'Highs and lows' from the 2026 legislative session

State lawmakers have officially finalized their work for the first session of the 60th legislature. More than 500 bills were signed into law this year, as republicans call it a successful session.

During his State of the State address in February, Governor Kevin Stitt laid out a list of priorities he was hoping lawmakers would accomplish, many of which were. 

Governor’s priorities from February: 

1. Protect Oklahoma taxpayers: calling for a 0.5% cut to the income tax with a path to zero income tax
2. Become the best state for business: calling for tort reform, push for economic development initiatives 
3. Safeguard our savings: calling for lawmakers to keep at least $4 billion in the state’s savings account
4. Protect the Oklahoma way of life: calling for reform geared towards increasing educational outcomes

State of the State quotes from the governor: 

“No DEI, government mandates, or regulations. No extreme gender ideology, green new deals, or open borders,” said Stitt.

“If people hear one thing I say, it’s that I want Oklahoma to be the best state for business. By being the best state for business, we’re paving the way to be the best state for education, the best state for infrastructure, and the best state for families,” said Stitt. “So let's make sure we can build more generation on the meter and behind the meter to keep our energy the most affordable and reliable in the nation.”

“We also need to make sure kids are in their classrooms. I've had parents from all over the state reach out to me with concerns about virtual school days. We all know that kids learn best when they’re in the classroom with our great teachers. It's just common sense. Let's eliminate virtual days in our public schools,” said Stitt.

“I want to change that structure and make sure that a second chance is actually a second chance and get rid of fines, fees and court costs for good,” said Stitt.

What lawmakers delivered on in 2025: 

1. Cutting down on virtual days: Senate Bill 758, signed into law by Governor Stitt, restricts Oklahoma public schools and charter schools to a maximum of two virtual days per school year, or 12 hours, starting in the 2026-2027 school year. These virtual days can only be used in specific emergency situations approved by the state superintendent or the governor.
2. Eliminating phones in school: Senate Bill 139 was signed into law, requiring public school districts to implement cellphone restrictions for the entire school day. In subsequent years, districts will have the flexibility to adjust their cellphone policies.
3. Creating business courts: Senate Bill 632 would create a business court in Tulsa and one in Oklahoma City. The specialized courts would only hear business-related disputes that involve at least $500,000.
4. Comprehensive Tax Reform: House Bill 2764 is a significant reduction in personal income taxes and modernization of Oklahoma’s tax code, aimed at strengthening the state’s economy.
5. Economic Development Initiatives: House Bill 2781 is the Reimagine Oklahoma Act, which supports the construction of a new aluminum plant, revitalizing Oklahoma’s industrial base and creating thousands of new jobs.
6. Energy Innovation: Senate Bill 480, the “Behind the Meter” law, is designed to increase energy generation as the demand for electricity rises nationwide due to a growing number of large-scale manufacturing facilities, data centers and artificial intelligence processing centers.
7. Ending DEI on College Campuses: Senate Bill 796 prohibits taxpayer-funded DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs at public colleges and universities.
8. Tort Reform: A series of bills (Senate Bills 1168, 642 and 453) strengthen legal protections for businesses and ensure fairness and speedy settlements in civil litigation while also making much-needed workers’ compensation reforms.

Response from Republican Leadership:

“This session has been about laying the foundation for Oklahoma’s future,” said Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton. “We came in with a clear mission to put our state on a stronger footing, and we delivered. We passed transformational tax reforms that return hard-earned dollars to Oklahoma families and businesses while keeping our state competitive. I’m proud of the Senate’s work to pass common-sense legislation that reflects the values of the people we represent. From reducing unnecessary virtual school days to making classrooms more focused by removing cellphones and curbing DEI ideology on our campuses, to modernizing the way we approach energy and economic development, we took bold steps to improve our state's future. We’ve proven that good governance yields real results. We’re not just talking about the future, we’re building it.”

“This session was about taking bold action to improve the lives of every Oklahoman,” said House Speaker Kyle Hilbert. “We prioritized policies that put students, families and businesses first. We were able to cut taxes, strengthen our schools and modernize outdated laws that held us back. I’m especially proud of the bipartisan support we saw on issues that matter most to everyday citizens. The legislation we passed isn’t just a checklist of campaign promises, it’s a roadmap to a better, stronger Oklahoma. These measures aren’t just wins for today, they’re investments in the next generation."

Where democrats say this session “fell short”:

1. Education: 
2. Legislation was not finalized to address the teacher shortage
3. There was no increase in teacher pay 
4. Few additional dollars were added in the formula to give public schools extra funding.

“We did not see the kind of big movement we wanted to see but we were able to pass a couple of specific bipartisan measures,” said Sen. Julia Kirt, (D) Senate Minority Leader.

1. Prosperity: 
2. Legislation introduced by senate democrats to raise the minimum wage was not given a hearing.
3. Legislation for improving housing affordability was not advanced, despite many bipartisan solutions presented by the Senate Democrats.  

“These missed opportunities let Oklahomans down – we need to work together to solve real problems in people’s daily lives,” Kirt said. “No matter what, we will continue to listen to Oklahomans and to work on good legislation that puts people over politics. We will always use our voices and our votes to fight for our fellow Oklahomans.”

What’s next?

Both chambers have adjourned sine die until next February. In the interim, lawmakers will hold studies on different ideas for the 2026 session.