The following is a list of legislation vetoed by Governor Kevin Stitt during the first regular session of Oklahoma's 60th Legislature. The list will continue to be updated as legislation is recieved and acted upon by the governor:
LIMITING GOVERNMENT
SB 208 - Veto Message: I refuse to sign legislation that creates more unnecessary licenses for Oklahomans. We haven’t needed a hunting guide license for the entirety of our history, and I see no need to create one now. I remain committed to limited government that focuses on real problems—not creating new hurdles to operating a business or hunting in our state.
HB 1030 - Veto Message: This bill would extend the life of the State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering— a state agency that, by now, should be restructured or consolidated under a more appropriate umbrella. Before granting another sunset extension, the Legislature should take a step back and ask: What does this Board really need to do, and who should be in charge of it? Until the Board becomes more transparent, responsive, and aligned with the needs of today’s workforce, its continued existence should not be taken for granted.
SB 927 - Veto Message: This bill would give the Oklahoma State Medical Association outsized control over the Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Board by effectively handing them three of the ten appointments. If the Association is only required to submit three names for three slots, they’re not “recommending” anyone. They’re just making the appointments themselves. That’s not a check-and-balance— it’s a handoff of power. If the Association can’t produce six names to allow for a real selection process, maybe it’s time we reconsider whether this Board is still serving a useful purpose at all.
HB 1029 - Veto Message: HB 1029 would extend the life of the Oklahoma Funeral Board— a state agency that, by now, should be consolidated under a more appropriate umbrella. For too long, the Funeral Board has shielded the funeral industry from meaningful competition in the sale of caskets, urns, and other funeral related merchandise and services. These barriers keep prices artificially high for grieving families. Instead of modernizing, the Board has preserved outdated regulations and entangled businesses in unnecessary red tape. Before granting another sunset extension, the Legislature should seriously evaluate where this Board belongs and what its core duties should be. Until the Funeral Board becomes more accountable and responsive to legislative oversight, its continuation should not be rubber-stamped.
SB 773 - Veto Message: Oklahoma statute already gives the Attorney General authority to go after bad actors in the PBM space. This bill hands additional power to an Attorney General who has shown again and again that he will abuse it. To date, he has used his office to sue agricultural farmers, tech companies and other Oklahoma businesses for political gain. After increasing his budget 68% since taking office, and asking for another 204% increase for next year, the Attorney General is making another attempt to grow his office and expand his authority. Senate Bill 773 gives the AG new tools to go after more industries and keep the fines and fees levied on them, without meaningful oversight or checks on his actions. This bill gives him a financial incentive to sue people.
SB 770 - Veto Message: This bill would alter the composition of the commission for rehabilitation, shifting appointment power from the executive branch to the legislative branch. This is deeply troubling, as it represents a clear violation of core constitutional principles. Under our constitutional framework, the executive branch is charged with enforcing the laws, while the legislative branch is tasked with creating them. By granting the Legislature a majority of appointments to an executive board, this law undermines the independence of the executive branch and allows the legislative branch to insert itself into executive functions. This is an afront to the checks and balances that are essential to a functioning democracy.
SB 363 - Veto Message: Private religious institutions shouldn’t have to play “mother may I” with the state regents. This bill is another example of government stepping into a process it shouldn’t have a role in. If a student chooses to pursue a degree at a private religious school, they should be allowed to do that at the institution of their choice.
HB 1592 - Veto Message: This bill would extend the sunset on the Organized Retail Crime Task Force another two years. The purpose of the task force is to provide the Governor and the Legislature with information regarding organized retail crime. It’s impossible to stimy the growth of government when every task force becomes a permanent government agency.
