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OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Bill 1436 , a measure aimed at improving communication and access to information for families experiencing pregnancy loss, passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives and now heads to the Governor’s desk. House author Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, says the bill would provide that when a fetal death occurs in a hospital, or when a woman presents to a hospital for treatment of a miscarriage, the hospital must, prior to discharge, provide the woman or a designee with a standardized form explaining how to request a fetal death certificate or a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth. "Families facing pregnancy loss are walking through one of the most difficult moments of their lives, and they deserve clear, compassionate communication from the moment they receive care," Roe said. "This bill helps ensure they are informed about their options and supported as they navigate an incredibly personal experience." The bill would also require hospital staff to verbally inform patients and families of their ability to request these documents. The legislation directs the Oklahoma State Department of Health to develop and publish the form on its website, including clear instructions and contact information for the Division of Vital Records. Roe said the measure creates consistency across hospitals and ensures no family leaves without knowing what resources are available to them. "This is about making sure every family is treated with dignity and given the information they need during a time of grief," Roe said. "By standardizing this process, we are helping provide clarity and support when it matters most." According to the March of Dimes 2025 Report Card , Oklahoma’s infant mortality rate is 7.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, and in 2023, 341 infants died before reaching their first birthday. SB1436 passed the House with an 89-0 vote and now heads to the Governor's desk for final approval.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Ryan Eaves, R-Atoka, and Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, today responded to reports of a likely tornado that damaged homes and property in Atoka and Pushmataha counties, specifically in the communities of Bentley and Caney as well as an area at Sawmill Road south of Lane. The National Weather Service was surveying damage Wednesday after severe weather moved through the area on Tuesday. "We're thankful to have no reports of death or serious injury from these storms," the lawmakers said in a joint statement. "Still, we understand people suffered damage to their homes and other property, and some are without power. We're working with local and state officials to make sure everyone has what they need to recover." Both lawmakers were in Oklahoma City for the legislative session when they got news of the storms that included a possible tornado, strong winds, heavy rain and hail. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Bill 3147 , authored by Rep. Derrick Hildebrant, R-Catoosa, and Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore, has become law, authorizing the creation of the Route 66 Centennial License Plate in consultation with the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission. The measure became law without the Governor’s signature after passing unanimously in both the House and Senate. The new plate commemorates the 100th anniversary of U.S. Highway 66, established Nov. 11, 1926. In 2026, Route 66, often called the Mother Road, is being celebrated nationwide throughout the year. "Oklahoma has the longest drivable stretch of Route 66, and it is filled with the diners, motels, museums and small businesses that tell the story of our state and our country," Hildebrant said. "I am thrilled that the license plate is now in statute and thank my colleagues for understanding the importance of the Mother Road in our state. Catoosa is home to one of the most recognizable stops along the route, the Blue Whale, and celebrating 100 years is meaningful for all of us." Senate author, Seifried, says the new license plate is an exciting chance for Oklahomans to have a piece of Route 66. "Route 66 is one of Oklahoma’s greatest economic and cultural assets, bringing visitors from around the world and supporting jobs in cities and towns along the route," said Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore. "This new license plate gives Oklahomans the chance to celebrate the centennial by taking a piece of the Mother Road with them wherever they go. I’m proud to represent so many communities that are part of Route 66’s enduring legacy." The law authorizes Service Oklahoma to work with the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission on the design for the plate. The agreement allows for up to $20 from each plate issued to be directed to the Oklahoma Route 66 Association. Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, said proceeds from plate sales will support promotion and preservation efforts along the historic highway. "This will help us continue telling Oklahoma’s story to people from around the world as we begin the road’s next 100 years," Martin said. "Route 66 in Oklahoma goes through more than 40 communities and covers over 400 miles. It’s known as the Main Street of America, and it is still Main Street in many of these towns." Before the plate can be produced, at least 100 Oklahomans must sign up and pre-order it. Organizers say that effort is already underway. Route 66 Day was held at the Capitol on April 21, where historic sites and communities along Route 66 gathered to mark the highway’s 100th anniversary. The Oklahoma Route 66 Association was there collecting signatures and email addresses of those who would be interested in pre-ordering the plate. Service Oklahoma is currently working on a final design of the plate and a link where Oklahomans can sign up and pre-order it online.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation authored by Rep. Tammy Townley, R-Ardmore, authorizing the placement of a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument on the Oklahoma State Capitol grounds has been signed into law.  House Bill 4486 allows the State Capitol Preservation Commission to work with private entities to design, construct and place the monument near the Capitol Arch at no cost to taxpayers. "Families who have lost a loved one in service deserve to be recognized in a meaningful way," Townley said. "I've had the chance to hear from families who live with that loss, and it stays with you. This gives them a place at our Capitol that reflects that sacrifice and honors it for years to come." The Gold Star Families Memorial Monument honors families who have lost a loved one in military service and is part of a national effort led by the Woody Williams Foundation. The monument will be privately funded and located on the Capitol grounds alongside other military tributes. The memorial will feature four pillars representing homeland, family, patriot and sacrifice, with imagery designed to reflect Oklahoma communities and military service. Townley said placing the monument at the Capitol ensures it will be accessible to all Oklahomans and visitors, creating an opportunity for reflection, education and recognition of those who have given their lives in service to the country. Sen. Kelly Hines, R-Edmond, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, is the Senate author of the bill.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Tom Gann, R-Inola, Kevin West, R-Moore, and Rick West, R-Heavener, have filed two more appeal briefs and a motion to reconsider at the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The briefs seek to overturn orders by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission approving more than $4 billion and $5 billion of fuel charges collected by Oklahoma Natural Gas Company (ONG) and Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company (OG&E) on their customers’ monthly bills since 2021.  The motion to reconsider says that in the court’s April 21, 2026, decision denying Gann’s first appeal of a Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) rate case order, the court “overlooked important facts, and based thereon, reached erroneous conclusions resulting in a Decision that radically departs from past court rulings without explaining its rationale for doing so.” It asks the court to reconsider that decision. The court's opinion has not been released for publication. Until released, it is subject to revision or withdrawal. To date, Gann, West and West have filed nine appeals of OCC utility rate and fuel orders for ONG, OG&E and PSO worth billions, arguing all were tainted by the OCC’s failure to perform lawful audits and by votes unlawfully cast by embattled OCC Commissioner Todd Hiett. Their briefs argue their belief that OCC audits are required to be performed by independent, licensed CPAs, according to the Oklahoma Accountancy Act. They also say Hiett should have recused himself from these cases because of his alleged criminal conduct – including sexual assault, drunk driving, and sexual harassment – about which the utilities’ attorneys are alleged to have direct knowledge. They say state ethics rules require public officials to disqualify themselves from matters in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned. Charges were never filed, and the Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint against Hiett in May 2025. But the latest briefs ask the State Supreme Court to review the Ethics Commission’s legal determinations. They argue when Hiett told the Ethics Commission that the common law Rule of Necessity allows him to continue to participate in OCC cases even if he is biased, that was itself an admission of bias. The lawmakers argue the Rule of Necessity only applies to biased or conflicted judges. The first appeal, challenging $250 million in rate increases and $700 million in 2021 Winter Storm ratepayer-backed bonds for PSO, was filed in February 2025. In its April 21 decision, the Supreme Court found that utility customers do have standing to bring such appeals under Article 9, Section 20 of the Oklahoma Constitution. So, the Supreme Court’s decision to deny the appeal on technical grounds was a “setback in our pursuit of justice on behalf of PSO ratepayers,” Gann said. “The court has used a procedural point (making a critical factual error in doing so) to avoid answering two very important questions: whether the law requires audits to be performed by licensed CPAs and whether corporation commissioners are required by state ethics rules to be impartial decision-makers. By not deciding those issues, the court has left the door open to future legal challenges, especially because it  did  affirm an individual ratepayer’s standing under the Oklahoma Constitution to bring such appeals,” Gann said. In its decision, the court said it was denying the appeal and not deciding most of the issues raised, because those issues “were not presented to and decided by the [Corporation] Commission” first. In his motion to reconsider, Gann points out that he was prevented from intervening in the PSO rate case at the OCC by a rule imposing a 90-day deadline to intervene. PSO’s customers were not even notified about the case until after that deadline had passed, he said.  “Clairvoyance would have been required for [Gann] to have anticipated the OCC’s errors of law in time to meet the OCC’s 90-day intervention deadline in the appealed case,” the motion says. It goes on: “Nor did [Gann] yet have reason to believe that the attorney general would fail in his statutory duty ‘to represent and protect the collective interests of all utility consumers’ and fail to” request Hiett’s recusal or object to false, inadmissible audit testimony at the OCC. Gann’s motion also argues that the issues he has raised – like a biased judge, the OCC’s lack of jurisdiction to issue orders without first performing lawful audits, and the voidness of prior orders – are constitutional issues that are not required to be raised at the OCC first. He said the court has made new law and contradicted more than a century of legal precedent by not considering the constitutionality of his issues in its ruling. “If this court intends to set a new precedent, … it should say so explicitly,” Gann’s motion argues. In response, the court could modify or clarify its decision, or leave it as is, or withdraw it altogether. There is no specific deadline by which it must decide, but it must rule on the motion. “Last week’s decision came in the first of nine appeals we have brought on behalf of PSO, OG&E and ONG customers.” Gann, West and West said. “Some of the circumstances surrounding the others – especially the $12 billion worth of appealed fuel cases – are different.” “We will see what the Court has to say about the Motion to Reconsider before we decide our next steps. The fact that we filed another brief (appealing OG&E’s 2024 fuel case) less than a week after the ruling shows we have not given up this fight. We will continue to stand up for the law and the Constitution where the OCC and attorney general have failed. It is just a question of where, how and when.” Gann’s Motion to Reconsider filed at the Supreme Court can be read online here: https://www.oscn.net/dockets/GetDocument.aspx?ct=appellate&bc=1065410428&cn=CU-122861&fmt=pdf The new Brief in Chief for the CY2024 ONG fuel case appeal can be read online here: https://oscn.net/dockets/GetDocument.aspx?ct=appellate&bc=1064723240&cn=CU-123588&fmt=pdf The new Brief in Chief for the CY2024 OG&E fuel case appeal can be read online here: https://oscn.net/dockets/GetDocument.aspx?ct=appellate&bc=1064720156&cn=CU-123608&fmt=pdf ONG, OG&E, the OCC and the Attorney General’s Office have 40 days to respond to the briefs. The progress of all the appeals can be followed on the Oklahoma Supreme Court website. PSO rate case ($250m rate increases; $700m bonds; initial decision 4/21/2026):    https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122861 ONG, PSO & OG&E CY2023 fuel cases ($1.5 billion; all briefs filed):    https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=122991 OG&E rate case ($127m rate increase; $760m bonds; all briefs filed):    https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123021 ONG rate case ($98m rate increases; $1.3 billion bonds; first briefs filed; last due late May):    https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123348 ONG 2024 fuel case ($390 million + $888m for 2021/2022; first brief filed):    https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123588 OG&E 2024 fuel case ($925 million + $1.9 billion for 2021/2022; first brief filed):    https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123608 PSO 2024 fuel case ($600 million + $2.8 billion for 2021/2022; briefs this summer):    https://oscn.net/dockets/GetCaseInformation.aspx?db=appellate&number=123905 -END-

OKLAHOMA CITY — Rep. Jason Blair, R-Moore, secured passage of Senate Bill 1475, a measure to designate the interchange of Interstate 35 and Indian Hills Road in Cleveland County as the Toby Keith Memorial Interchange. The bill is authored in the House by Blair and in the Senate by Sen. Lisa Standridge, R-Norman. Senate Bill 1475 honors the life and legacy of Toby Keith, recognizing his patriotism and lasting contributions to Oklahoma and the nation. "As travelers move along one of our busiest corridors connecting Oklahoma to other states, this designation serves as a meaningful way to honor Toby Keith," Blair said. "He was not only a great Oklahoman, but he also left behind a legacy that reflects the Oklahoma Standard. This bridge will stand as a reminder of that character for years to come." A concurrent resolution earlier this session, also authored by Blair and Standridge, honored Keith by naming a turnpike corridor the Toby Keith Expressway. The resolution was heard and adopted on the House floor Feb. 25. Keith died Feb. 5, 2024, following a battle with cancer. SB1475 now heads to the governor’s desk for final approval.

