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2021 Oklahoma legislative session

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2021 Oklahoma legislative session
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General information
Session start:    February 1, 2021

Session end:    May 27, 2021

Leadership
Senate President
Matt Pinnell (R)

House Speaker
Charles McCall (R)
Majority Leader
Senate: Kim David (R)
House: Jon Echols (R)
Minority Leader
Senate: Kay Floyd (D)
House: Emily Virgin (D)

Elections
Next Election:    November 8, 2022

Last Election:    November 3, 2020

Previous legislative sessions
2020 • 2019 • 2018
Other 2021 legislative sessions

In 2021, the Oklahoma State Legislature was scheduled to convene on February 1 and adjourn on May 27.

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 elections. Republicans won a 39-9 majority in the Senate and a 82-19 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2021 session, Oklahoma was one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.

The Oklahoma State Legislature is responsible for redistricting following each census. Legislators were expected to address redistricting as part of the 2021 legislative session. As of the 2020 Census, Oklahoma was one of 37 states where legislators were responsible for redistricting.

At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session:
  • Republicans held a majority in the Oklahoma state House and state Senate.
  • Oklahoma was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas.
  • Oklahoma's governor was Republican Kevin Stitt.

    • Leadership in 2021

    Oklahoma State Senate

    Oklahoma House of Representatives

    Partisan control in 2021

    See also: State government trifectas

    Oklahoma was one of 22 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2021 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Oklahoma was also one of 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Oklahoma State Legislature in the 2021 legislative session.

    Oklahoma State Senate

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 9
         Republican Party 39
    Total 48

    Oklahoma House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 19
         Republican Party 82
    Total 101

    Regular session

    The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2021 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2021. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Oklahoma after the 2020 census

    Redistricting is the process of enacting new district boundaries for elected offices, particularly for offices in the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures.

    Template loop detected: Redistricting in Oklahoma after the 2020 census

    Template loop detected: Redistricting in Oklahoma after the 2020 census

    Click here for more information.

    Oklahoma's five United States representatives and 149 state legislators are all elected from political divisions called districts. District lines are redrawn every 10 years following completion of the United States census. Federal law stipulates that districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

    To learn more about the redistricting process in Oklahoma after the 2020 census, click here.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Oklahoma state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session, there were 34 standing committees' in Oklahoma's state government, including 15 state Senate committees and 19 state House committees.

    Senate committees

    House committees

    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Oklahoma Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Section 1, Article V, and Article XXIV of the Oklahoma Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Oklahoma

    The Oklahoma Constitution provides three mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a citizen-initiated process, a legislative process, and a state constitutional convention. Oklahoma requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.

    Initiative

    See also: Initiated constitutional amendment

    An initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. Eighteen (18) states allow citizens to initiate constitutional amendments.

    In Oklahoma, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to 15% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the Oklahoma State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 51 votes in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and 24 votes in the Oklahoma State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    According to Section 2 of Article XXIV of the Oklahoma Constitution, a question about whether to hold a state constitutional convention is to automatically appear on the state's ballot every 20 years. Oklahoma is one of 14 states that provides for an automatic constitutional convention question. However, the last time Oklahomans voted on such a question was in 1970.[1] According to the State Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse, "Since 1970, Oklahoma’s legislature has refused to follow its Constitution with regard to this provision. In 1994, it placed a referendum on the ballot to eliminate this requirement, but the people of Oklahoma defeated it. Since 1990, many bills have been introduced to implement this part of the Constitution but none has passed."[2]


    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Oklahoma.

    Oklahoma Party Control: 1992-2024
    Five years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    Historical Senate control

    Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Oklahoma State Senate shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 37-11 majority. Control of the chamber flipped in 2008, when Republicans achieved a 26-22 majority. The table below shows the partisan history of the Oklahoma State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Oklahoma State Senate election results: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 37 35 33 33 30 28 26 24 22 16 12 8 6 9 9
    Republicans 11 13 15 15 18 20 22 24 26 32 36 40 42 39 39

    Between 1992 and 2016, there were no elections in which Democrats gained seats. In most elections during that time, Republicans shifted the partisan balance of the state Senate in their favor by two seats. Democrats lost their majority after the 2006 elections, when the chamber moved to a split 24-24 balance. Republicans gained two seats in 2008 and took control of the chamber. The most significant shift in favor of Republicans came as a result of the 2010 elections, when Republicans gained six seats. Democrats gained three seats in 2018. Republicans maintained their 39-9 majority in 2020.

    Historical House control

    Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Oklahoma House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1992 elections, Democrats held a 69-32 majority. The chamber's partisan balance flipped in 2004, and Republicans have increased their majority in the house since that election, holding 82 seats after the 2020 election. The table below shows the partisan history of the Oklahoma House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Oklahoma House of Representatives election results: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 69 65 65 61 53 53 44 44 40 31 29 29 26 25 19
    Republicans 32 36 36 40 48 48 57 57 61 70 72 72 75 76 82

    Between 2010 and 2020, Republicans expanded their majority by 12 seats. The most significant movement in the partisan balance of the state House occurred as a result of the elections held in 2004 and 2010. Republicans gained nine seats in each of those elections, and the 2004 elections resulted in Republicans taking control of the chamber. Republicans gained six seats in 2020.

    See also

    Elections Oklahoma State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Sooner Politics, "An Oklahoma Constitutional Convention Is Being Drawn Up", July 2, 2015
    2. ↑ State Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse, "Periodic Constitutional Convention Comparative Information"; retrieved January 4, 2016
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