HB 2163 - Veto Message: This bill grants the Attorney General sweeping and unchecked authority to access records from any state agency, board, commission, or independently elected official—including confidential and privileged documents. That kind of power is unprecedented in Oklahoma and would undermine the balance of power among independently elected offices. Under this law, the Attorney General could demand internal records and attorney-client communications from agencies—even in cases where he is suing or investigating them. That creates a dangerous conflict of interest. For example, the current Attorney General has sued the Statewide Charter School Board, an entity he previously represented. If this bill became law, he could compel the board to hand over privileged information, giving him an unfair advantage in ongoing litigation. No office should be allowed to stack the deck in its own favor. Oklahomans have several effective tools to ensure transparency and accountability in government. Public records laws and the courts provide a neutral, fair process to review and resolve disputes over access to information. This bill bypasses that process and concentrates too much power in one office.
HB 1157 - Veto Message: This bill does several things, and none of them good. This bill grows government and cedes authority to an unelected bureaucrat, giving Oklahomans less power over their government. Additionally, it adds another permit and gives the administrator the authority to buy vehicles and add to our state fleet. I have been clear that I will not sign legislation that grows government and makes it harder for businesses to operate in Oklahoma. Earlier this year, I issued Executive Order 2025-03, aimed at reducing the state’s costly oversupply of vehicles. Last year, I issued Executive Order 2024-13, requiring state agencies review and reform their permitting processes. This bill flies in the face of both of those Executive Orders by expanding the state’s bloated fleet and adding yet another unnecessary license.
HB 1487 - Veto Message: This bill is yet another law adding more special interest license plates to the 266 existing designs. While I appreciate enthusiasm for non-profits, causes, and the occasional obscure organization, we might want to pump the brakes on turning our roadways into rolling billboards. Special interest plates might be well-intentioned, but piling them on clutters the system, complicates enforcement, and often serves more as symbolic feel-good policy than meaningful progress. If the Legislature wanted to drive real change, they would streamline the fees for all license plates and ensure the state is not losing money on this effort instead of turning Service OK into Etsy for car bumpers.
SB 837 - Veto Message: The Legislature’s overzealous commitment to vanity license plates has resulted in a bloated catalogue full of taxpayer-funded advertisements for special interest groups. The legislation allows for a fee increase on a seemingly existing license plate, but there is no Oklahoma City Zoo license plate currently available. It’s bananas that our Legislature has time to dedicate to creating more novelty license plates but doesn’t have the time to pass tax cuts. The Legislature should stop monkeying around and address the elephant in the room. It’s time to boa up and pass tax cuts.
SB 424 - Veto Message: I vetoed a nearly identical bill in 2023. Like its predecessor, this requires the State Department of Health to create a certification program for community health workers – another license and more government intervention. While these workers offer important services, I believe decisions about employing them should be left to private employers, not mandated through government expansion.
HB 1751 - Veto Message: Through EO 2023-14 and EO 2025-03, I have made my intentions clear that the State of Oklahoma and its agencies need to be intentional about the cars it purchases and maintains. In what is branded as a “clean-up bill”, language allowing Service Oklahoma to increase the state’s fleet numbers and purchase more cars is hidden in this 86-page bill.
HB 1138 - Veto Message: We want to hold bad actors accountable. This bill makes it harder to do that. I want every public servant to be an at will employee to ensure that our state is a meritocracy. This bill goes back on the progress we’ve made on rooting out protectionist policies and harkens back to the days when unions ran state government.
SB 324 - Veto Message: This bill would grant qualified establishments a 5% tax rebate for any research and development expenditure. Instead of creating more carveouts for favored industries, the Legislature should incentivize further investment by cutting the corporate income tax.
HB 2260 - Veto Message: This measure proposes a tuition reimbursement and income tax credit for civil engineering graduates and their employers for five years. This is a piecemeal approach to a workforce challenge. Though I understand the need to compete with neighboring states for our civil engineering graduates, those states have significantly lower – or nonexistent – income tax rates than Oklahoma. By focusing on industry-based tax credits, we are ignoring the larger picture. We can compete for our graduates in all fields – including civil engineers – by eliminating the income tax entirely. This bill is no substitute for real tax reform.