The House today sent legislation to the Governor's desk authored by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, that removes restrictions on teachers from teaching in public schools after retirement. House Bill 2288 changes an existing 36-month waiting period to six months for teachers who retire before they can return to teaching in Oklahoma public schools, while also drawing on their earned retirement benefits. Currently, teachers are allowed to go into a job in the private sector or in a private school, but must wait 36 months before returning to a public school classroom. "Our state has a teacher shortage and we must do all we can to keep quality teachers in our public school classrooms as long as they are willing to continue teaching," said Hilbert. "We need to allow these teachers – many of whom are still in their prime working years - to draw down the retirement benefits they have earned while remaining in the classroom if they choose to do so." The bill passed both chambers unanimously.

OKLAHOMA CITY — Rep. Kevin Norwood, R-Owasso, secured House passage of Senate Bill 1369, a measure to ensure the continuation and long-term stability of Oklahoma’s 988 Mental Health Lifeline. Senate Bill 1369 would create the 988 Lifeline Revolving Fund, which will support staffing, operations and the long-term sustainability of the 988 system. The state would be required to implement funding strategies to ensure the system is adequately supported, including maximizing federal funding opportunities and verifying reimbursements to behavioral health providers. The House passed the measure with a vote of 85-7. "Without legislative action, current funding for Oklahoma’s 988 system is set to expire soon, " Norwood said. "Since the launch of this critical three-digit number, thousands of Oklahomans have relied on this service, and we have a responsibility to ensure it remains available to those who need it most." The measure also designates the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services as the primary oversight entity for suicide prevention and crisis service activities, including coordination with designated 988 Lifeline crisis centers. Norwood said the legislation builds on earlier work to ensure continuity of care and access to crisis services across the state. "This measure creates a dedicated, sustainable funding structure and establishes clear oversight so we can provide a stable, coordinated response for individuals in crisis, both now and in the future," Norwood said. To support the implementation of the measure, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 1164 , which provides $5.9 million in funding for the 988 Lifeline Revolving Fund. That measure was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt on April 21. The bill, authored in the Senate by Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, now advances to the governor’s desk for final approval.

Today the Oklahoma House sent a bill to the Governor's desk that requires school districts to permanently adopt a policy prohibiting students from using cell phones on campus during the school day. “Bell to Bell, No Cell” was originally introduced as pilot legislation in 2025, requiring Oklahoma school boards to adopt policies prohibiting cell phone use on campus during the school day. Feedback from teachers, students and parents following the pilot program was overwhelmingly positive, prompting legislators to advance permanent legislation establishing the cell phone ban in state statute. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, emphasized that the policy, paired with strong literacy reforms passed this year, represents an important step forward for Oklahoma schools. “This legislation is one of the most meaningful bills written during my time in the House,” said Hilbert. “I’ve heard from both parents and teachers who are grateful for this reform. Hallways are loud again, students are playing Uno at lunch, and they’re actually interacting with one another. This legislation permanently allows kids to be kids, and our teachers to teach in our classrooms.” The legislation requires that any policy prohibiting cell phone use must also include a provision for emergency use, including items used for medical issues. The bill also allows local school districts flexibility in how they implement the policy. “As a father of three, I knew how important this legislation would be in our schools and for our kids. I have worked for the last 12 years in the House on a lot of important legislation that has had a meaningful impact on schools, but making this ban permanent I think will tremendously improve the academic focus in our classrooms for years to come,” said House Education Appropriations Chairman Chad Caldwell, R-Enid, and author of the bill.  “Bell to Bell, No Cell has worked wonders in classrooms across Oklahoma,” said Senator Ally Seifried, R- Claremore, and senate author of the bill. “With fewer distractions from cellphones and social media, students are engaged and focused on their schoolwork again. Making this permanent is the right move for Oklahoma kids, and I look forward to seeing academic outcomes continue to improve the longer this policy is on the books.”