March 10 - March 14

Lawmakers will only meet Monday and Tuesday this week because of most of Oklahoma’s schools observing spring break. They will return to the floor March 24 as they work toward the Thursday, March 27th deadline for House and Senate bills to be heard in their chamber of origin.

Gov. Kevin Stitt said Wednesday the state already has saved more than $1 million through the efforts of the Division of Government Efficiency in Oklahoma.

Via executive order, Stitt created the entity known as DOGE-OK last month, on the first day of the current legislative session, with a goal to build upon previous efficiency initiatives he’s championed. It’s modeled after the new federal Department of Government Efficiency, which is led by billionaire Elon Musk. Stitt chose Norman lawyer Marc Nuttle to lead DOGE-OK.

Stitt said DOGE-OK held its first meeting with state agencies on Wednesday. During his weekly press conference, Stitt rattled off a list of savings he said have been reported.

He said a new software system that prevents rogue purchases has saved about $350,000 at the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, allowing the agency to cut six full-time positions. The state has eliminated 500 cellphones over just two anonymous agencies, which Stitt said would save about $500,000 annually.

Elsewhere, energy efficiency projects – including a lighting retrofit – has earned the state a $42,000 rebate from a power company, he said. The use of automatic mowers on Capitol grounds has saved $200,000 and the Department of Agriculture has reduced 41 vehicles, saving about $350,000, he said. Stitt long has been a proponent of reducing the state vehicle fleet.

“There’s more to come on that,” Stitt said. “They’re digging in.”

Stitt noted DOGE-OK has an outward-facing portal, so members of the public can offer suggestions, and he believes state employees will be a source of good ideas on how to more efficiently provide services to Oklahomans.

DOGE-OK has a March 31 deadline to submit its first report on ideas concerning efficiencies, recommendations for reform of the federal-state fiscal relationship, and specific agency budget findings.

The subject of DOGE – both at the state and federal levels – proved to be a prime topic for Stitt. Headlines this week have included those discussing the layoff of about half of the employees at the federal Department of Education, as well as rumblings of mass layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has a strong presence in Oklahoma, particularly at the National Weather Center on the University of Oklahoma campus.

Stitt downplayed any issues, saying there were “tons of rumors” floating around. Asked specifically about the potential NOAA layoffs, Stitt sidestepped the question.

“I think if they do cut those things, they’re going to allow you to step into it, over time. We’ll be able to step in and retrain our workforce,” Stitt said. “…Again, a lot of this is just rumors at this point. Of course, we don’t want an Oklahoman to be cut, but every state – the deal in government spending, is like, ‘Oh, there’s a problem here, but cut everybody but mine,’ right?

“So I encourage the president and them to be looking at all of it. What makes sense for the American people? There’s been so much mission creep over time. We can’t spent $2 trillion over our income and I think that’s the big picture.”

Senate Bill 1027 last week passed the Senate Judiciary Committee and is available for consideration in the Senate. The vote was 7-2.

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The Oklahoma Senate on Thursday passed a measure that would require school districts to ban cellphones and personal electronic devices next school year.

But districts could choose to continue or discontinue the policy in following years.

Senate Bill 139, by Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, moves to the House for consideration after a 30-15 vote on the amended measure in the upper chamber.

The measure was amended to restrict the ban to just next school year rather than all subsequent years.

“I am confident that once districts go phone-free for one year, students, parents and educators will see the undeniable benefit of a cellphone-free learning environment,” Seifried said.

A similar but more restrictive House measure already awaits Senate action. It would require school districts bar all cellphone and personal devices on campus in perpetuity.

Sen. Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City, said while the measure is well-intended, any policy should be dictated by the local board in consultation with parents, teachers and the superintendent. Mann is a former school board member.

But Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, said the addiction to cellphones and digital technology is “the crisis of this generation” that is “ruining young people’s academic and educational experiences.”

The addiction contributes to mental health issues, he said.

“What used to stop now in the classroom goes all the way to the bedroom because kids cannot escape when they are digitally connected,” Pugh said. “Any problem that’s happened in school follows them home.”

School leaders asked that the Legislature take up the issue so policies are consistent, Pugh said.

Removing the devices will increase student performance and behavior issues go down, Pugh said.

Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, said senators will remember their vote on the bill.

“We need to take this opportunity because this changes things,” Rader said.

Cari Elledge still remembers how perfectly the third grader in her classroom could read aloud.

