Legislature Convenes Monday
The second regular session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature will convene Monday, February 2 at 12pm. Members of the Legislature, Judiciary and all statewide elected officials will be in attendance in the House Chamber to hear Governor Kevin Stitt’s eighth and final State of the State address. Still will leave office in January 2027 after serving the maximum of two consecutive four-year terms. The address will be streamed at okhouse.gov. It is anticipated that lawmakers will have 5-6% less to appropriate for FY-27 than FY-26, however final revenue certification will not occur until later in February when the Oklahoma State Board of Equalization releases its final revenue report. The first legislative deadline is March 5 when bills must be advanced from committee within each chamber. Bills not advanced by the deadline will be considered dormant for the remainder of the session. 

OK House Completes Bill Filing 
The Oklahoma House of Representatives completed bill filing last week in advance of the Second Regular Session of the 60th Legislature. A total of 1,578 House Bills and 50 House Joint Resolutions were filed before the deadline. The full text of the bills, along with additional information including authors and co-authors are available at okhouse.gov. 
Last year, the Clerk of the House reported 1,928 House Bills, 29 House Joint Resolutions, three House Resolutions, and two House Concurrent Resolutions were filed before the 2025 deadline. Of those, over 1,600 House measures remain eligible for consideration in the 2026 legislative session. Joint resolutions may be filed at any point during the session.
The House is currently comprised of 80 Republicans and 19 Democrats with two vacancies. The session convenes February 2 at 12pm with the State of the State address from Governor Kevin Stitt in the House Chamber. 

We are looking at Bills that involve the P&C Industry.  As we all know, homeowners rates are increased and we still deal with weather issues that affect those rates.  We are always looking for ways to support the insurance consumer as well as making our industry better.  We’ll update the Bills as they work through the committee process.  

State Representative Resigns Amidst Ethics Probe
Democrat state Rep. Ajay Pittman (HD 99) resigned last Wednesday after being formally charged with three felony counts related to forgery of a check related to an ongoing Oklahoma Ethics Commission probe. In resigning her seat, Pittman pled guilty and will receive a seven-year deferred sentence according to a news release from Attorney General Gentner Drummond.  A longtime state Capitol legislative assistant was also charged with the same felony counts and formally resigned her position with the state Senate January 9.  Pittman was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2020, 2022 and 2024 to the eastern Oklahoma City seat held from 2006-2014 by her mother, former Representative and former Senator Anastasia Pittman.  The election to determine Pittman’s successor is expected to coincide with the 2026 primary, primary runoff and general election calendar.  

House Member Not Seeking Reelection
Republican state Rep. Eddy Dempsey (HD 1) has announced he will not seek reelection this year. Dempsey was first elected in 2020 and reelected in 2022 and 2024. He is a member of the House Transportation Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation.

HD 35 Special General Election Set
Republican rancher Dillon Travis of Maramec won the HD 35 special primary runoff election defeating former Pawnee County Sheriff Mike Waters with 78% of the vote.  Travis will face Democrat Luke Kruse in the February 10 special general election to determine the successor to former Republican Rep. Ty Burns who resigned last year.  The winner will need to file for a full two-year term in April if they wish to mount a campaign to retain the seat since the special election is only to fill the remaining months of Burns’ two-year term which began following the 2024 general election. 

Mullin Draws Democrat Challenger; Hern Seeks Reelection
Oklahoma junior U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Westville) has drawn a Democrat opponent for the 2026 general election. Mullin is in his final year of serving out the remaining four years of the late former Senator Jim Inhofe who resigned in 2023 two years into his final six-year term that he won in the 2020 general election. Longtime Democrat activist, attorney, author and minister Jim Priest of Oklahoma City recently announced he is running for the Democratic nomination. To date, Priest is the only announced Democrat candidate. He previously ran for attorney general in 2010 where he lost the general election to Republican Scott Pruitt.  
First District U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Tulsa) has announced he will seek a fifth two-year term in the United States House of Representatives ending speculation that he might become the next president of The University of Tulsa. Hern, 64, was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2020, 2022 and 2024. He is chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. 

Former Energy Reporter Announces Corporation Commission Bid
Sidelined by health issues two years ago when he made a run for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, former energy writer and industry analyst Russell Ray is giving it another bid. Ray, a former energy editor for The Tulsa World, announced his candidacy last week for the Republican nomination saying he is the candidate to fix the Corporation Commission which he claims has reached a crisis point in public trust. In announcing his bid, Ray was critical of the three sitting GOP commissioners for all being former legislators. Chair Kim David is a former Senate Majority Leader and Commissioner Brian Bingman is a former House member and Senate President Pro Tempore. Term-limited Commissioner Todd Hiett is a former Speaker of the House. 

Former Speaker Enters Lt. Governor Race
Former Oklahoma Speaker of the House, Oklahoma Transportation Commission member and longtime state political operative T.W. Shannon, a Republican, has announced he is running for lieutenant governor. Shannon was elected to HD 67 in 2006 and reelected in 2008, 2010 and 2012. He did not seek reelection in 2014, opting instead to run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the former late GOP Senator Tom Coburn. Shannon lost the primary to former U.S. Rep. James Lankford who holds the Senate seat today. Shannon also ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 in the special election to succeed the former late GOP Senator Jim Inhofe who resigned before his six-year term was up. Shannon lost the primary to former U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin who holds the seat today.  
Shannon said he is stepping away from his most recent role as a senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Prosperity, where he worked on rural policy issues and regulatory reform, to focus full time on the campaign. 