FIGHTING BUREAUCRACY AND OVERREACH
SB 443 - Veto Message: Simply put, this bill grows government unnecessarily by allowing the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision to hire more personnel. Growing bureaucracy is not the same as improving accountability. While ensuring that doctors are properly licensed is undeniably important for the health and wellbeing of Oklahomans, we don’t need more employees scattered across independent boards. We need fewer boards doing the job more efficiently under one roof. And if national background checks are only now being implemented after nearly 100 years, that’s a reason to question how the Board has been operating all this time.
SB 37 - Veto Message: I am committed to protecting all four million Oklahomans from those who seek to harm them, but growing government and creating new, unfunded revolving funds will not accomplish that end. Should law enforcement feel it needs more money to protect Oklahomans, they should approach that request through the normal appropriations process.
HB 2048 – Veto Message: The program addressed in HB 2048 is in deep need of reform at the federal level to improve transparency. I know President Trump is working to address this issue. I do not believe it is the job of the legislature to insert itself into a contractual dispute and try to pick winners and losers.
HB 1543 - Veto Message: The Conservation Commission should work in conjunction with the 84 local conservation districts across the state. This bill would significantly expand the authority of the statewide Conservation Commission at the expense of existing local input and control. On its own website, the Conservation Commission emphasizes that it delivers “locally-led, nonregulatory solutions to Oklahoma’s most complex conservation challenges.” This bill would change that.
HB 2263 - Veto Message: Our kids’ safety is our number priority, but a complicated patchwork of laws makes it harder to keep them safe. Oklahoma has already criminalized texting and driving, regardless of location. We should enforce the laws already on the books instead of adding new laws.
SB 574 - Veto Message: This bill would expand the Attorney General’s discretionary authority over settlement agreements in opioid-related litigation. This would hand even more power to someone who has repeatedly demonstrated his willingness to abuse it. It paves the way for him to further entrench his “sue-and-settle” strategy, a tactic that favors his political allies over the best interests of the State, not unlike the approach we’ve seen from Biden’s EPA and DOJ. Moreover, it opens the door for the Attorney General to divert funds earmarked for opioid abatement projects—money that should be going to the General Revenue Fund and to a tax cut. Since taking office, he has already increased his budget by 68%, and he’s also asking for an astonishing 204% more next year. This bill is just his latest attempt to expand his office and consolidate power. I won’t stand for it.
SB 522 - Veto Message: This bill would require the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority Executive Advisory Council to organize a special task force. This is like holding a meeting to schedule a meeting about meetings. Creating yet another advisory group is bureaucracy dressed up as productivity. We don’t need more panels, roundtables, or reports that end up collecting dust. We need action, leadership, and real solutions.
SB 875 - Veto Message: This bill would mandate the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to impose steep, additional penalties on contracted entities that fail to meet existing minimum spending thresholds for primary care services. It’s unclear why legislation is necessary for what seems to be a contractual issue already within the OHCA’s and healthcare providers’ purview.
HB 1216 - Veto Message: House Bill 1216 ratchets up subsequent fines levied by the Construction Industries Board to five times their current level. Subsequent fines are already set at $1,000 for any violation, big or small. Quintupling fines on Oklahoma businesses for any regulatory violation, regardless of the regulations’ relation to public safety, is little more than administrative overreach.
HB 1910 - Veto Message: I appreciate the intent behind this legislation, but I cannot support the invention of new programs with vague goals and no accountability. If local communities want to start gardens or green spaces, they don’t need a government mandate—they need freedom, private partnerships, and fewer obstacles. I won’t ask citizens to foot the bill for a program that should be driven by local businesses, nonprofits, churches, or local governments.
HB 1157 - Veto Message: This bill does several things, and none of them good. This bill grows government and cedes authority to an unelected bureaucrat, giving Oklahomans less power over their government. Additionally, it adds another permit and gives the administrator the authority to buy vehicles and add to our state fleet. I have been clear that I will not sign legislation that grows government and makes it harder for businesses to operate in Oklahoma. Earlier this year, I issued Executive Order 2025-03, aimed at reducing the state’s costly oversupply of vehicles. Last year, I issued Executive Order 2024-13, requiring state agencies review and reform their permitting processes. This bill flies in the face of both of those Executive Orders by expanding the state’s bloated fleet and adding yet another unnecessary license.
