, followed by a public hearing, and mandate that OTA provide a map of the changes and consider the impact on businesses, governments and consumers.

If the agency fails to comply, a civil action can be brought with the prevailing party entitled to court costs and attorney fees.

The Senate Aeronautics and Transportation Committee passed Senate Bill 80 by a vote of 12-0, but not before striking the measure’s title and peppering the author, Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman, with questions. Striking title is a legislative move to slow the bill down.

The OTA is in the midst of a 15-year, $8.2 billion turnpike expansion and improvement project that includes a controversial turnpike in the Norman area.

Sen. Jack Stewart, R-Yukon, asked if the OTA already is required to provide a notice to the public.

“They do, however I don’t feel they are standard,” Standrige said. “This would allow proper notice by certified mail. Sometimes, notification has just come by through a newspaper and there is a gap there.”

Stewart questioned the use of the word modification, adding it could be the addition of a barrier wall or maintenance work.

She said she is willing to make changes to the wording to make it more clear.

Sen. Jerry Alvord, R-Wilson, said there is ambiguity in the measure.

The bill talks about giving notice to “all affected property owners,” which could encompass a large radius and be possibly difficult, Alvord said.

Standridge said she would be happy to add a radius to the bill.

“The bill does not state that the authority change their turnpike, it just makes sure that Oklahomans are heard,” Standridge said.

The measure would not impact the ability of the Legislature to determine routes, Standridge said.

Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, questioned who would be the adjudicating authority to determine if there had been a violation.

Standridge said it could be added to the bill.

The measure heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

Lawmakers pushed forward with an initiative that would give more childcare workers the opportunity to have care for their own children covered in an effort to address the shortage of qualified employees in the profession.

House Bill 1849, authored by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, would allow childcare providers at licensed facilities to exempt their household’s income from consideration when applying for the Child Care Subsidy Program as an attempt to incentivize new industry workers and retain current employees.

A House budget subcommittee on human services unanimously passed the bill with a bipartisan vote. It can now be heard by the general House Appropriations and Budget Committee.

Schreiber said she authored a similar bill during the 2024 session, but the previous version was “too blunt” and this year her bill is more “detailed and advanced.”

She said she plans to add an income cap to the bill to limit the financial impact on the state and ensure the families who need subsidized child care are able to receive it.

“Let’s say someone had $150,000 household income or something like that, so we’ll have to exempt them, but we’re still having all those conversations,” Schreiber said. “The state of Oklahoma invests a total of $20 million of taxpayer dollars in our childcare system. We serve over 65% of our kids in a licensed childcare system. So we invest very, very little. This is actually a very small dollar amount for a huge return.”

House fiscal staff estimated the bill’s financial impact will be between $10 million and $21 million, although Schreiber expects this number to drop once income caps are included. The $21 million number includes workers who currently qualify for subsidies, so House fiscal staff said the impact will be lower.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services currently bases eligibility for the program on the federal income eligibility threshold per family size. This threshold cannot exceed 85% of the state median income per family size, which the U.S. Census estimates was $63,603 in 2023.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated in 2023 that the average childcare worker in Oklahoma made about $12.51 per hour, or $26,010 annually.

Arkansas made changes to its own childcare subsidy program in 2024 to include childcare providers whose households meet the same income requirements and work a minimum of 10 hours per week at a licensed child care facility.

Tina Feltman, the director of a Durant childcare facility, said this bill is one that providers wanted Schreiber to run again after people pushed back because of its cost last year.

For Feltman, this legislation would help her retain current employees and incentivize others to work in the industry.

With childcare workers in Oklahoma being paid low hourly wages, she said she struggles to compete with other businesses for employees, but sees the offer for subsidized child care as a perk to advertise.

“I’m not complaining about wanting more money,” she said. “But do you know how much Starbucks pays? I mean, yeah, you might have some high maintenance clients come in, but you’re not trying to potty train eight 2-year-olds. And you’re not in a classroom with six toddlers and three of them are going through a biting phase.”

