Gov. Stitt signs 'Oklahoma Dream Accounts' bill, adding $250 to children's Trump Accounts

Building the American Dream: Governor Stitt Signs Oklahoma Dream Accounts Bill

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 23, 2026) - Governor Kevin Stitt has signed House Bill 4071, the Oklahoma Dream Accounts Investment Program Act, to help give every eligible Oklahoma child a stronger financial start in life.

“The American Dream is different for every young Oklahoman. Let’s give them the opportunity to achieve it. With Trump Accounts and this $250 investment from the state, we are putting real resources behind their future,” said Governor Stitt.

Governor Stitt called for the investment in these American Dream accounts in his State of the State. HB 4071 creates the Oklahoma Dream Accounts Investment Program and the Oklahoma Trump Account Investment Fund. The bill authorizes the State Treasurer to make a one-time $250 contribution into the federally authorized Trump Account of each eligible Oklahoma child, once a family applies and the account is verified.

Bill to make wheat Oklahoma's official state crop passes legislature

Bill Designating Wheat as Official State Crop Heads to Governor’s Desk

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 29th) – The Oklahoma House of Representatives voted unanimously in favor of Senate Bill 2159 today to designate wheat as the State Crop of the State of Oklahoma. Having now cleared both chambers with unanimous support, the bill now advances to the governor’s desk for final review.

The bill, by Senator Roland Pederson, R-Burlington, was passed in the House Wednesday, coinciding with Ag Day at the Capitol festivities.

“Seeing this bill pass on Ag Day is incredibly meaningful as we celebrated one of Oklahoma’s most vital industries,” Pederson said. “Wheat is a key part of our state’s agricultural economy and plays a big role in supporting our rural communities. On a day dedicated to agriculture, this designation underscores the importance of wheat and the producers behind its success across the state.”

Cleveland County Sheriff Amason resigns after pleading no contest to embezzlement

Cleveland County Sheriff pleads no contest to embezzlement, resigns from office

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 27, 2026) – Cleveland County Sheriff Donald Amason pleaded no contest today to one felony count of embezzlement, stemming from a recent indictment brought by the Multi-County Grand Jury. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Amason has agreed to resign from office effective immediately, pay $10,000 in restitution, accept a five-year deferred sentence and surrender his CLEET card.

Amason was charged with moving between $2,500 and $15,000 from his campaign account to himself and others on multiple occasions, violating the ethical rules that govern use of campaign funds. The transfers occurred between May 2020 and July 2025. 

Legislature passes bill to ban cell phones during school, awaits Governor's signature

House Sends Bill to Permanently Ban Cell Phones in Schools to Governor's Desk

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 28th) – Today the Oklahoma House sent a bill to the Governor's desk that requires school districts to permanently adopt a policy prohibiting students from using cell phones on campus during the school day.

“Bell to Bell, No Cell” was originally introduced as pilot legislation in 2025, requiring Oklahoma school boards to adopt policies prohibiting cell phone use on campus during the school day. Feedback from teachers, students and parents following the pilot program was overwhelmingly positive, prompting legislators to advance permanent legislation establishing the cell phone ban in state statute.

Sen. Grellner files simplified state question bill to move Medicaid expansion from Constitution to state statute

Oklahoma Freedom Caucus Issues Statement on Filing Bill to Remove Medicaid from Constitution

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — The Oklahoma Freedom Caucus today announced the filing of SJR55 to remove Medicaid expansion from the Oklahoma Constitution and place it into state statute.

This straightforward, clean measure restores legislative oversight without unnecessary complications or triggers. It stands in stark contrast to the watered-down "compromise" version negotiated with the liberal, ObamaCare-supporting hospital association that leadership is attempting to ram through the Senate.

Small: School-choice opponents think everyone is ‘rich’

School-choice opponents think everyone is ‘rich’

By Jonathan Small

To attack school choice, opponents now insist virtually everyone in Oklahoma is “rich.” That will surprise most families.

The Oklahoma Parental Choice Tax Credit program provides refundable tax credits of $5,000 to $7,500 per child to cover private school tuition. The largest tax credits go to those with the lowest incomes and families with income of less than $150,000 per year are prioritized.

The program has been very popular and demand is expected to exceed the current $250 million supply, so House Bill 3705 increases the cap to $275 million. During April 9 debate, however, opponents repeatedly implied that thousands of working families are, in fact, wealthy.

Legislature passes bill to enhance safety and security at Oklahoma Schools for the Blind and Deaf

Senator Frix Applauds Passage of School Safety Funding for Oklahoma School for the Blind

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senator Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, applauded the passage of House Bill 4067, which directs funding to enhance safety measures at the Oklahoma School for the Blind in Muskogee.

HB 4067 appropriates $93,000 to the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services for Fiscal Year 2027 to support the establishment and maintenance of a School Resource Officer (SRO) program or provide physical security improvements at the Oklahoma School for the Blind.

“At a time when school security is more important than ever, we must do everything we can to protect students in Oklahoma schools,” Frix said. “The Oklahoma School for the Blind is a valued part of the Muskogee community, and this funding will ensure they are equipped to maintain a safe and secure campus.”

Mazzei calls out dark-money attack ad for lying on tax record

MIKE MAZZEI CALLS OUT DARK MONEY PAC FOR LYING IN ATTACK AD

Tulsa, OK (April 19, 2026) - Mike Mazzei, Republican candidate for Oklahoma Governor, is responding to an attack ad launched by a dark-money Political Action Committee [PAC] this week. The commercial falsely accuses Mazzei of opposing income tax cuts in 2016.