SB 1083 - Veto Message: This legislation more closely aligns with the regulatory state in California and New York than a free market state like Oklahoma. Not only that, it creates yet another license. Cryptocurrency ATMs should be regulated in the same manner as regular ATMs – a simple registration form and fee.
SB 687 - Veto Message: This bill needlessly shifts the administration of a sales tax rebate program from the Oklahoma Tax Commission to the Broadband Office. This move serves no real purpose and adds unnecessary complexity, which will cost the taxpayers. The current system works. If someone qualifies for a tax rebate, the Tax Commission should issue it. It’s that simple.
SB 804 - Veto Message: This bill requires assisted living centers to jump through more regulatory hoops and creates yet another government-mandated committee for “quality assurance.” This is yet another example of regulatory overreach that adds red tape without actually making anything better. Assisted living centers are already subject to oversight and professional standards. Forcing them to create internal bureaucracies wastes time, diverts resources from direct care, and burdens providers with compliance for the sake of appearance.
HB 2164 - Veto Message: While I support the core goals of the bill, it would mandate ethics training for every newly elected or appointed head of a state agency, board, or commission—imposing the extreme penalty of removal from office for noncompliance. With hundreds of state agencies, boards, and commissions, this would create excessive bureaucracy with little meaningful impact.
HB 2785 - Veto Message: This bill would require the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to oversee the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services’ financial procedures and budget constraints. Tasking one executive agency with micromanaging another is nonsensical and ineffective. This will not help the Department’s existing financial troubles, which are already being addressed on multiple fronts.
PROMOTING FAIRNESS AND EQUAL JUSTICE
HB 1273 - Veto Message: Someone who has committed violence against their spouse should not have an easy way out. They should go to jail. This bill allows the batterers’ intervention program to be shortened from 52 weeks to a 26-week experimental pilot program, providing for an even more lenient punishment. This will make it easier for abusers to sidestep meaningful consequences and avoid jail time with less effort. This isn’t meaningful reform—it’s a concession to abusers, and it puts victims at greater risk.
HB 1137 - Veto Message: While I support efforts to solve missing persons and homicide cases, I cannot endorse legislation that singles out victims based solely on their race. House Bill 1137 requires the creation of a unit within the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) that focuses exclusively on missing and murdered Indigenous persons. But every missing person— regardless of race or background—deserves equal attention and urgency. Oklahoma already has both the Missing Persons Clearing House and the Cold Case Unit within OSBI, which are tasked with investigating disappearances and unsolved cases across all communities. Creating a separate office that prioritizes cases based on race undermines the principle of equal protection under the law and risks sending the message that some lives are more worthy of government attention than others. Justice must be blind to race. Our resources and investigative efforts should be deployed based on the needs of the case, not the identity of the victim.
HB 2131 - Veto Message: The Constitution guarantees our citizens the right to a fair and speedy trial. In order for a citizen of our country to have a fair, speedy trial, they need to have access to the documents and records used in court. Any attempt to thwart that flies in the face of what we believe as Oklahomans. The grand jury process is already abused for political ends. I won’t sign legislation that further weaponizes this process.
HB 1178 - Veto Message: While we all might agree that an animal mislabeled as a service animal is frustrating, criminalizing the practice is an overreaction. There are other ways to address this issue without adding more criminal statutes to our code.
SB 465 - Veto Message: Institutions of Higher Education are seeking special treatment when it comes to auctions and events involving alcohol. No other charitable groups—like cancer foundations or local nonprofits—would get the same break this legislation provides. Our laws should apply equally to everyone. In any event, the Legislature should pass a law that removes the limit for all charitable and non-profit organizations.