But, the boy froze if you asked him what he had just read, the former elementary teacher said. Although his reading ability seemed to be strong, he still lacked foundational comprehension skills, an issue known as “word calling” that Elledge herself struggled with from childhood through college.

It’s an issue that takes expertise to recognize and correct, she said. That’s why Elledge, now the president of Oklahoma’s largest teacher union, warned against a bill that would allow adjunct teachers with no form of certification to teach early childhood classes, which set the foundation for students’ schooling.

“I think there might be a misperception that in the early stages people come in and we do a whole lot of playing and it might be a glorified babysitting job,” Elledge said. “And it can’t be further from the truth.”

House Bill 2125 is on its way to the state Senate after passing the full House on Wednesday. Lawmakers approved the bill by a vote of 68-22, mostly along party lines.

The bill would permit adjunct teachers to work at all grade levels, including early childhood classes from pre-K through third grade. Adjunct teachers would still be excluded from teaching special education.

State law mandates that adjunct teachers have “distinguished qualifications in their field,” but they aren’t required to have a college degree nor any type of teaching certificate.

The bill’s House author, Rep. Clay Staires, R-Skiatook, said he intends to help school leaders who are struggling to fill teaching positions.

“A superintendent is looking for the best possible fit for their classroom,” Staires said while defending the bill on the House floor. “Just like you and I, they want the most for the kids in their class. Just because this bill allows for adjunct (teachers) doesn’t mean that superintendents are going to start hiring adjuncts unless that’s the only choice that they have or if that is the best fit for that position.”

Oklahoma schools employ about 1,300 adjunct teachers, Staires said during an Education Oversight Committee meeting last week.

That means the number of adjunct teachers in Oklahoma public schools has skyrocketed from 370 a few years ago amid a decade-long shortage of qualified educators. Emergency certified teachers, who must have at least a bachelor’s degree, also have become common.

In 2022, the state Legislature eliminated the 270-hour cap on adjunct teaching per semester, enabling schools to hire adjunct teachers full time.

But the state maintained stricter requirements to teach its youngest students. Oklahoma law requires early childhood education programs to have a certified teacher. Any early childhood educators teaching with an emergency certificate must complete training that the Oklahoma State Department of Education administers or approves.

Vici Public Schools Superintendent Coby Nelson said he avoids hiring adjunct teachers, but he’s all too familiar with how quickly the pool of qualified candidates is drying up.

Nelson said he might have a single applicant for a job opening at his small, rural district in northwest Oklahoma. He said HB 2125 shows the state is at a “sad point” in its teacher shortage, but he still supported the legislation.

“I don’t like the thought that we put untrained people in those positions, but I think what you have to do is you have to give schools every tool possible at this point,” Nelson said. “I am for it because we need the flexibility that it will allow. I don’t like it personally, but it’s unfortunately where we’re at.”

The House Democratic Caucus unanimously voted against the bill.

Rep. Michelle McCane, D-Tulsa, said the measure is no solution to the teacher shortage, calling it a “Band-Aid on a gaping wound.” The former public school teacher said lawmakers should pursue other ideas to retain and recruit fully certified educators.

Some retention and recruitment efforts have gained traction in the Legislature this year. The House passed a bill that would give the Oklahoma’s Promise college scholarship to children of full-time certified teachers who have worked in the state’s public schools for 10 years or more.

If it’s signed into law, that bill is one the Oklahoma Education Association “might celebrate at the end of this session the most,” said Elledge, who leads the organization.

She endorsed another bill the full House approved Thursday from Common Education Committee leader, Rep. Dick Lowe, R-Amber. HB 1087 would extend the teacher salary schedule by 10 years, making sure educators can earn annual step raises for up to 35 years.

Bills offering other incentives failed to advance past the committee stage this session, including a proposed increase to minimum teacher salaries and a measure to give $35,000 signing bonuses to certified educators.

Lowering qualifications to work in public schools is an “ineffective fix,” McCane said.

“We know that early childhood education is important and requires special training,” McCane said in a statement. “It is imperative we make sure we have certified teachers in these classrooms. Furthermore, I can say having just come from working at a public school after the pandemic, we have serious issues with behavior that require training for classroom management.”

Education policies that passed the Oklahoma House on Tuesday would remove chronic absenteeism from school evaluations and permit scores from a lesser-known college entrance exam to qualify for state-funded scholarships.

Both measures now advance to the state Senate for consideration. Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, who leads the chamber’s Education Committee, is the Senate author of both bills.

