The 'nal pre-session deadline has been reached for the Oklahoma Legislature with the completion of bill filing for the Oklahoma House of Representatives andthe Oklahoma State Senate.
Over the past month, lawmakers have worked with their sta! members to complete the drafting of potential new laws in preparationfortheSecondRegularSession of the 60th Legislature.The session will commence on Monday, February 2 atnoonwithGovernorKevinStitt’sState of the State address as he begins the 'nal year of his second term in o#ce.
The legislative bodies completed bill 'ling Thursday, January 15. A total of 1,578 House bills and 50 House joint resolutions were 'led before the deadline. Likewise, a total of 996 Senate bills were 'led for 2026, with 23 Senate joint resolutions and two Senate concurrent resolutions.
This $urry of bills joins more than 1,600 House measures and more than 900 Senate bills and resolutions carried over from 2025 which remain eligible for consideration in the 2026 legislative session.
TheOklahomaInstituteforChildAdvocacy (OICA)teamiscombingthrough these bills to see which, in their initial stages, will be pro-child. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing with you which among all these measures are good for children in Oklahoma and those which might cause harm. he House of Representatives is currently comprisedof80Republicansand 19 Democrats with two vacancies. The Senate currently has a membership of 40 Republicans and 8 Democrats. Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, who serves as the President of the Senate, is also in his 'nal year under the two-term limit to hold an executive o#ce.
With this, if you are a casual observer ofOklahomapoliticsandthelegislative process, but you might want to learn more so you can engage in policymaking as an advocate, I have a great recommendation for you.
For years, OICA held a conference to help educate about the nuances of the lawmaking process called the Legislative Learning Lab (LLL). In 2025, the decision was made to turn this program over to the Oklahoma Center for Nonpro'ts (OKCNP) to hopefully broaden the scope of this training to reach more interested individuals.
Thisyear,LLLwillbeheldbothin-person and virtually for attendees to participate and learn best practices of the legislativeprocess.Thetwo-daytraining will be held on Thursday, January 29 and Friday, January 30 at the OKCNP headquarters located at 701 N. Lindsay in Oklahoma City from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The link to register for this training is https://okcnp.org/events/EventDetails. aspx?id=1980898&group=. For those attending in person or virtually, instructions will be sent upon registration.
Across the two days, topics include: conversations with state legislative leaders; understanding the state budget anditsimpact;workingwithgovernment agencies and lobbyists; building coalitions and grassroots advocacy campaigns and discussing key issues for nonpro'ts, including the Johnson Amendment; and the upcoming 2030 Census, along with other relevant and timely topics.
We will hear from such speakers as Sen. Chuck Hall, the Senate Appropriations and Budget Committee chair about Oklahoma’s budgetary process; Dr. Keith Gaddie will present about Oklahoma’spoliticalhistoryandhowwe got to where we are; Reps. Emily Gise, R-Oklahoma City, and Andy Fugate, DDel City, will discuss caucus priorities for their respective caucuses; panels of Capitol reporters and lobbyists will discusshowtheirworkfunctionsduring the legislative session; and, I will present an overview of the three branches of government and how they work as a dynamic to create laws.
The cost to attend in-person is: OKCNP members $150, non-members $300;andvirtuallyonlineOKCNPmembers $100 and non-members $200. I hope that you will be able to join us for this program which will certainly bene't those who want to help in the policymaking process.
About OICA: The Oklahoma Intitute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action and changing policy to improve the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”