SB 1089 - Veto Message: While Senate Bill 1089 is well-intended, I am concerned that it shifts competency restoration decisions from qualified clinicians to judges and attorneys, which will result in worse outcomes for Oklahomans and higher burdens on taxpayers. Additionally, many of the concerns raised by this bill have already been addressed in the Briggs v. Friesen consent decree, which was agreed to by the plaintiffs, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Attorney General, and the Legislature. I’m concerned this bill would unnecessarily increase the Department’s exposure to legal liability. I encourage the Legislature and the Department to continue collaborating in good faith to develop mutually agreeable legislation that more effectively addresses the underlying concerns driving this proposal.
SB 898 - Veto Message: Eliminating the requirement for construction bidders to submit disclosure statements under oath weakens a straightforward but meaningful safeguard. Truthful bidding depends on accountability, and having sworn statements under oath is neither difficult nor burdensome. This change not only undermines transparency but also raises questions about who benefits from avoiding a sworn declaration.
HB 2298 - Veto Message: At the beginning of session, I was clear that I supported nurse practitioners if it was limited to primary care. This bill allows a full scope of practice for any and all specialties they say they’re trained for. This is a step too far.
HB 2584 - Veto Message: At the beginning of session, I was clear that I supported physician’s assistants if it was limited to primary care. This bill allows a full scope of practice for any and all specialties they say they’re trained for. This is a step too far.
UPHOLDING JUDICIAL DISCRETION
SB 54 - Veto Message: This legislation seeks to expand penalties and mandatory sentencing requirements for individuals convicted of driving under the influence, particularly in aggravated cases or for repeat offenses. While I share the Legislature’s commitment to public safety and to holding impaired drivers accountable, I cannot support this bill in its current form. Under current law, aggravated DUI is a misdemeanor, triggered only when a driver’s blood alcohol content (BAC) is 0.15 or higher. Senate Bill 54 would elevate aggravated DUI to a felony and significantly broaden its scope. A driver could now face felony charges not just for a high BAC, but for conduct such as causing a property-damage accident of over $500, crossing the center line, speeding more than 20 miles per hour over the limit, or simply having a passenger under the age of 18. Additionally, the bill removes meaningful judicial discretion by mandating jail time and increasing financial penalties, regardless of the individual circumstances of the offense. Our courts must be able to consider the facts of each case and tailor sentences accordingly— especially for nonviolent and first-time offenders. Imposing one-size-fits-all penalties risks unjust outcomes and unnecessary incarceration.
SB 870 - Veto Message: While I am supportive of protecting vulnerable children, this bill is too broad and leaves many terms undefined. Even law enforcement believe this bill is so vague it could lead to overcriminalization. There is already a failure to report statute, but it requires that the violator knew of misconduct and chose not to report. On the other hand, this bill criminalizes people who suspect – even when they don’t really know if a crime has been committed – and do not report. This bill may unintentionally discourage volunteers and employees from serving, out of concern that they could face prosecution for not being sufficiently vigilant in identifying potential misconduct. I would encourage the legislature to clarify the above, expand it to more than just OJA and get it to my desk to better protect Oklahoma children without the ambiguity.
DEFENDING PROPERTY RIGHTS
SB 694 - Veto Message: The current municipality annexation and detachment law is fine how it is— it rightly requires approval from three-fourths (3/4) of registered voters and property owners in the area. This bill would block detachment even with that support, undermining local democracy and inviting unnecessary interference from the Capitol.
SB 128 - Veto Message: This bill seeks to expand minimum wait times in eviction proceedings, making the already burdensome and difficult process of obtaining an eviction that much more burdensome. The existing procedures already provide adequate due process and notice. This bill would also do the opposite as intended. Instead of assisting renters in arrears, it would incentivize landlords to specifically not rent housing units to low-income households, for risk of greater eviction costs. We cannot overcome economic realities with good intentions.