House lawmakers spent almost an hour discussing legislation that would allow students to use scores from the Classic Learning Test when applying for the Oklahoma’s Promise scholarship or the State Regents for Higher Education Academic Scholars Program. House Bill 1096 ultimately passed 74-15 along party lines.

State law currently requires students who attend a non-state-accredited school or who are homeschooled to make at least a 22 on the ACT to qualify for Oklahoma’s Promise. Those attending a state-accredited school don’t face a test score requirement, but they must earn at least a 2.5 grade point average.

The regents’ Academic Scholars Program awards applicants who are National Merit Scholars, Presidential Scholars or who scored at least in the 95th percentile on the ACT. House Bill 1096 would change the ACT requirement to allow top performers on any “nationally norm-referenced college entrance exam.”

Multiple House Democrats debated against the bill, contending the Classic Learning Test doesn’t meet the same academic rigor and anti-cheating measures as the ACT. Only six small private universities in Oklahoma accept the test, which places an emphasis on classical literature and historic texts.

The bill’s author, Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, said HB 1096 would expand access to college scholarships. The legislation specifies students would have to take the Classic Learning Test in person at a testing center, which eliminates the exam’s at-home option.

“This is not harming anybody,” Hasenbeck said while debating on the House floor. “It is only giving more students more opportunities.”

Another measure would delete the student absenteeism metric from the Oklahoma School Report Cards, which assign an A-F grade to each public school. The bill would replace chronic absenteeism with an opportunity for bonus points for giving students more time in the classroom.

HB 1412 passed with bipartisan support in a 74-15 vote.

The instructional time metric would award a school more points on the report cards if it exceeds the state-mandated minimums of 165 school days or 1,080 classroom hours.

Chronic absenteeism grades the number of students who have missed 10% or more of the school year. Republican and Democrat authors of the bill said it was unfair to evaluate schools based on whether parents make sure their children have good attendance.

“We can all agree that chronic absenteeism has not been a good measure for accountability of schools,” one of the authors, Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada, said in a statement. “We have worked to find a new measurement that is something within the district’s control and can provide an incentive for schools to get students in front of our state’s amazing teachers even more.”

If the bill is signed into law, the U.S. Department of Education would have to approve the change to the state report cards. The measure would take effect for the 2025-26 school year if the federal government agrees.

The Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would move school board elections to November, despite concerns it would make races partisan and increase the costs for candidates to run.

Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, said moving the elections from April to November is necessary to increase voter participation.

Senate Bill 6 would move school primary elections from February to September in odd-numbered years and to August in even-numbered years.

Seifried, the author of the measure, said current school board elections are held at a time when voters aren’t paying attention and should be moved to a period when voters are engaged, she said.

“Voter turnout in local school board elections is alarmingly low because these contests are held outside Oklahoma’s traditional election cycles,” she said. “Senate Bill 6 will increase the number of candidates running for these key positions and, more importantly, boost voter participation in these pivotal races.”

While Seifried said school board races would remain nonpartisan, critics of moving the elections said it would be a mistake to include the races on General Election ballots that contain partisan contests.

School board races should not be intermingled with state and federal races that get ugly along party lines, said Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City.

Candidates who file to run for school board are unpaid and requiring them to campaign for a November election will put their credentials under a microscope, she said.

“I think it is a misstep to align these elections with partisan fueled races,” Hicks said. “I think it is dangerous.”

Sen. Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City, said the change will result in fewer candidates running for school board posts.

Mann, who previously served on the Oklahoma City school board, said half to three-fourths of legislative seats are determined in the primary, meaning many voters have no reason to show up for the November general election.

If school board races are moved, it will triple or quadruple a candidate’s cost to get their message out, he said.

“I think voters have fatigue,” said Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond. “You have too many elections in this state. This is giving people the opportunity to be more informed, more educated.”

The bill, which passed by a vote of 33-10, largely along party lines, moves to the House for consideration.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Bill 1243, authored by Rep. Judd Strom, R-Copan, with a vote of 82-6. The measure now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

HB1243 would establish a financial assistance program to help eligible National Guard members cover the cost of certification or licensure programs at CareerTech schools for up to three years.

“I can’t imagine a better partnership than this one between the Oklahoma National Guard and CareerTech than one that provides our service men and women with the opportunity to complete a vocational training program while they serve,” Strom said. “This bill is about investing in the future of our National Guard members and equipping them with the skills they need to succeed in both their military and civilian careers. This partnership will enrich the lives of so many young people, their communities and the State of Oklahoma.”

