Rep. Mike Osburn sharply criticized Governor Kevin Stitt on Thursday after the governor vetoed legislation aimed at restructuring Oklahoma’s sunset review process for state agencies and boards.
Osburn, an Edmond Republican who is leaving the Legislature this year, called Stitt’s rejection of House Bill 3320 “deeply misguided” and argued the current sunset process wastes legislative time while doing little to improve government accountability.
The dispute emerged just days after Osburn delivered a closely watched farewell speech on the House floor reflecting on legislative process, institutional reform and the challenges facing state government.
HB 3320 proposed overhauling Oklahoma’s longstanding sunset review structure, under which lawmakers periodically vote to renew state agencies, boards and commissions or allow them to expire.
In practice, agencies are rarely eliminated, and lawmakers often pass dozens of sunset renewal measures each session.
Osburn said his proposal would have shifted the system toward more targeted oversight by requiring agencies to demonstrate continued public need while allowing lawmakers to focus more heavily on underperforming entities or agencies requiring reform.
Agencies that failed to implement mandated reforms within a year could ultimately face dissolution under the proposal.
“The governor’s veto of House Bill 3320 is a deeply misguided move that prioritizes outdated bureaucracy over meaningful, effective governance,” Osburn said in a statement.
He argued the current process consumes significant legislative time without producing meaningful oversight.
“HB 3320 was designed to bring Oklahoma’s oversight process into the modern era,” Osburn said.
Osburn also rejected criticism that the legislation would have weakened government accountability, noting agencies would still remain subject to audits, open meetings laws, public records requirements and legislative oversight.
The governor’s office had not publicly released a detailed explanation for the veto beyond formal veto language as of Thursday afternoon.
Osburn pointed to Stitt’s 2025 veto involving the Oklahoma State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering as evidence the current system can create unnecessary instability for state agencies and regulated industries.
That veto temporarily created uncertainty surrounding licensing oversight for tens of thousands of professionals before lawmakers later intervened.
“The governor’s veto rejects a streamlined approach in favor of maintaining an arbitrary system,” Osburn said.
The clash reflects broader tensions between Stitt and some legislative Republicans over agency oversight, executive authority and structural reforms inside state government during the governor’s final years in office.
Though not typically one of the Legislature’s more confrontational members, Osburn became increasingly vocal in recent years on issues involving transparency, legislative procedure and government accountability.
“The people are the government,” Osburn said, quoting former President Ronald Reagan. “What we create we ought to be able to control.”
