OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma lawmakers adjourned the 2026 legislative session Thursday after sending roughly 500 measures to Gov. Kevin Stitt, closing out a session defined by early budget cooperation and late-stage gridlock over Medicaid, veto overrides and agency oversight.
Republican leaders pointed to a roughly $250 million increase in public school funding and a slate of education bills as signature accomplishments. Democrats — and some Republicans — countered that key policy issues were left unresolved.
Much of the GOP agenda centered on education.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert said lawmakers approved one of the nation’s most aggressive early literacy efforts, alongside additional classroom funding.
A centerpiece measure, Senate Bill 1178 by Sen. Adam Pugh, directs $26 million to literacy intervention programs and reinforces third-grade reading benchmarks aimed at improving outcomes.
Lawmakers also advanced math intervention efforts, moved to restrict cellphone use in classrooms and created a “Donald J. Trump Presidential Fitness Test” for public schools.
Another high-profile bill, House Bill 1484 — known as Rain’s Law — mandates fentanyl awareness instruction for middle and high school students.
But the session’s final weeks exposed deep fractures between the House and Senate.
Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt said lawmakers prioritized new mandates while sidestepping persistent challenges such as childcare access and teacher retention.
She also warned about uncertainty surrounding the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority after Stitt vetoed legislation to extend the agency’s sunset. The House overrode several vetoes, but the Senate declined to consider others, including the OETA extension.
Medicaid proved to be one of the session’s most contentious issues.
Republican leaders pushed to shift Medicaid expansion language out of the Oklahoma Constitution and into state statute, arguing the move would give lawmakers flexibility as federal cost pressures grow. Opponents said the effort risked undermining the voter-approved program.
The proposal failed in multiple forms during the session’s closing days.
Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton said lawmakers remain concerned about long-term costs after the Oklahoma Health Care Authority projected significant new expenses tied to expansion.
Lawmakers also clashed over House Bill 3320, a sweeping measure to extend dozens of state boards and commissions facing sunset review.
Stitt vetoed the bill, arguing the state should streamline government and reduce bureaucracy. While many agencies will continue operating temporarily, critics said the uncertainty could disrupt oversight and regulation.
Kirt said several of the affected boards rely on specialized expertise that cannot easily be absorbed into larger agencies.
Despite the impasse, legislative leaders expect many of the same issues — including Medicaid policy and agency sunsets — to return next session.
Read the original story from KOSU.