Under HB1243, Guard members would need to apply for all available federal education grants and scholarships before seeking assistance through the program. The bill also allows for a hardship waiver in certain cases.

“Supporting our National Guard members when federal grants or scholarships fall short as they pursue education and career advancement is the right thing to do,” Strom said. “This bill creates a pathway for Guard members to develop valuable skills while reinforcing their commitment to serve.”

National Guard members would need to have at least one year remaining on their enlistment con-tract and agree in writing to fulfill it to qualify for the program under the measure. Additionally, they would have to agree in writing to serve actively for at least 24 months after completing the last semester for which they receive assistance.

HB1243 now awaits consideration in the Senate.

Senate leaders disagreed Thursday about the merits of a bill that would modify Oklahoma’s Parental School Choice Tax Credit law.

Senate Bill 684, which passed through the upper chamber of the Legislature on a 35-11 vote, includes “substantive cleanup language” that will make the tax credit program more efficient for the Oklahoma Tax Commission to administer and easier for parents to navigate, Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton said.

Senate Minority Caucus Leader Julia Kirt said she favors at least one element of the measure, designed to strengthen accreditation standards that must be met by participating private schools. However, Kirt said the measure is weak in that it includes no provision to increase the number of low-income families able to take advantage of the tax credit.

The program, established in May 2023, provides tax credits of $5,000 to $7,500 to Oklahomans who pay or expect to pay fees or tuition to participating private schools. After a $150 million cap was placed on the program in its first year, the ceiling was raised to $200 million in the second year and to $250 million the third year.

The credits are essentially first-come, first-served, with households earning $150,000 or less receiving priority. Some lawmakers have recently expressed consternation over reports that 21% of families that have taken advantage of the credit have annual household income exceeding $250,000.

At her weekly press availability on Thursday, Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, disputed the notion that families with incomes of greater than $150,000 should be classified as low-income.

The amount “is considerably above Oklahoma’s average wage,” she said. “So using the words low-income is actually kind of a stretch. … (And) we saw in the numbers that very few people under $75,000 were getting the vouchers.”

In a debate on the Senate floor, Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, spoke on behalf of SB 684. She said it would make some needed modifications, such as defining requirements for schools to electronically provide information to confirm student enrollment and tuition information, but no major changes.

Daniels was asked by Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, how the bill might address concerns about significant percentages of voucher money going to higher-income families. Hicks also asked about a report that the Tax Commission has acted to claw back $5 million awarded on behalf of students who didn’t actually attend participating private schools, at least for the entire duration of a year for which their tax credits were approved.

Daniels responded that approximately two-thirds of the program funding has gone to the top two priority income brackets.

“So the program is absolutely addressing the populations in those top priorities,” she said. “(And) the clawing back of money just proves that the system works.”

At his weekly press availability, Paxton, R-Tuttle, said SB 684 was crafted at the request of the Tax Commission and would improve on a law that is already working well.

“It’s working exactly as we had planned it to,” he said. “(The bill includes) a lot of cleanup language, but very substantive cleanup language.”

Paxton said lawmakers likely will consider additional changes in coming years.

“The goal of the Senate … was to make sure that the lower-income kids in the state have the opportunity that the wealthier kids have to go to the school of their choice. Any legislation that helps with that, combined with what we can afford as a state, is something that I am always going to be very interested in,” he said.

Kirt said she hopes but doubts that more impactful modifications will be adopted.

“You saw changes today that were touted as accountability, but I did not see that accountability,” she said. “And I did not see an appetite to make the program stronger or to deal with the problems we’ve already seen.”

Legislation that could significantly change public higher education in the Tulsa area passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on Thursday, two days after the Senate addressed approximately the same issue in much narrower legislation.

House Bill 2854, by Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, would suspend for five years all statutory geographical and course level restrictions on the state’s public colleges and universities.

It would not affect Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education policy.

The statutory limitations addressed by HB 2854 exist in several areas of the state but are most noticeable in the Tulsa area. A complicated combination of policy and state law largely dictates which institutions can offer which degree programs and at what course levels.

Tulsa Community College has all lower-division courses, while Langston, Northeastern State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State universities divide baccalaureate and graduate programs according to the same combination of policy and law.

Generally, OU and OSU may not offer undergraduate programs offered by Langston or Northeastern in Tulsa.

TCC President Leigh Goodson has said her school will ask for permission to offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing and early childhood development if the law is changed.

Hasenbeck said her intention is to free up the state regents to exercise their constitutional authority to decide who teaches what and where. She said she believes that is in the best interest of increasing the state’s degreed population at a time when it is deficient in that area.