Governor Signs Executive Order To Review Welfare Programs
Governor Stitt has signed an executive order directing a broad review of the state’s major welfare programs, with a focus on fraud prevention, work incentives, and long-term self-sufficiency.
“In Oklahoma, we know that there is no better social welfare program than a job,” Stitt said. “We measure compassion by the number of individuals who no longer need welfare assistance because they have become self-reliant through meaningful employment. To that end, I’m instructing our agencies to take steps to reduce fraud and errors, seek federal flexibility, and design incentives that act as trampolines, not hammocks.”
The order applies to programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Women, Infants and Children benefits. State agencies involved include the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Oklahoma Health Care Authority, Oklahoma State Department of Health, and Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
Under the order, agencies have 90 days to review error rates, fraud controls, eligibility rules, and so-called benefit cliffs, where small income increases can lead to a sharp loss of benefits. That review will be compiled into an “Oklahoma Welfare to Work Report” for the Governor and legislative leaders.
Within 120 days, agencies are also directed to identify and seek federal waivers aimed at reducing administrative requirements and tailoring programs more closely to state needs. The order also calls for stronger identity verification, improved data sharing across agencies, and common performance metrics.
Implementation plans are due within 180 days, followed by annual public reports on progress.
Stitt also encouraged partnerships with faith-based and nonprofit groups to support people transitioning off assistance.
“The government isn’t a jobs program, and it can’t solve all societal issues,” Stitt said. “Many of the needs Oklahomans face can be met by the local church, non-profits, and neighbors. I encourage the Oklahoma faith-based and non-profit community to join with the Office of Faith Based Initiatives to help meet the needs of Oklahomans.”

Berry Named Secretary of Licensing and Regulation
Governor Stitt has appointed Adria Berry as Secretary of Licensing and Regulation, placing her in charge of a cabinet role that oversees more than 80 state agencies focused on professional licensing and regulatory policy.
Berry has served as executive director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority since 2021, overseeing licensing and compliance in the state’s medical cannabis industry. Her work there included expanding enforcement efforts and refining licensing processes as the agency matured.
Berry said her focus in the new role will be reducing unnecessary barriers for workers and business owners in regulated industries. A licensed attorney, Berry previously served as counselor to the Secretary of State in the Governor’s executive office and later led government affairs for the Petroleum Alliance and the State Chamber of Oklahoma. She also serves as board president of the national Cannabis Regulators Association.

Ethics Commission to Return Guardian Filing System
The Oklahoma Ethics Commission has voted to return the agency’s longtime online candidate and campaign reporting system (The Guardian) for at least three years. The Guardian system’s creator and maintenance provider said early last year they would no longer maintain and service the system which caused the OEC to sign on with a new vendor, however after months of kinks and the new system not in place, and with the 2026 candidate filing and election season quickly approaching, OEC, in an agreement with the Guardian’s Louisiana-based creator, have decided to return that system to the agency. 

OCC Names New Director of Administration
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has appointed longtime Oklahoma government and political operative Jim Marshall as its Director of Administration succeeding Brandy Wreath who was relieved of his duties recently by the three elected commissioners.  As Director of Administration, Marshall is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission that includes its four core divisions, two support divisions, an annual budget of $92 million and more than 550 employees.
Prior to being selected by commissioners, Marshall served the late former Labor Commissioner Brenda Reneau as Chief of Staff, the late former Labor Commissioner Mark Costello as Chief of Staff, former Acting Department of Health Commissioner Jerry Regier as Director of the Integrity Task Force, former Insurance Commissioner John Doak as Director of Outreach and Human Resources and current Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready as Director of Operations.

December State Revenues Surge
Revenue from Oklahoma Gross Production Tax surged in December, helping push overall state collections sharply higher, according to the latest monthly revenue report from State Treasurer Todd Russ. The gross production tax on oil and gas increased by $124.5 million, representing a 231.6% jump compared to the prior month. The increase reflects stronger energy receipts at the end of the year and underscores the continued importance of Oklahoma’s oil and gas sector to state finances. Energy was not the only driver of December’s revenue growth with motor vehicle collections rising $74 million, an increase of 19.9%. Total income tax collections climbed to $607 million, up 51.7% month over month. While several revenue streams increased, sales and use tax collections slipped in December with total sales and use tax down $610 million or 2.7%. Other tax sources were down $117 million or 9.8%. Even with those declines, overall collections remained strong due to the outsized gains in income, energy, and vehicle-related taxes.
Looking at the broader picture, Oklahoma’s total state revenue over the past 12 months reached $17.20 billion, an increase of $326.4 million, or 1.9%, compared to the prior year. On a year-over-year monthly basis, December collections were up $120 million, representing an 8.5% increase. Compared with November, overall revenue rose 22.0%, highlighting the strength of December’s inflows.
The sharp rise in gross production tax collections illustrates how closely Oklahoma’s fiscal health remains tied to oil and gas activity, even as the state continues to diversify its revenue base. Treasury officials did not attribute the December spike to a single factor, but the increase aligns with higher production values and timing effects often seen at year-end in energy-related tax reporting.

Former Stillwater Senator Passes Away
Condolences to the family of former Democrat state Senator Bernice Shedrick who passed away recently at age 85. Shedrick, an attorney and staunch public schools advocate, was elected to SD 21 in 1980 and served until 1996. She ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1994. She was a graduate of Oklahoma State University and Oklahoma City University School of Law. She lived most of her professional life in Stillwater.