HB 1356 - Veto Message: This bill would create a new misdemeanor, including jail time, for failing to close a gate. While I understand the need to protect cattle and other property, incarcerating someone for forgetting to close a gate goes too far.
HB 2147 - Veto Message: This bill is a solution in search of a problem. Minor code violations can now result in property liens against Oklahomans. This enables expanded condemnation and public takings without providing property owners adequate due process protections. Eroding private property rights is not an appropriate response to municipal code fines.
PREVENTING COST INCREASES FOR OKLAHOMANS
HB 1389 - Veto Message: I am deeply sympathetic to the women across our state who have bravely fought breast cancer. While early detection and access to care are critical priorities, this legislation imposes new and costly insurance mandates on private health plans that will ultimately raise insurance premiums for working families and small businesses. Mammograms are already covered, and when a doctor sees the need for further tests, they are empowered to order further tests that can be covered by insurance. Without fail, when government gets involved in markets, prices rise for everyone. Rather than expanding government mandates, we should focus on empowering individuals and encouraging innovation in the marketplace to improve access and affordability.
HB 2167 - Veto Message: This bill would significantly increase the cost for publishing legal notices in newspapers and force newspapers to create a statewide website to house these legal notices electronically, among other things. I have said publicly and repeatedly that we need to lower Oklahomans’ financial burden, not raise them. These measures would create unreasonable burdens on private entities and an unreasonable financial barrier to the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of legal disputes.
HB 1819 - Veto Message: A fee increase is nothing more than a bureaucrat’s attempt at a pay raise. This bill would raise optometry license fees from $300 to $500, which will raise prices for Oklahoma consumers for something as simple as kids’ glasses. Every time government gets involved, prices go up. Not on my watch.
HB 2170 - Veto Message: Don’t stick a new fee into a cleanup bill.
SB 1050 - Veto Message: This bill undermines the ability of insurers to detect waste, fraud, and abuse and recover fraudulent or improper payments, which will drive up costs across the system. Oklahoma families are already burdened by rising health care premiums. We should not be adopting policies that increase those costs further.
SB 713 - Veto Message: The Federal Aviation Administration already enforces lighting requirements on wind turbines to ensure aviation safety, and there is no indication this additional mandate would provide any meaningful improvement. Mandating costly aircraft detection lighting systems on wind energy facilities is an unnecessary and expensive burden that will get passed along to customers.
HB 1576 - Veto Message: Mandating Medicaid coverage of rapid whole genome sequencing for select populations signals a concerning shift toward socialized healthcare. Though framed as a medical breakthrough, this policy imposes a new insurance mandate that will drive up costs, strain public resources, and ultimately burden working families and taxpayers. Healthcare policy should be grounded in transparency, fiscal responsibility, and solid data, not broad, unfunded mandates. At the very least, we owe it to the public to fully evaluate the financial consequences before expanding state-sponsored coverage.
HB 2769 - Veto Message: While I applaud all our men and women who serve our country and our state in the National Guard, I cannot allow this bill to become law. This bill makes many major changes to our National Guard statutes and our state finances. This bill lacked any fiscal analysis, meaning that the Legislature passed this bill without knowing how it affects Oklahoma taxpayers. This bill also creates a new retirement system designed to boost National Guard recruitment, even though Oklahoma is already best in the nation. The policies in this bill should be considered, reviewed, and debated as separate and distinct bills.
HB 2778 - Veto Message: Childcare workers play a vital role in supporting working families and shaping the early development of future generations. Supporting this workforce is important, but creating a new, unfunded $11 million subsidy for recruitment efforts is not a fiscally responsible solution. This well-intentioned bill places a financial burden on taxpayers without a clear plan for sustainability. Good intentions don’t replace responsible budgeting, and I cannot support a mandate that the State expands spending without funding or long-term accountability.
PROTECTING BUSINESSES
HB 2374 - Veto Message: The intent of the Filmed in Oklahoma Act was to attract more film-making efforts to our state. Any effort to water down the intent of the original bill and allow Oklahoma taxpayer funds to flow out of our state would be irresponsible.
