Representative Molly Jenkins

R

District 33

Hi, I'm Molly Jenkins and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 33rd District.

representative

News & Announcements

Jan 16, 2026
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Jenkins Files Bills for Voters to Decide Legislative Pay

OKLAHOMA CITY — Rep. Molly Jenkins, R-Coyle, has filed three bills she says are aimed at giving voters a direct voice in decisions about pay raises for legislators and statewide elected officials. Jenkins said she introduced the three pieces of legislation after the Oklahoma Legislative Compensation Board met in executive session late last year before approving recent pay raises for legislators and statewide elected officials. "I have stood by my word and have chosen to take decisive action after the deeply troubling actions by the Oklahoma Legislative Compensation Board," Jenkins said. "I do not believe the current law was designed to allow this type of closed-door meeting." House Joint Resolution 1047 would allow voters to approve or reject the recently approved raises for legislators and public officials. The measure would also freeze legislative pay at the Nov. 1, 2025, level unless voters approve any future increases. House Bill 3093 would amend the Open Meeting Act by clarifying the limited circumstances under which public bodies may meet in executive session. The bill specifies that executive sessions would only be used to discuss individual officers or employees who are, were or will be under the direct supervision, employment or appointment of the public body holding the session. Jenkins said the change is intended to prevent the compensation board from meeting in executive session to discuss salaries for legislators and statewide elected officials. "This clarification makes it clear that executive sessions are not a loophole for boards to shield broad compensation decisions from public view," Jenkins said. "The compensation board should not be allowed to meet behind closed doors to decide the pay of officials who are not its employees." House Bill 3092 , titled the Stop the Salary Spike Act, would nullify the raises recently approved by the board for legislators and statewide elected officials and restore salaries to the amounts in effect on Nov. 1, 2025. Last month, Jenkins sent a formal letter to Attorney General Gentner Drummond requesting an opinion on whether the board violated Oklahoma’s Open Meeting Act by entering executive session before voting on the raises. "Under state law, executive sessions are permitted only for limited purposes, including discussion of employees’ salaries, but legislators and statewide officials are not employees of the board," Jenkins said. "I hope the attorney general will agree and reverse their unfortunate actions, but I also believe it is important for the Legislature to do its part and leave no doubt." The Oklahoma Legislative Compensation Board is a constitutionally created body with exclusive authority to set legislative pay. Every two years, the board reviews legislative compensation, and any change takes effect following the next general election. "For decades, Oklahoma has ranked among the highest-paying part-time legislatures in the nation, yet it routinely trails other states in key performance indicators including infrastructure, education outcomes, public health, and economic mobility," Jenkins said. "In Oklahoma, it is clear that legislative pay has a reverse correlation with government performance. When compensation keeps rising, but results keep falling, it tells you something is broken. Public service has to be about service, not self-reward." Jenkins also stated that she will not accept the raise if it takes effect and plans to donate the funds to a House District 33 crisis-pregnancy clinic. "If this raise takes effect, I will not keep it," Jenkins said. "Every dollar will be donated to a House District 33 crisis-pregnancy clinic, organizations that actually serve people in their moment of greatest need." HJR1047, HB3093 and HB3092 are eligible for consideration in the Second Regular Session of the 60th Legislature, which convenes Feb. 2.

Nov 25, 2025
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Jenkins Rejects Legislative Pay Raise, Seeks Attorney General Opinion on "Closed-Door" Meeting, and Proposes Voter Approval for Freezing Legislative Pay

