Oklahoma Senate Report from Senate Democratic Leader
The 2026 legislative session is in full swing here at our state Capitol. We started with the governor’s final State of the State speech, then our attention soon shifted to getting bills heard in committee. Senate Democrats continue to focus on legislation that puts people over politics, and we’re really pleased with the success we’re having getting bills approved in committee that solve real problems folks are facing all over the state.
Before the session began, we outlined our priorities for our beloved state. We know too many individuals and families are working hard but still struggling to afford the basics, like housing, food, health care, and insurance. We want a great education for all children. We also want open, transparent, and fair government. I’m proud that we’ve already passed legislation out of committee addressing each of these priorities, and we’ll present additional problem-solving bills in the weeks to come.
The bills that moved forward this week from our caucus are a good representation of the type of responsible and bipartisan solutions we are proposing.
Stable, affordable housing is a major concern in our state. Right now, we’re about 100,000 housing units short of what we need for our projected population. I’m gratified that I’ve already been able to pass two bills to expand and support the availability of affordable housing in Oklahoma. We also know car and home insurance rates are far too high in our state. One of my bills aimed at bringing down insurance premiums has also been approved in committee. A former educator, Senator Jo Anna Dossett, from Tulsa, has won approval for a bill to make sure that when teachers with years of service move to a new district, they still retain credit for that time. Having great, experienced teachers in the classroom is essential to providing an excellent education. This bill will help us keep those teachers right here in Oklahoma where we need them.
Having access to health care is also important for our state. Oklahoma City Senator Carri Hicks got a bill through committee to make sure that once your insurance has authorized a specific prescription, they can’t just yank that authorization and force patients to reapply for the medication they need.
Senator Michael Brooks, of Oklahoma City, has legislation to ensure that if an employee leaves a state agency or other state entity, they aren’t bound by a nondisclosure agreement, known as an NDA. This covers situations where an employee is offered severance, but they’d be bound by an NDA, so they couldn’t talk about why they left. If there’s something wrong going on that forced an employee to leave their job, we need to be able to shine light on that situation.
Senator Nikki Nice, also from Oklahoma City, has a bill to promote small agricultural producers to help them succeed and connect them with customers. This includes small farming around the state, including urban farms and community gardens. It’s good for our economy and can help get Oklahoma grown produce to more people, especially in areas where fresh fruit and vegetables aren’t readily available.
It’s been a really productive week for Senate Democrats – we’ve worked hard to solve real problems in a bipartisan way to make our state better for everyone, and that work continues throughout the 2026 session.
If you have any questions or comments, contact me at 405-521-5636 or Julia.Kirt@oksenate.gov. We are glad to hear from you. Onward!