SB 333 - Veto Message: Much like a SB 580, which I vetoed last year, SB 333 would allow local public housing authorities to operate statewide for construction and rehabilitation projects, expanding their reach—and their eminent domain powers—far beyond their local jurisdictions. This threatens private property rights and undermines local control. Housing authorities exist to meet local needs under local oversight. Broadening their authority statewide risks confusion, overreach, and less effective service to the communities they were created to serve. Government should not insert itself into private industry to dictate housing needs across the state.
SB 583 - Veto Message: Government shouldn’t be in the business of “gotcha” with hard working business owners. This bill expands the Oklahoma Tax Commission’s authority to shut down businesses over easily remedied paperwork errors, even when those businesses worked to fix those errors. Although the bill would also extend the grace period for a noncompliant businesses before closure, I believe this bill will result in more unnecessary business closures. I therefore believe this bill will too harshly penalize hardworking Oklahomans.
SB 924 - Veto Message: This bill would allow the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission to alter the administrative appeals filing process in a way that creates uncertainty for the people and businesses they serve. This language is incongruous with the stated intention of the bill, and its operative terms are undefined in the statute. Administrative appeals for unemployment should be transparent and straightforward and allow both the citizen and employer to know what is expected without needing a law degree. In short, this language would create ambiguity for both the Commission and the citizens it intends to serve.
SB 1014 - Veto Message: I agree with the premise that we should prefer local Oklahoma companies, all else equal, but this is already allowed under the law as localities may give those companies preferential treatment. This bill would take away flexibility in the bidding process. We should continue to allow localities flexibility so that they can pick companies who can give them the best services for the best price. If this bill becomes law it would reduce competition and qualified bidders and ultimately hurt consumers.
HB 2459 - Veto Message: House Bill 2459 adds layers of new inspections, permitting, and operational hurdles that go far beyond what is necessary to keep the public safe. Forcing food truck operators, many of them small business owners, to install costly fire suppressor systems is an overreach. It’s already state law to have a fire extinguisher equipped, and that requirement is both reasonable and effective. Otherwise, we should trust Oklahomans to use common sense and make their own investments where they see fit.
HB 1563 - Veto Message: This bill gives criminal defendants unchecked power to demand records from Oklahoma businesses, inviting abuse and threatening proprietary information. House Bill 1563 also imposes rigid deadlines for releasing body and dash cam footage, even though defendants already have access. This would place unnecessary strain on law enforcement without improving transparency.
PROTECTING PUBLIC EDUCATION
SB 799 - Veto Message: This is ripe for abuse. It gives bad actors wide breadth to take advantage of vulnerable youths and adolescents. This bill lets schools replace parents with “alternate adults” when the parent doesn’t object to a mailed letter fast enough. That’s not due process, that’s displacement. The bill defines these alternates broadly, including case managers or employees from shelters or agencies, giving them authority meant for parents. It doesn’t go far enough in ensuring that effort is made to find student’s parents or guardians. It’s an erosion of parental rights. Helping vulnerable and homeless students is important, but sidelining families is not the answer.
SB 915 - Veto Message: The Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO) exists for one purpose: to generate maximum returns from state-owned lands for the benefit of public education. This bill imposes unnecessary restrictions that hinder the CLO’s ability to fulfill that mission. Notably, this bill doesn’t place the same restrictions on other lands. If this is good policy it should apply to everyone equally and not single out state owned land. To serve our schools effectively, the CLO must retain the flexibility to manage its assets in the most profitable and efficient manner. Every dollar lost to bureaucratic constraint is a dollar not reaching our classrooms.
HB 1521 - Veto Message: Although this law improves high school graduation requirements, it mistakenly repeals essential mandates for teaching U.S. history, government, and foundational documents like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Civic education is not optional, it’s vital. The benefits of this bill don’t outweigh the harm of removing requirements that connect students to our nation’s founding principles. We should modernize education without erasing our history.
