Mulready: Prepared for the Storm, Confident in the Season
By Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready
April brings more than spring flowers to Oklahoma. Severe weather, including hail, damaging winds, lightning and tornadoes, can also occur. But we don’t have to be afraid! Let’s see ourselves as prepared, not as potential victims. A few simple steps now can make a big difference later.
Apply for the Strengthen Oklahoma Homes Program
First, let’s talk about protecting your most valuable asset. The Strengthen Oklahoma Homes (SOH) Program is open to homeowners statewide. You could qualify for a $10,000 grant to fortify your roof, reduce the impact of events, and save on insurance. Homeowners are seeing an average annual premium savings of almost $800! Get started by visiting oid.ok.gov/okready. Review qualifications, gather documents, and apply. Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your resilience before severe weather strikes.
Build or Update Your Home Inventory
Having an inventory on hand will save you time if you need to file a claim. You can use a physical inventory. I highly recommend downloading the app from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Document your home and belongings by taking photos and videos and writing down serial numbers. If you opt for a physical inventory list, scan it, keep a physical copy in a safe place, and upload a digital copy to a secure cloud service.
Create or Refresh Your Home Safety Plan
If you don’t have a home safety plan, create it. Update your current plan if you have one. Make sure you have multiple ways to receive alerts and that your emergency contacts are up to date. Designate your safe places for different disaster scenarios, such as tornadoes, floods and wildfires. Take this opportunity to clean out your storm shelter. Don’t forget to factor in your loved ones’ unique needs.
Pack Your Go-Bag
For your go-bag, have copies of important documents, identification, insurance policies, cash, nonperishable food and water ready to go. Pack safety items like masks, gloves, a flashlight, a battery-powered radio, a phone charger, and a power bank for electronic devices. When watches or warnings are issued, add clothing and any last-minute necessities so you’re ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
Review Your Insurance Policies
Take time to understand your policy. Know your deductible and whether your home is covered for actual cash value or replacement cost. Talk to your agent about whether your coverage reflects today’s rebuilding costs. Depending on where you live, you may also need separate flood or earthquake coverage.
Severe weather season is here, but preparation puts you in control. If you need help with insurance questions or claims, please reach out to the Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) at oid.ok.gov or at 800-522-0071. For additional preparedness information, head to oid.ok.gov/GetReady.

Review the Insurance Commissioner Candidates Forum Video
Follow the link below or go to BIGiOK.com/VoterVoice and see in the “Blog Post” section “April 21, 2026” “Commissioner Candidates Outline Market Concerns, Consumer Pressures at INSURCON 26“

Legislature Completes Week 12
The second regular session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature has completed its twelfth week as legislators were once again busy hearing opposite chamber bills in committee prior to yesterday’s deadline. The cross-chamber committee process now moves to the floor with a deadline of May 7 to advance those bills even though that process has been partly underway for the past several days. With the FY-27 budget fully passed on the floor by both chambers and signed by Governor Kevin Stitt, the remaining days of the session are expected to move rapidly with an early Sine Die adjournment most likely. 

Candidate Challenges Heard
Candidate challenges were heard April 16 following the April 1–3 candidate filing period.  The challenge receiving the most publicity was from state Rep. Toni Hasenbeck (HD 65) who challenged the candidacy of state Senator Adam Pugh (SD 41). Both are seeking the Republican nomination for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.  Hasenbeck’s challenge to Pugh’s candidacy was denied by the State Election Board on a 3-0 vote. Hasenbeck’s challenge was based on the fact that the salary for the Superintendent position was increased last year by the Statewide Officials Compensation Committee during Pugh’s current legislative term making him ineligible to run. Hasenbeck was also serving in the Legislature when the raise was voted on but contended her two-year term ends November 18 which is before the raise officially begins. Pugh’s current four-year term does not end until November of 2028. 

Democrat Rep. Trish Ranson (HD 34) successfully challenged the candidacy of a Republican opponent, Ted “Theodore” Riley, based on the date of his voter registration for House District 34. According to state law, candidates must be a resident and registered voter in their district six months prior to filing for office. Riley registered to vote in HD 34 on November 5, more than a month later than the deadline to be registered six months prior to the April 1-3 filing period, according to Ranson’s petition. Riley did not challenge the ruling.

State Representative Suspends Reelection Campaign, Submits Resignation
After initially suspending his reelection campaign amid a NonDoc report that he sent an explicit AI-generated GIF of himself and a potential female candidate for state office to the potential candidate while he was chairman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party in 2025, state Rep. John Waldron (HD 77) of Tulsa has now submitted a resignation letter to Governor Stitt effective October 1. Waldron resigned last December from his Democratic Party chairmanship after serving just five months in the position. Vice Chair Erin Brewer, a candidate for state Senate in 2024, assumed the chairmanship. 

Waldron, a former history teacher at Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School, was elected in 2018 and reelected in 2020, 2022 and 2024. Since Waldron suspended his campaign after the official candidate filing period — which he filed for reelection during — his name will still appear on the Democratic primary ballot June 16.  One other Democrat candidate, Kristina Gabriel, filed, however, no Republican filed which guarantees Gabriel the seat for the next two years.  House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson (HD 85) publicly stated that she and other Democratic caucus members encouraged Waldron to resign and/or not seek reelection, and if he did run he would not receive caucus support. Munson also said Waldron is suspended from the Democratic caucus during the period prior to his October 1 resignation.

House Sends Property Tax Proposal to Voters
The Oklahoma House has approved a measure that would let voters decide whether to slow the growth of property taxes on homesteads. The measure would lower the cap on annual increases in a property’s fair cash value, which is used to calculate taxes. For homestead and agricultural property, the cap would drop from 3% to 1.75% starting in tax year 2027. For other properties, the cap would decrease from 5% to 4%. 
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert is backing Senate Joint Resolution 39, which would place a proposed constitutional amendment on the August 25, 2026 ballot. “This ballot question would give Oklahomans the lowest fixed rate cap on personal property in the nation,” Hilbert said, pointing to concerns about rising home values and inflation.
The proposal also updates the state’s existing senior property tax freeze by creating a tiered system based on income, aimed at providing additional relief for older homeowners. If approved by voters, the changes would take effect beginning in 2027.

General Revenue Fund Collections Rise
General Revenue Fund collections in March came in above expectations, continuing a steady fiscal year performance despite a year-over-year dip for the month.
The Office of Management and Enterprise Services reported that March GRF collections totaled $634.2 million, exceeding the monthly estimate by $18.7 million, or 3%. However, that total was $26.9 million, or 4.1%, below March 2025 collections.
For the fiscal year, collections remain ahead of projections. GRF totals through the first nine months of fiscal year 2026 reached $6.1 billion, which is $315.1 million, or 5.5%, above the year-to-date estimate and $35.5 million, or 0.6%, higher than the same period last year.
“March collections exceeded estimates in every major category,” said Mark Wood, director of OMES. “Notably, sales tax outperformed last March by 11.8%. As we enter the final quarter of the fiscal year, we anticipate continued stability in both GRF collections and Oklahoma’s economy.”
The latest figures reflect consistent revenue performance as the state moves into the final quarter of the fiscal year. Collections continue to outpace official estimates overall.