A&B Finance Subcommittee

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, has filed legislation that initially would increase the ad valorem tax exemption homeowners are allowed each year from $1,000 to $2,315.  Under House Bill 4103 , beginning in 2032 and every five years thereafter, the amount would increase by a percentage equal to the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index for the most recent five-year period for which final data is available immediately preceding the adjustment date. "There's been a lot of discussion about the elimination of property taxes," Ford said. "The consequent worry, however, is what that might mean for core services such as public education, safety, infrastructure and many other areas," Ford said. "This approach strikes a balance between giving homeowners a larger exemption on their property taxes while still supporting the services and programs they use every day." Rep. Mark Chapman, R-Broken Arrow, is a co-author on the bill. "Property tax relief is something homeowners across Oklahoma care deeply about,” Chapman said. “At the same time, we have to be mindful of how changes might affect the local services on which families rely. This bill takes a responsible approach by providing meaningful relief while maintaining long-term stability for our communities." If enacted, the legislation would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. HB4103 has been assigned to the House Appropriations and Budget Finance Subcommittee. If it passes there, it would face a vote in the full A&B Committee before being eligible for a vote by the full membership of the House. Bills have until Feb. 19 to pass out of subcommittee. 

Rep. Cody Maynard, R-Durant, on Tuesday advanced legislation that would allow a 70% tax credit for any taxpayer contributing to a pregnancy resource center beginning in tax year 2026. House Bill 1201 would cap credits at $50,000 for individuals and $5 million in total for the state annually, but excess could be carried forward to claim in the next tax year. The bill passed in the Appropriations & Budget Finance Subcommittee and now is eligible to be considered in full A&B. "Oklahoma's nearly 40 pregnancy resource centers play a vital role in assisting low-income women and families, offering services such as free ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, counseling, parenting programs, and more," Maynard said. "By incentivizing donations through this tax credit, the state not only invests in a valuable network that provides essential healthcare but also puts the power back in the hands of the people to decide which centers these tax credits will ultimately benefit." Under the provisions of the bill, the amount of the contribution must be at least $100 to qualify for the credit. The authorized credit would not be allowed to reduce the tax liability of the taxpayer to less than zero and may not be assigned, transferred or sold. Maynard filed a committee substitute of the bill that would make the credit effective for tax years 2026 through 2031 and that would require the director of the Oklahoma State Department of Health to determine, at least annually, which facilities in this state may be classified as pregnancy resource centers. The director can require whatever information is reasonably necessary to make the determination, according to the definitions of a center outlined in the bill. A friendly amendment is anticipated on the bill that would include post-birth care for mothers. If enacted, the credit would become effective Jan. 1, 2026. 

The Oklahoma House of Representatives today added to its transparency portal a government efficiency survey intended to root out duplication of services, waste and inefficiencies in state government.  This initiative piggybacks on the federal effort to eliminate government waste through the newly-created federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "We will work hand-in-hand with President-Elect Trump and our federal delegation on broader efforts to make government more efficient with DOGE," said House Speaker-Elect Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. "We want to ensure our state government is working as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. As lawmakers, we want the assistance of Oklahomans who have first-hand experience with duplicative and wasteful spending of taxpayer dollars." Oklahomans can enter any examples they have experienced of state governmental waste or duplication into the easy-to-use portal, which will be submitted to House budget leaders for review to be utilized during legislative budget hearings and the crafting of the FY26 state budget.  "We know Oklahomans get frustrated every day with the inefficiency of government, and we need their help to root out the most egregious examples so we can eliminate unnecessary expenditures," said Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton, who will serve as House Appropriations Chairman for the 60th Legislature. "The more efficient we can become, the more we can invest in critical government services and pursue lowering the overall tax burden for all Oklahomans." Constituents can file government waste complaints online by entering some demographic information, the issue area their example encompasses, and details of waste or inefficiencies. "We are confident we will get examples of inefficiency that we likely would not have known about otherwise," said Rep. John Kane, R-Bartlesville, who will serve as Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee this upcoming session. "Every January we have an opportunity to walk through budget requests with state agencies, and we will have the ability to ask about these constituent submissions directly in an effort to make government as efficient and effective as possible." The portal is live today, and Oklahomans can immediately start entering examples of waste they have already encountered or will see in the future. "We hope to capitalize on the momentum we are seeing on the federal level with the efforts of President Trump at DOGE, and the national priority they have set to reduce waste," Hilbert said. "Oklahoma has the opportunity to align with these efforts and lead at the state and local level as we seek best practices and frameworks for auditing and reducing waste in government spending." The Government Efficiency survey may be accessed via the homepage of the House website, okhouse.gov, similar to the House Budget HQ , which was launched in the 2024 session and updated regularly. All submitted agency FY26 budget requests have been updated and can be viewed in the portal.