Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoes 14 bills, while more than 100 pass into law

State lawmakers have passed another legislative deadline, but their work is far from over. They have sent more than 100 bills to the governor's desk while working to finalize the state budget for 2026.

May 8th legislative deadline:

All bills that were not heard on the floor in the opposite chamber of origin by adjournment Thursday evening will not be moving forward this session.

If a bill was amended in the opposite chamber of origin, it will have to return to the original chamber before it is sent to the governor to be signed into law.

“This historically is always the most intense deadline week in my opinion because when the house is considering senate bills and the senate is considering house bills there's a little extra weight, because if a bill hasn't been amended its now going to the governors desk,” said Rep. Kyle Hilbert (R) House Speaker.

Governor’s Vetoes:

So far, 120 bills have been sent to the governor’s desk. Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed 54 of those, vetoed 14, and allowed 50 to take effect without his signature.

Veto of House Bill 1389:

In a veto message, Stitt wrote: 

“I am deeply sympathetic to the women across our state who have bravely fought breast cancer. While early detection and access to care are critical priorities, this legislation imposes new and costly insurance mandates on private health plans that will ultimately raise insurance premiums for working families and small businesses. Mammograms are already covered, and when a doctor sees the need for further tests, they are empowered to order further tests that can be covered by insurance. 

Without fail, when the government gets involved in markets, prices rise for everyone. Rather than expanding government mandates, we should focus on empowering individuals and encouraging innovation in the marketplace to improve access and affordability. For these reasons, I have vetoed Enrolled House Bill 1389.”

HB1389 would require health benefit plans to include coverage for contrast-enhanced mammograms and molecular breast imaging as part of diagnostic and supplemental examinations for breast cancer. 

Both the House and Senate authors were surprised the bipartisan legislation was vetoed, while House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson said, “I’m very disappointed in that and it's really too bad that the governor doesn't understand how important that is to Oklahoma women.”

“It's an important piece to women's healthcare in Oklahoma,” said Rep. Munson.

Veto of House Bill 1137: 

In a veto message, Stitt wrote:

“While I support efforts to solve missing persons and homicide cases, I cannot endorse legislation that singles out victims based solely on their race. House Bill 1137 requires the creation of a unit within the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) that focuses exclusively on missing and murdered Indigenous persons. But every missing person— regardless of race or background—deserves equal attention and urgency. 

Oklahoma already has both the Missing Persons Clearing House and the Cold Case Unit within OSBI, which are tasked with investigating disappearances and unsolved cases across all communities. Creating a separate office that prioritizes cases based on race undermines the principle of equal protection under the law and risks sending the message that some lives are more worthy of government attention than others. Justice must be blind to race. Our resources and investigative efforts should be deployed based on the needs of the case, not the identity of the victim. For these reasons, I have vetoed Enrolled House Bill 1137.”

HB 1137 would have modified provisions related to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) in the State of Oklahoma. The measure removes a statutory requirement that the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) apply for certain federal funding, and also removes the statutory authorization for OSBI to coordinate with private entities to obtain funding or fulfill grant requirements. 

“I am deeply disappointed in the Governor's decision to veto House Bill 1137–especially on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day at the Capitol,” said Rep. Ron Stewart, D-Tulsa. “This bill represented a meaningful step forward in addressing an issue that affects families and communities across Oklahoma.

What does it take to override a veto? 

Leadership in both chambers says they will begin discussing veto overrides next week. 

To successfully override the governor’s veto on any bill, both the House and Senate must have a ⅔ majority vote in favor. If the bill has an emergency attached, the legislation would need a ¾ majority vote to be successfully overridden. 

What’s next?

Beginning next week, state lawmakers will begin hearing any bills that were amended and will work on those changes in conference if deemed necessary.

Legislators have until May 30, sine die, to finalize a state budget, which is their only constitutional duty.

“I'm really confident. There's a lot of plates still spinning in the air this session but I think we are in a good position where I believe we are able to land the plane on this session,” said Hilbert.