“No one fought harder for the taxpayers than I have,” Mike Mazzei said. “The ad is silly and gets the facts completely wrong. Our opponents see us surging in the polls and this is a desperate attempt to deceive the voters of Oklahoma. I am the only candidate in this race with a solid plan to phase out the income tax and eliminate property taxes for seniors and veterans.”

More Gambling OK? Legislators reach agreement with Thunder, tribes on Sports Betting

Why is it that some of the greatest social ills chronically plaguing Oklahoma are advanced under the guise of "helping the children" through some sort of rosy promise of "more money for education"? Here's something I wrote back in 2025 when the last version of Coleman and Luttrell's bill passed the State House (in 2023, like true politicians, they lamented missing out on all that juicy tax revenue this would generate):

Terrible idea. Of all the things to be on a multi-year crusade about, State Rep. Ken Luttrell and State Sen. Bill Coleman have been on one to expand gambling in Oklahoma. Society - and sports at all levels - will reap a negative harvest from this in years to come. Shame on every legislator who voted for this.

Read the amendment. It includes a veritable slush fund specifically for the OKC Thunder, I mean, "a professional sports team that is part of the National Basketball Association and located in a county in this state with a population exceeding six hundred thousand (600,000)" of up to $7,000,000 per year - ostensibly "for the purposes of economic development, job training, community improvement, regional tourism assistance or new tourism attraction creation, including capital improvements or debt service support in connection therewith, tourism marketing separate from or in connection with an agency of this state, supplemental educational or vocational programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, or mathematics, public safety, other projects in this state in the public interest," – but get the very next words – "or other team business operations."  

Coleman, Luttrell Reach Agreement with OKC Thunder, Majority of Tribes on Sports Betting

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Bill Coleman and Rep. Ken Luttrell announced today that they will move forward with a new version of a bill to legalize sports betting after securing support from key stakeholders.

After years of negotiations, the Ponca City Republicans said this new legislation that supports public education and economic growth has support from the Oklahoma City Thunder, a supermajority of the tribes that are members of the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association and the state’s leading public universities.

Coleman filed new bill language today through an amendment to House Bill 1047. He said he expects the full Senate will vote on the measure this week.

City of Muskogee: sirens failed prompt activation due to communication disruption

In the aftermath of Tuesday's tornado in Muskogee and the failure of the tornado sirens to go off until after the EF1 twister (with a final path length of 14.3 miles) had blown through southern neighborhoods in the city, officials have tracked down the issue that caused the delay:

Statement on Outdoor Warning Siren Activation

MUSKOGEE, Okla. April 17, 2026 -  The City of Muskogee is providing an update regarding the delayed activation of the Outdoor Warning System during the severe weather event on April 14, 2026.

Following an extensive investigation by the contractor responsible for maintaining and servicing the Outdoor Warning System, the City of Muskogee has been informed of the conditions that prevented the timely activation of the sirens.

The investigation found that the system controlling the sirens functioned properly and issued the activation command immediately after the tornado warning was released by the National Weather Service. However, a disruption in the system’s communication link prevented that activation command from reaching the sirens.

City responds to siren delay after tornado strikes southern part of Muskogee

Last night around 11pm, a tornado struck southern portions of the city of Muskogee, with damage focused in the Grandview 7 and Hilldale areas. It seems to have been relatively minor, with no injuries reported that I have heard.

However, I noticed that tornado sirens did not go off in the city limits of Muskogee until the tornado was already crossing the Arkansas River headed toward rural portions of the county between Fort Gibson and Braggs, well after the damage had already been caused. 

Contrary to assumptions that some are posting on social media, the National Weather Service has no input or responsibility for activating sirens during severe weather. That lies with the local government bodies, in this case, the city emergency management department. The city will activate the sirens during damaging wind events in addition to tornado warnings. This storm system dropped a tornado in fairly rapid fashion, so whether the failure was because the system itself failed or because it wasn't activated by those responsible remains to be seen.

Here is the response from the City of Muskogee:

Muskogee Responds to Severe Storm 

MUSKOGEE, Okla. April 15, 2026 - The City of Muskogee is aware of concerns regarding the delayed activation of outdoor storm warning sirens during last night’s severe weather event.

Brief Blogging Bullets: a news recap

It's been a busy spring for me, and I'm rather behind on my blogging. I have literally dozens of press releases in my inbox waiting for publication, and since it's just not realistic to get them all published, I'm bringing back a Brief Blogging Bullets recap to try and catch up on some of the recent political and legislative news in Oklahoma.

Some notable pieces of legislation:

• The Legislature has passed a $12.8B state budget (largest in state history) at an uncharacteristically early date: House leadership  and Senate leadership comments. Look in-depth at the appropriations: House budget portal, Senate budget dashboard. Includes another $2,000 teacher pay raise. Here's more on the other budget bills that fill in the details from the main bill.
• Conservative State Rep. Jim Shaw got national attention for a brief question that blew the cover off HB 3660, which would legalize procedures for composting of human bodies. The authors of the bill are presenting it as a cheaper funeral choice...
• Of particular interest to the Muskogee/Fort Gibson area: the Senate unanimously passed SB 1319, directing the Corporation Commission to establish a process for homeowners to receive remediation assistance if their property is contaminated by a substance under the commission’s jurisdiction. This was a local story after a family in Fort Gibson had to leave their home after it was infiltrated by a leak from an abandoned well.