Feltman said she has attempted to provide cheaper childcare for her staff at the facility she runs, but in turn she loses out on revenue.

“I was trying not to charge them because I wasn’t able to pay them a huge amount,” she said. “So they would have really been like, ‘It’s not really worth me working if I’ve got to turn around and pay the child care bill.’ So it was a perk to them.”

Feltman hopes Schreiber’s bill can help to offset the difference in wages between her and other employers by providing a way for industry workers to offload the cost of childcare for themselves.

In an unprecedented move, the Senate Business and Insurance Committee on Thursday passed three bills to legalize sports betting in Oklahoma.

The panel approved bills from Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Coleman, Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, and Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt.

Sen. Coleman, R-Ponca City, who has been working on this issue for several years, said this strategy opens several different avenues for the Oklahoma Legislature to legalize sports gaming this year. It also reflects the growing sense of urgency among Oklahomans who are eager to see mobile and in-person sportsbooks in this state.

Sen. Coleman also introduced new bill language that would allow Oklahoma’s Native American tribes and the Oklahoma City Thunder to offer mobile sports betting in addition to legalizing in-person sportsbooks at tribal casinos.

“As more states legalize sports betting, Oklahoma can’t afford to fall behind,” said Coleman. “With more Native American tribes and tribal casinos than any other state and a passionate sports fanbase, Oklahoma is uniquely positioned to transform this industry into a thriving economic driver. Legalizing sports gaming will generate millions in new revenue and create new jobs across the state — it’s already happening in the 39 other states that have jumped on the bandwagon. I’m optimistic that this is the year Oklahoma’s tribes, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the governor and other stakeholders will come together to find a compromise everyone can get behind.”

The Senate Business and Insurance Committee passed the following bills:

• Senate Bill 585 (Sen. Coleman) – allows Oklahoma’s tribes to offer in-person sports betting at their casinos and mobile betting on tribal land. It would also grant the Oklahoma City Thunder a gaming license to offer mobile sports betting on non-tribal land. The state would receive 10% of the net sportsbook revenues, which is estimated to be about $20 million annually.

• Senate Bill 125 (Sen. Rader) - also modifies the terms of the model gaming compact to allow the tribes to offer mobile and in-person sports gaming while detailing exclusivity fees of 5% to 7%.

• Senate Bill 164 (Sen. Murdock) - would authorize the Lottery Commission to regulate sports betting and allow tribal nations and non-tribal entities to apply for a “sports pools” license. Sports gaming retailers would be required to pay a 15% fee on adjusted gross revenues.

Sen. Coleman said these bills are likely to change in the coming days as Oklahoma City Thunder officials are set to meet with representatives from the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association next week.

Glenn Coffee, the state Senator who served as co-pro tempore more than a decade ago when the Oklahoma Senate had an even number of Democrats and Republicans and who later, became the Senate’s sole Republican leader, has returned to the state Capitol.

Only this time, he’s not using the title of Senator.

Coffee, The Oklahoman has confirmed, has returned the Capitol to serve as the Senate Republican Caucus’ political strategist and advisor. For several weeks now, the Capitol rumor mill has been filled with discussions that Coffee was ‘returning to the Senate.’

Those rumors grew stronger after Coffee’s law firm issued a news release in January to announce that it had changed its name from Glenn Coffee & Associates, to Coffee Lawson Fields, to “acknowledge the ongoing contributions of two firm partners Denise Lawson and Mike Fields.”

Former state Sen. Glenn Coffee, pictured here in 2010, has returned to the Senate. This time around he will be serving as an advisor to the Senate’s Republican Caucus.

The news release included a cryptic sentence that stated: “beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the firm’s managing partner, Glenn Coffee, will leave the firm to return to a career in public service.”

Coffee didn’t say what that mean at the time but this week, the Senate’s leadership acknowledged that Coffee has returned to his alma mater.

Coffee’s is now the Oklahoma Senate’s new Senior Legal Consultant to the Republican caucus.