OKLAHOMA CITY  —  Rep. Molly Jenkins, R-Coyle, has sent a letter to Attorney General Gentner Drummond requesting a formal opinion on whether the Oklahoma Legislative Compensation Board's executive session violated Oklahoma’s Open Meeting Act. “If the executive session was unlawful, the public deserves to know,” Jenkins said. “And if it was permitted under a loophole, then we need to fix that loophole immediately.” Her request follows the recent decision by the board, which met in executive session before approving salary increases for state politicians, including legislators who are among the highest-paid part-time lawmakers in the nation. State law allows boards to meet in executive session, which is a private discussion of salaries of their own employees, but Jenkins says legislators are not employees of the compensation board. “I was heartbroken to hear that the Legislative Compensation Board entered an executive session, which I do not believe is authorized by Oklahoma law, before voting to award these massive raises,” Jenkins said. “This is not transparency, and this is not the Oklahoma way.” According to Jenkins, the circumstances surrounding the meeting “do not pass the smell test.” She noted that the board had twice declined to raise legislative salaries in previous meetings, and then, after members were replaced, the board met behind closed doors and abruptly “changed its mind.” “At a time when Oklahoma taxpayers are struggling under soaring insurance premiums, rising property taxes and higher utility rates, the last thing they should be forced to do is pay more for their politicians, especially under such regrettable and suspicious circumstances,” Jenkins said. Depending on the attorney general’s findings, Jenkins may introduce legislation to ensure a situation like this “can never happen again" in the form of a constitutional amendment. For the 2026 Legislative Session, Jenkins says the amendment she is working on could abolish the Legislative Compensation Board altogether and could freeze legislative salaries at their current level, before the newly approved raises, unless voters themselves approve future increases. “For too long, this board has ensured that Oklahoma’s part-time Legislature remains the highest paid in the region, and one of the highest compensated part-time legislatures in the nation, even as our state trails far behind in so many other metrics,” Jenkins said. “Only the voters should have the final say on legislative compensation, not an unelected board of bureaucrats who never have to face the vote of the people.” The deadline to file bills and joint resolutions is Jan. 15, 2026, and the Second Regular Session of the 60th Legislature is set to convene on Feb. 2, 2026. Jenkins has indicated she will also use the upcoming session to formally propose blocking the pay raises for other statewide officeholders, including the governor, attorney general and state superintendent, keeping their salaries at current levels. “Public service should never be about the money; it should be about sacrifice,” she said. “You can never pay a true public servant enough. But you can absolutely overpay a worthless politician.” If the legislative pay raises do take effect, Jenkins announced she will reject the increase and donate the additional money to a House District 33 crisis pregnancy clinic. “These clinics are on the front lines every single day, saving lives and restoring hope to mothers and their babies in their greatest time of need,” Jenkins said. “If this pay raise goes through, the people of House District 33 will see every dollar of it put toward something that truly matters.”

May 22, 2025
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Jenkins Responds After Student Immigration Data Amendment Is Tabled

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Molly Jenkins, R-Coyle, issued the following statement today after defending the amendment she filed to Senate Joint Resolution 22 , which addressed the immigration status of students, before it was ultimately tabled. "I brought this amendment forward because the people of Oklahoma deserve to know how their tax dollars are being used," Jenkins said. "The rule would have required a simple headcount of non-citizen students in our schools. That’s not just reasonable, it’s responsible." During her debate on Wednesday, Jenkins, vice chair of the House Administrative Rules Committee, challenged the notion that Plyler v. Doe prohibits the collection of immigration-related data. "Opponents of the amendment like to hide behind Plyler v. Doe, which says we must provide an education for students here illegally, and we are," she continued. "But nothing in that ruling prevents us from tracking where public funds are going. We are not denying services. We are demanding transparency." Jenkins argued that the Oklahoma State Department of Education's proposed data collection would only involve one aggregate figure and would not require students or their families to provide their names or any personal information beyond their immigration status. "We have clear statutory authority to collect this kind of data, and we should," Jenkins argued. "The State Department of Education proposed this rule because illegal immigration is placing a growing burden on our schools. Biden’s reckless open border policies have left Oklahoma families footing the bill." Jenkins said Oklahomans have a right to know what is happening in their schools and how their tax dollars are being spent. "Oklahomans deserve to know what’s going on in their public education system, from enrollment numbers to funding formulas," she said. "This amendment was just the first step. I'll continue to pursue legislation to ensure full transparency, accountability, and a real look at the impacts of this border crisis on our classrooms. We owe it to Oklahoma families to be honest, to be accountable and to act." After a motion was made to table the amendment to SJR22, Jenkins requested a division vote rather than the standard voice vote. Although the amendment was tabled, Jenkins made it clear she will continue to fight for Oklahomans. "I called for called for a division vote to hold members publicly accountable for their stance," Jenkins concluded. "Oklahomans sent me here to stand up for them, and that’s exactly what I’ll keep doing, loudly, clearly and without backing down."