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2024 Oklahoma legislative session
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2024 Oklahoma legislative session |
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General information |
Scheduled session start: Feb. 5, 2024 Scheduled session end: May 31, 2024 |
Leadership |
Senate President Greg Treat (R) House Speaker |
Elections |
Next Election: November 5, 2024 Last Election: November 8, 2022 |
Previous legislative sessions |
2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 |
Other 2024 legislative sessions |
In 2024, the Oklahoma State Legislature was scheduled to convene on February 5, 2024, and adjourn on May 31, 2024.
The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 elections. Republicans won a 40-8 majority in the Senate and an 81-20 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta. At the start of the 2024 session, Oklahoma was one of 20 state legislatures where the Republican Party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Leadership in 2024
Oklahoma State Senate
- Senate president: Greg Treat (R)
- Majority leader: Greg McCortney (R)
- Minority leader: Kay Floyd (D)
Oklahoma House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House: Charles McCall (R)
- Majority leader: Jon Echols (R)
- Minority leader: Cyndi Munson (D)
Partisan control in 2024
- See also: State government trifectas'
Oklahoma was one of 23 Republican state government trifectas at the start of the 2024 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 20 state legislatures where the Republican 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 2024 legislative session.
Oklahoma State Senate
Party | As of January 2024 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 8 | |
Republican Party | 40 | |
Other | 0 | |
Vacancies | 0 | |
Total | 48 |
Oklahoma House of Representatives
Party | As of January 2024 | |
---|---|---|
Democratic Party | 20 | |
Republican Party | 80 | |
Other | 0 | |
Vacancies | 1 | |
Total | 101 |
Standing legislative committees
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 2024 legislative session, there were 48 standing committees in Oklahoma's state government, including four joint legislative committees, 14 state Senate committees, and 30 state House committees.
Joint legislative committees
- Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding
- Committee on State-Tribal Relations
- Joint Appropriations and Budget Committee
- Oversight Committee for the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency
Senate committees
- Agriculture and Wildlife Committee
- Appropriations Committee
- Business, Commerce, and Tourism Committee
- Education Committee
- Energy Committee
- Finance Committee
- Health and Human Services Committee
- Retirement and Insurance Committee
- Senate General Government Committee
- Senate Judiciary Committee
- Senate Public Safety Committee
- Senate Rules Committee
- Senate Transportation Committee
- Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee
House committees
- Administrative Rules Committee
- Agriculture & Rural Development Committee
- Alcohol, Tobacco & Controlled Substances Committee
- Appropriations and Budget Committee
- Banking, Financial Services, and Pensions Committee
- Business and Commerce Committee
- Children, Youth & Family Services Committee
- Common Education Committee
- County & Municipal Government Committee
- Criminal Justice & Corrections Committee
- Elections & Ethics Committee
- Energy & Natural Resources Committee
- Government Modernization and Efficiency Committee
- Health Services and Long-Term Care Committee
- Higher Education and Career Tech Committee
- House General Government Committee
- House Public Safety Committee
- House Rules Committee
- House Transportation Committee
- House Veterans and Military Affairs Committee
- Insurance Committee
- Judiciary - Civil Committee
- Judiciary - Criminal Committee
- Public Health Committee
- State and Federal Redistricting Committee
- States' Rights Committee
- Technology Committee
- Tourism Committee
- Utilities Committee
- Wildlife Committee
Legislation
Enacted legislation
The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2024 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 2024. This information is provided by BillTrack50.
Election administration legislation
State election laws are changing. Keeping track of the latest developments in all 50 states can seem like an impossible job. Here's the solution: Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker.
Ballotpedia's Election Administration Tracker sets the industry standard for ease of use, flexibility, and raw power. Ballotpedia's election experts provide daily updates on bills and other relevant political developments, translate complex bill text into easy-to-understand summaries written in everyday language, and, because it's from Ballotpedia, our Tracker is guaranteed to be neutral, unbiased, and nonpartisan.
The table below lists 2024 election-related legislation in Oklahoma. The following information is included for each bill:
- Bill number
- Official name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, simply click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.
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
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
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 |
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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 2022, 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 2022. 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: 1992-2022
Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democrats | 37 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
Republicans | 11 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 32 | 36 | 40 | 42 | 39 | 39 | 40 |
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 expanded their majority to 40-8 in 2022.
Historical House control
Between 1992 and 2022, 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 81 seats after the 2022 election. The table below shows the partisan history of the Oklahoma House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2022. 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: 1992-2022
Year | '92 | '94 | '96 | '98 | '00 | '02 | '04 | '06 | '08 | '10 | '12 | '14 | '16 | '18 | '20 | '22 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democrats | 69 | 65 | 65 | 61 | 53 | 53 | 44 | 44 | 40 | 31 | 29 | 29 | 26 | 25 | 19 | 20 |
Republicans | 32 | 36 | 36 | 40 | 48 | 48 | 57 | 57 | 61 | 70 | 72 | 72 | 75 | 76 | 82 | 81 |
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 and lost one seat in 2022.
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See also
Elections | Oklahoma State Government | State Legislatures | State Politics |
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External links
Footnotes