What to know about Glenn Coffee’s contract to serve as advisor

Coffee and Ryan Overholt, the Senate’s chief of staff, signed a contract to that effect on Feb. 1. The contact states that the pro tempore of the Senate has “determined it is necessary to obtain specialized legal services to support the work of the Senate” and that Coffee “is particularly qualified by knowledge, education and experience to provide such services to the Senate.”

Under the terms of the contract, Coffee will be paid $12,500 in 12 monthly installments. The contract also notes that Coffee will work full time (40 hours or more per week) from Feb. 3 until May 31 and then part-time from June 1st until Jan. 31, 2026 for a maximum of 10 hours per month.

Sen. Lonnie Paxton was elected by the Senate Republican caucus as the Pro Tempore designate Monday, July 15, 2024.

Any work that exceeds the 10-hour limit, the contract said, would be billed at $300 per hour.

Senate Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton said Coffee was chosen for the post because he was the perfect man for the job.

“Glenn Coffee has a ton of political experience in Oklahoma,” Paxton, a Republican from Tuttle, said. “He has a deep understanding of the state and its issues. I’ve known Glenn a long time and I know he will be very helpful to the caucus.”

Paxton said Coffee and his law firm have worked with the Senate before, with great results. He said Coffee’s advice would be available to the entire caucus.

Glenn Coffee’s law firm has worked with the state before

Coffee, for his part, has remained quiet about the post but has, in many other instances, been active — and public — about state issues and policy.

In 2019 Coffee and his law firm were among three outside firms that worked with then-Attorney General Mike Hunter’s office after Oklahoma filed a lawsuit against several opioid manufacturers in 2017. Coffee’s law firm worked on contingency basis, which meant the firm shouldered the risk of litigation costs and only got paid from a settlement or victory at trial.

That case proved successful, though, and stories at the time listed Coffee’s share of the settlement at $5.6 million.

Coffee’s firm was also involved with the Oklahoma Academy of Physician Assistants who filed a suit against the state over a disagreement with new administrative rules issued by some state agencies.

Coffee said he returned to the Capitol because he has “always enjoyed the legislative process and the procedure that goes on during the Legislative Session.”

“I viewed this as an opportunity for me to come in and help the Senate in a different position,” he said.

Coffee said his passion has always been about serving his family, his clients or fellow Oklahomans. He said his passion has taken many forms as a businessman, attorney and sometimes in public service.

February 2025

• Thursday, Feb. 20: Deadline for House Bills and Joint Resolutions to be Reported from House Policy Committees and Appropriations Subcommittees

March 2025

• Thursday, March 6: Deadline for Senate Bills and Joint Resolutions to be Reported from Committee
• Thursday, March 6: Deadline for House Bills and Joint Resolutions to be Reported from Oversight, Admin Rules, Appropriations and Rules Committees
• Thursday, March 27: Deadline for Third Reading and Final Passage of Bills and Joint Resolutions by the Chamber of Origin (House and Senate) 

April 2025

• Thursday, April 10: Deadline for House Bills and Joint Resolutions to be Reported from Policy Committees and Appropriation Subcommittees
• Thursday, April 24: Deadline for House Bills and Joint Resolutions to be Reported from Oversight, Admin Rules, Appropriations and Rules Committees
• Thursday, April 24: Deadline for House Bills and Joint Resolutions to be Reported from Committee (Senate)

May 2025

•   Thursday, May 8: Deadline for Third Reading and Final Passage of Bills and Joint Resolutions by the Opposite Chamber (House and Senate) 
•  Friday, May 30 (no later than 5:00 p.m.): Sine Die Adjournment of the First Session of the 69^th Legislature

OkACTE tracks and monitors legislative bills. These bills can vary from CareerTech education policy, common education policy, education funding, teacher pay raise, tax credits, licensing, Ad Valorem, retirement, state employee pay raise, guns, economic development and much more.

Of these bills, we've compiled a listing of CTE Priority Measures linked below.

Visit oklegislature.gov to view entire text of the measures.

CTE Priority Measures