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APITOL
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EPORT

We are officially in the interim as we adjourned Sine Die last week. The Second Session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature has officially come to a close, and with that I want to take a moment to share a few highlights from the work we completed this year.

One of our biggest responsibilities each session is passing a balanced budget early in the session. This year we approved a budget totaling just over $12.8 billion. The plan reflects a modest 1.52% increase from last year while maintaining a disciplined, conservative approach to spending. Even with continued investments in key services, Oklahoma will end the year with more than $3 billion in savings.

While it was frustrating to watch so many bills left unfinished without even being given the opportunity to be heard in the Senate, as legislators, our responsibility is simple. We are sent here to work, to deliberate, and to vote. Whether we agree or disagree on legislation, every proposal deserves a fair process and a chance to be considered.

Even though many important bills did not get heard, I am proud that many good measures did make it through the process.

Education, which is always near to my heart, remained a major focus this session. Senate Bill 1778, strengthening Oklahoma’s Strong Readers Act, was signed into law and aims to improve literacy outcomes by ensuring students receive reading support early, before they fall behind. The measure requires third-grade students to demonstrate reading proficiency before promotion to fourth grade while still providing intervention options and exemptions when appropriate.

We also passed Senate Bill 201, which provides a $2,000 pay raise across all certified teacher pay grades. Supporting teachers is one of the best investments we can make in Oklahoma’s future. They deserve this, and I am proud to support them each chance I can.

Property tax reform was another important issue this year. Senate Joint Resolution 39 gives voters the opportunity to decide whether to slow the growth of taxable property values while adding additional protections for homeowners, seniors, and agricultural landowners.

We also addressed Oklahoma’s growing energy demands through House Bill 2992, the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, which is awaiting action from the governor. The measure helps ensure residential ratepayers are not forced to cover infrastructure costs created by large-scale industrial users like data centers.

In the closing hours of session, the Legislature passed House Bill 1370 to help keep high gas prices at bay for Oklahomans. The measure repeals an outdated state law that could have automatically increased Oklahoma fuel taxes if the federal government suspended its own fuel tax. The goal is to make sure that state law does not stand in the way of potential savings at the pump for Oklahomans.

Thank you for letting me be your voice at the Capitol! Although session is over, I am only a phone call away should you ever need anything.

My email address is Danny.Sterling@okhouse. gov, or you can call my office at (405) 557-7349.

Rep. Danny Sterling, a Republican, serves District 27 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes parts of Cleveland and Pottawatomie counties.