State House, Senate leaders look back on 2025 legislative session

It was the first year that both Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert led their respective chambers. They sat down with News9 to discuss the highs and lows from this legislative session, and what they’re looking forward to next year. 

“Legislative victories” for republicans:

1. 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.
2. 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. 
3. In-Person Learning: Senate Bill 758 reduces reliance on virtual school days to ensure students receive the benefit of in-person learning.
4. Bell to Bell No Cell: Senate Bill 139 requires public school districts to limit student cellphone use from “bell to bell” for the entire 2025-2026 school year.
5. Ending DEI on College Campuses: Senate Bill 796 prohibits taxpayer-funded DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs at public colleges and universities.
6. 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.
7. 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.

“Unified legislative branch”

“I think myself, the governor, the speaker; we all still have the same goal of making Oklahoma a better place to live,” said Sen. Lonnie Paxton, (R ) Senate Pro Tem. “I think the end result was we got some really good legislation passed.” 

“Legislative leadership all across the board agrees that the 2025 session was a success,” said Rep. Kyle Hilbert, (R ) House Speaker

“We're leaning into our strengths and it's been to our advantage. It's a statement that we're doing things right right now,” said Rep. Hilbert. “The last couple days of session don't take away from the fact that we had an incredibly productive session. You saw a very unified legislative branch.” 

Full response from Sen. Lonnie Paxton: 

“I think the end result of the session was very productive. We got a lot of good things in education and a lot of good things for business in Oklahoma. A lot of good things for families in Oklahoma,” said Sen. Paxton.

“One of the things I've advocated for for a really long time is a good business environment in Oklahoma, to make sure Oklahoma is the kind of place that we protect employees but we also make it where businesses can come here and thrive,” said Sen. Paxton. “I think we've really changed the business outlook in Oklahoma and this kind of says we've done some great things and we'll make Oklahoma a better place for businesses to operate.”

Response from Rep. Kyle Hilbert: 

“Really excited about this session and the things we got done,” said Rep. Hilbert.

“A really good budget and we're still sitting on $3.5 million in surplus as we finish out the fiscal year so we're in a good position for whatever may come in the future,” said Rep. Hilbert. you want to be in places that want you to be there, and Oklahoma sent a loud message that we are open for business.” 

“The one piece of legislation that we didn't see across the finish line that I think we're gonna continue to work on next year is particularly when it comes to renewables and setbacks particularly on wind energy. But outside of that just about every issue that we as house republicans talked about wanting to get done going into session we were able to get done this year,” said Rep. Hilbert.