Representative Denise Crosswhite Hader

R

District 41

Hi, I'm Denise Crosswhite Hader and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 41st District.


representative

Leadership

Majority Caucus Secretary

58th Legislature

Assistant Majority Whip

59th Legislature

News & Announcements

May 21, 2026
Recent Posts

Strom's Eight-Bill Package Addressing Government Spending Oversight Signed into Law

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bipartisan package of eight bills authored by Rep. Judd Strom, R-Copan, that will increase transparency in public contracts and prevent misuse of taxpayer dollars has been signed into law. The legislative package of bills was developed following concerns about gaps in government spending oversight and after an audit by State Auditor & Inspector Cindy Byrd identified $93.4 million in misspent expenditures. Strom, who serves as the Chairman of the House General Government Appropriations and Budget Committee, worked alongside lawmakers from both parties during the 2025 interim to identify ways to prevent similar issues from happening again. Other lawmakers included Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus; Rep. Denise Crosswhite-Hader, R-Piedmont; Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene; Rep. Preston Stinson, R-Edmond; and Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Oklahoma City. "I brought in lawmakers and from all over the State and political spectrum to work on this project. We all agreed that the people we serve deserve to be confident in the idea that their investment in this State is being handled responsibly," Strom said. "This was a heavy lift, but I appreciate the long hours and hard work that each member put in. I also appreciate the time and effort that the Auditor and her staff lent to us. We went back over years of documented waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars and asked, ‘What would have prevented this? What can we put in place to make sure this never happens again?" Governor Kevin Stitt signed all eight bills into law and said transparency is important to Oklahomans. "As governor, I have fought for transparency and accountability for Oklahoma taxpayers. The transparency laws passed this session further that goal," Stitt said. "Government works for the people, not the other way around, and these reforms help preserve the trust Oklahomans have in their state and local institutions." The legislation focuses on increasing transparency in state contracting, adding more safeguards to the procurement process, improving documentation requirements and helping prevent conflicts of interest and misuse of public funds. "Too often, lawmakers and taxpayers are left finding out after the fact that millions of dollars were mishandled or poorly tracked," Strom said. "These new laws put stronger safeguards in place on the front end so contract details are easier to access, and the public can better see where their money is going." The package also includes reforms related to government bidding practices. Lawmakers said the measures are intended to create a more transparent and competitive process while discouraging favoritism and poor-quality contracting. "This legislation helps eliminate the good-old-boy system by creating fairness in contracting," Strom said. "The honest contractors doing things the right way should not have to compete against bad actors benefiting from weak oversight." The new laws included in the package are: House Bill 3413 by Strom and Sen. Tom Woods, R-Westville, expands transparency in state agency contracting by requiring agencies to publicly list contractors, contract values and project status while disclosing consultant reports and staffing-related contracts. House Bill 3414 by Strom and Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, directs the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to improve accounting systems related to service contracts, staff augmentation and documentation for digital and intangible assets. House Bill 3415 by Strom and Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, requires vendors to disclose subcontractors, tightens documentation standards, mandates post-project reviews and creates a public database of state contracts. House Bill 3418 also by Strom and Daniels updates the Public Competitive Bidding Act to refine procedures for public construction projects and ensure more consistent bidding practices, and criminalizes violations of the Central Purchasing Act. This law will take effect Nov. 1, 2027. House Bill 3416 by Strom and Sen. Jerry Alvord, R-Wilson, allows counties to seek quotes for certain smaller purchases while maintaining documentation and oversight safeguards. House Bill 3417 also by Strom and Alvord authorizes certain political subdivisions and public trusts to use real-time reverse auction bidding procedures for goods and services purchases. House Bill 3419 by Strom and Sen. Jack Stewart, R-Yukon, tightens ethics laws by making it a felony for officials, employees or contractors to use confidential government information for personal financial gain. House Bill 3420 by Strom and Sen. Carrie Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, tightens oversight requirements for negotiated contracts and requires additional public reporting of procurement activity. All measures take effect Nov. 1, except for HB3418, which takes effect Nov. 1, 2027.