With the traditional college-age population declining, some wondered whether HB 2854 might contribute to the loss of some campuses.

Hasenbeck said she did not think it would.

OU and OSU and their professional schools have seen modest increases in enrollment over the past decade, but overall enrollment in Oklahoma public colleges and universities declined sharply from 2014-24.

Hasenbeck is also the House sponsor of Senate Bill 701, by Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, which would allow Northeastern to offer freshman- and sophomore-level courses on its Broken Arrow campus.

SB 701 is backed by the Broken Arrow City Council and others seeking a four-year university in that city.

HB 2854’s Senate sponsor is Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore.

Also Thursday, the Republican-led House voted to create a new felony for being in the state illegally. Democrats argued vigorously that the measure is unworkable and likely unconstitutional and would lead to ethnic profiling.

HB 1362, by Rep. David Hardin, R-Stilwell, provides that any person arrested for a criminal offense and found to be in the country unlawfully can be charged with a felony carrying a sentence of up to five years in prison for that offense.

In practice, Hardin doubts that the penalty would ever be carried out because it could be waived by the arrestee’s agreeing to federal immigration custody and deportation.

Opponents argued that the measure would encourage arrests on trumped up charges, since actual guilt would not be required to trigger the unlawful-presence felony.

“I would love to believe (racial profiling) will never happen, but I’ve been asked about my immigration status before,” said Rep. Michelle McCain, D-Tulsa, who said her ancestry is Black, Native American and white.

Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, D-Oklahoma City, said HB 1362 is “un-Oklahoman,” “un-American” and “wrong” on several levels. He said most undocumented immigrants are just “trying to provide for their families” and come illegally because a “broken” system precludes legal immigration for most of them.

HB 1362 passed 73-16 on a party-line vote.

One of Speaker Kyle Hilbert’s priorities — lifting restrictions on teachers’ post-retirement earnings — sailed through on a 74-7 vote, with 18 members not voting.

HB 2288 would allow teachers qualifying for an Oklahoma Teachers Retirement System pension to continue in the classroom without a loss of benefits.

Hilbert has said current restrictions are unfair and could be keeping experienced educators from continuing their careers.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives approved legislation that would provide public school districts with the opportunity to be heard by the State Board of Education (SBE) before any changes are made to their accreditation status.

House Bill 1466, authored by Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, would allow for due process procedures for public school districts to be heard by the SBE prior to the issuance of an accreditation deficiency or accreditation status downgrade. The bill adds requirements for accreditation standards to address deficiencies, warnings, probation, or nonaccredited status for non-compliance.

“This is a win for transparency in education,” West said. “House Bill 1466 will bring more accountability to the process and help schools navigate the accreditation system with greater clarity and fairness. Every school district deserves a fair chance to be heard before major changes are made to their accreditation status, and this measure ensures that their voices are not only heard but considered in the decision-making process.”

Currently, Oklahoma school districts are not entitled to a hearing or notice before the SBE prior to their accreditation status is downgraded. HB1466 would give school districts the chance to appear before the SBE if the State Department of Education (SDE) recommends downgrading a school’s accreditation from “Accredited with Warning” to “Accredited with Probation” or from “Accredited with Probation” to “Non-Accredited.”

Under HB1466, school districts would have ten days to request a hearing after receiving notice of a recommendation to downgrade their accreditation status. If the district does not request a hearing within this timeframe, they waive their right to one. Additionally, districts that fail to address accreditation issues within 90 days of receiving notice risk having their accreditation status withdrawn.

HB1466 passed 89-0 and now moves to the Senate for consideration, where it is carried by Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond.

The House passed legislation authored by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert that removes restrictions on teachers from teaching in public schools after retirement.

House Bill 2288 eliminates an existing 36-month waiting period for teachers who retire before they can return to teaching in Oklahoma public schools. The bill will allow career teachers to continue teaching past their retirement age while also drawing on their earned retirement benefits.

Currently, teachers are allowed to go into a job in the private sector or in a private school, but must wait 36 months before returning to a public school classroom.

“Our state has a teacher shortage and we must do all we can to keep quality teachers in our public school classrooms as long as they are willing to continue teaching,” said Hilbert, R-Bristow. “We need to allow these teachers – many of whom are still in their prime working years - to draw down the retirement benefits they have earned while remaining in the classroom if they choose to do so.”

The bill passed the House with a vote of 74-7 and will move to the Senate for further consideration.

 March 2025

• 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