Heading toward the 2025 Oklahoma legislative session, lawmakers can reflect on last year’s session, “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” After seeing over 3,000 potential bills filed for consideration, the session boiled down to a handful of meaningful issues and scored few real points for Oklahoma.
The good: progress on grocery taxes for seniors
This was a significant win for Oklahoma’s elderly population, most living on fixed incomes and feeling the bite of inflation. As the state continues to grapple with the rising cost of living, lawmakers must remember this is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving the lives of some of Oklahoma’s most vulnerable citizens.
The bad: harmful immigration legislation
The passing of a law to fine and incarcerate undocumented immigrants represented a divisive and quite harmful attempt to addressing illegal immigration. This policy will only deepen divisions within communities and can harm local economies, especially in industries such as agriculture that rely heavily on immigrant labor. The law was not only punitive but also symbolized lawmakers’ attempts to be politically expedient, grab headlines and ignore real issues that benefit Oklahomans.
The ugly: a public, childish dispute between the governor and the Oklahoma State Senate
The budget approval process was significantly delayed and hindered by the conflicting views of Governor Stitt, who is seemingly hell-bent on reducing or eliminating state income taxes, and the Senate’s view that tax cuts should be measured and responsible. Everyone would like to pay less in taxes, but we also want to live in a state with good schools, infrastructure and social systems to help the less fortunate. We also need to be mindful that Oklahoma has a boom/bust economy, due to being heavily reliant on oil and gas. Joe Biden was our economy’s best friend, by limiting domestic drilling and keeping oil prices high. Donald Trump wants lower energy prices, which would also hurt our revenues from this sector, so any discussion of tax cuts should be mindful of history and what happens here in a downturn. Regardless, the process was very public and embarrassing. Possibly the low light was the picture of 8-10 white males sitting around a table, trying to hash out an agreement with two of Oklahoma’s most high-profile female legislators relegated to the cheap seats. The process undoubtedly impaired Oklahoma in multiple ways, as it likely involved much give and take that would have been better served in funding areas of need and cutting wasteful initiatives.
Perhaps the most high-profile outcome of last year’s session, a tax credit around “School Choice,” would best be described as The Undecided, as only time will tell if this benefited anyone other than the mostly wealthy Oklahomans who took advantage of it. The other clear winner was our state’s private schools, which used the laws of supply and demand to immediately raise their tuition rates to take advantage of parents’ newfound ability to pay. The battle cry of school choice seems to smack of a total lack of regard for our 49th-ranked public schools and ignore the long-term impact on our economy and state. For the seemingly very few parents who can now afford private school or home schooling for their kids, congratulations are in order. Time will tell, but the centerpiece of last year’s legislative effort seems to be a non-event for anyone but wealthier Oklahomans with kids attending Heritage Hall or Cassidy and grandstanding politicians.
Resolutions for 2025
1. Focus on issues that matter: Stop the obsession with ideological battles, such as Dusty Deevers filing 9 bills for last session ranging from criminalizing abortion to making no-fault divorce illegal in Oklahoma. Oklahoma needs to focus on our schools, health care and strengthening our economy.
2. Try to help all Oklahomans, not just your base: Please consider the needs of the entire state. This means taking a more inclusive approach to policymaking, prioritizing the needs of marginalized communities, rural residents, seniors end even those who don’t always agree with you politically.
3. Start doing your job instead of just trying to keep your job: There’s a pervasive sense in Oklahoma politics that lawmakers spend more time worrying about re-election than actually governing. Fear of political repercussions often leads to compromise on important issues and focusing on short-term gains vs long-term solutions.
4. Make agency heads accountable: We have seen the recent resignation of an agency head related to mismanagement of resources and a multi-million-dollar contract directed to her spouse’s employer. Another high-ranking agency official also resigned a few months later over very similar circumstances. The Oklahoma State Department of Education is a complete disaster and has all but given the middle finger to lawmakers’ efforts to demand accountability. This is dangerous and has to stop immediately.
5. Be bipartisan, stop the sideshows and don’t embarrass Oklahoma: For a group of elected officials, is it too much to ask to just act like statesmen?
More specifically
1. Make Oklahoma a better place for women: Our state was ranked dead last for women in 2023. This is due to lack of access to health care, incarceration rates, teenage pregnancy rates, job opportunities and compensation disparities.
2. Help rural Oklahoma: Rural Oklahomans need better jobs, better schools and better access to health care. Rural Oklahoma elected many of our lawmakers and is widely responsible for Kevin Stitt being our governor. It seems they are getting short-changed in return and deserve much better outcomes.
3. Work together with tribal partners: Oklahoma is home to 39 Native American tribes, each with a rich cultural heritage and a crucial role in the state’s economy. If lawmakers would better cooperate and collaborate with our tribal leadership, it would benefit the tribal nations and our state as a whole.
4. Fund and fix our public schools: We are almost worst in show. There are no excuses here.
5. Leadership starts with a vision: Governor Stitt needs to look toward his last two years to leave Oklahoma in a better place, not just with more money in the bank. Top 10 status is not realistic with just two years to go. Focus on the basics and moving the ball down the field. Progress is critical and requires an action plan and leadership from the top. Health care, education, prisons, rural communities and our state’s reputation have much room for improvement in a time when we have a very strong economy and no excuses for many if not most of our shortcomings. The GOP has been in total control of our state for over a dozen years, so it starts with a look in the mirror.
This article appears in Stitt’s Top Ten.