May 19, 2026
Recent Posts

Felony Trafficking of Abortion Pills Signed into Law

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill making it a felony crime to traffic abortion pills has been signed into law by the governor. Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, is the author of House Bill 1168 . The measure creates a felony offense for anyone to knowingly possess or deliver abortion-inducing drugs — including mifepristone, misoprostol and methotrexate — to someone who intends to use them for an unlawful abortion. "Abortion is already illegal in Oklahoma other than to protect the life of a mother in an emergency," Crosswhite Hader said. "What has happened, however, since that has become law in our state, is that people are trafficking abortion-inducing drugs to women who are already in a vulnerable state. That's unscrupulous, and it needs to stop.  "This bill is about protecting women from the horrible side effects of these pills. It's also to protect women from being taken advantage of by someone looking to personally profit from the distribution of these pills." Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, is the Senate author of the bill. He had this to say about its signing. "We hear a lot about the trafficking of humans and children and rightfully so. We have worked hard to eliminate this enslavement of people. The trafficking of the abortion pill is no different than human trafficking and possibly worse. It is the largest killer of babies and the greatest threat to motherhood. It is the death sentence to an innocent baby who has been convicted of no crime and a false hope to a mother, soon to kill the child she carries. In fact, the injustice of the abortion pill being trafficked in Oklahoma is a generational loss of Holocaust proportions, and the victims are always twofold. Today, we took a big step in stopping both of those wrongs. Oklahoma will continue to stand for the rights of a person to have life, liberty and property."    Crosswhite Hader said she's heard reports of women being given these drugs by non-medical professionals who do not understand what the medications can do to a woman if administered incorrectly. The drugs are often taken in isolation. This leaves the woman to go through cramping and bleeding and the shedding of her pregnancy with no medical expert on hand to help her through not only the physical pain and after-effects of the drugs, but also the mental anguish that can result from seeing her pre-term pregnancy in a non-viable state. "I'm concerned that a woman given these drugs could die by herself, and they could keep her from being able to carry to term a pregnancy at a later date should that be desired," she said.  There's also a concern that only the second drug in a two-drug sequence are being given in some instances. The first drug is intended to stop the growth of the pregnancy. The second is to evacuate. To give the second drug without the first presents a greater danger to the woman, she said.  Under HB 1168, anyone convicted of trafficking or attempting to traffic abortion-inducing drugs could face a fine of up to $100,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both. This is the same as current law for those performing an illegal abortion. The legislation only addresses those who intend to distribute these drugs illegally to others, not those who are accessing these drugs for themselves, Crosswhite Hader said.  This measure does not limit or prohibit the sale of contraceptives, and it would not impact couples undergoing IVF treatment. Under the definition of "Abortion-inducing drug, " included in the bill, it specifies that this definition does not apply to drugs that may be known to cause an abortion, but which are prescribed for other medical indications, such as chemotherapeutic agents or diagnostic drugs, or for treatment of an ectopic pregnancy or spontaneous miscarriage.  Additionally, HB 1168 does not apply to pharmacists, drug manufacturers or distributors who legally possess, sell or distribute pharmaceuticals intended for lawful medical purposes.  Crosswhite Hader said another factor to consider is the release of the abortifacient "forever" chemicals into wastewater that cannot be treated by facilities or septic systems. These then enter water supplies to be drunk by the rest of the population. The bill passed the House last year and the Senate this year. It was signed into law by the governor May 5. He held a ceremonial signing of the bill today, allowing authors of the bill and pro-life supporters to be present to celebrate the measure becoming law.

Apr 30, 2026
Recent Posts

Crosswhite Hader Celebrates Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Becoming Law

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, today is reminding Oklahomans they can opt-in on a federal income tax credit next year for individual contributions to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). Funding is to be used for scholarships for elementary and secondary education expenses. Crosswhite Hader is the House author of House Bill 3704 , which recently was signed into law by the governor. She said the federal program is similar to the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship program, a state tax-credit program that supports scholarship efforts in Oklahoma. HB3704 declares the state's intent to participate to the fullest extent permitted by federal law in the federal Education Freedom Tax Credit. It also directs the governor to formalize the state's election and required agreements and designates the Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC) as the administering agency. State agencies, including the Tax Commission and the governor, are prohibited from adopting rules or regulations that go beyond what federal law requires when implementing this act. "This allows Oklahoma taxpayers the freedom to donate to a registered scholarship granting organization, whether they have children or not," Crosswhite Hader said. "The funding from these organizations will then be available for eligible Oklahoma students to attend the school of their choice or to help pay for other educational expenses, such as tutoring or academic materials. Every parent should have the right to determine the education that is best for their children, and taxpayers should be able to support such choices with their own tax dollars."  Gov. Kevin Stitt previously signed an executive order opting Oklahoma into the federal program. Crosswhite Hader said this legislation just puts this in statute so going forward this will be available to all willing taxpayer participants. The tax credit is part of the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law last year by President Trump. The act provides for an individual, dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 per individual taxpayer or $3,400 for a joint federal return for contributions to state-approved, federally recognized nonprofits that distribute private-school scholarships to eligible children, defined as students from households earning no more than 300% of their county’s median income.  States must proactively opt into the federal tax credit program, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2027. Oklahoma is now one of 27 states currently opted in. Under HB3704, the OTC will be required to identify and register eligible SGOs, maintain and submit their list to the U.S. Treasury, develop rules, forms and procedures to administer the list, and ensure compliance with federal guidelines, including contribution reporting and scholarship distribution. The Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs recently reported the tax credit could generate an additional $24 billion in education funding annually nationwide. Every $1 billion in scholarships could fund tuition at a school of choice for 77,000 students or cover tutoring for more than 300,000 students.