OKLAHOMA CITY - As the final days of the legislative session are winding down to a Friday, May 30, finish, House Administrative Rules Chair Rep. Gerrid Kendrix (R-Altus) saw a major rules bill he authored approved by Gov.
Kevin Stitt.
House Bill 2728, also known as the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2025, will enhance transparency and legislative oversight in the state’s administrative rulemaking process and is modeled after similar federal legislation. The intent is to ensure that state agency regulations receive greater legislative review before taking effect.
“This is a major step toward ensuring the people’s elected representatives – not unelected agencies – have the final say on costly regulations,” Kendrix said in a legislative press release. “State agencies hold significant power in implementing laws, and this bill makes sure the Legislature plays a more active role in the process.”
The new law requires all proposed agency rules to be submitted with an economic impact statement. Any rule projected to cost at least $1 million over five years will require separate legislative approval before it can take effect. It also establishes the Legislative Economic Analysis Unit (LEAU) within the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) to provide independent reviews of agencies’ economic impact statements.
As it moved through the legislative process, seven southwest Oklahoma legislators – Reps. Stacy Jo Adams (R-Duncan), Brad Boles (R-Marlow), Trey Caldwell (R-Faxon), Toni Hasenbeck (R-Elgin), Dick Lowe (R-Amber), and Sens. Spencer Kern (R-Duncan) and Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard) signed on to co-sponsor the bill.
In addition, Kendrix also authored HB 2729, approved by the governor last week, that will amend the state’s administrative law by changing how courts review state agency interpretations of regulations and laws. The new law specifically eliminates judicial preference to agency interpretations. Courts, administrative law officers and hearing examiners will be required to conduct their own independent review when interpreting regulations, statutes or sub-regulatory documents. It seeks to limit agency power.
The bill has also been referred to as the “Doctrine of Chevron Deference,” which is a legal test that limits the courts’ ability to interpret unclear administrative rules. According to a legislative press release, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference in June 2024. The decision required courts to defer to an agency’s interpretation of administrative rules rather than independently reviewing the intent.
Kendrix also co-sponsored Senate Bill 1024, approved by the governor last week, which amends Oklahoma’s Administrative Procedures Act and will modify the rulemaking process for state agencies by introducing several significant changes.
The new law requires that an agency must obtain express written approval from the governor or cabinet secretary within 30 days before adopting any new rule. The intent is to give these officials veto power over proposed rules. In addition, the law removes an existing expedited rule repeal exception, which previously allowed agencies to possibly bypass some procedural requirements.
Rep. Toni Hasenbeck (R-Elgin) authored two bills sent to the governor’s desk last week, with one being approved and one being vetoed.
HB 1273, vetoed, addressed domestic violence and sought to modify laws by updating requirements for batterers’ intervention programs and treatment for offenders. In part, the measure sought to have intervention programs certified by the attorney general.
In Stitt’s veto remarks he said, “Someone who has committed violence against their spouse should not have an easy way out. They should go to jail. This bill allows the batterers’ intervention program to be shortened from 52 weeks to a 26-week experimental pilot program, providing for an even more lenient punishment.
“This will make it easier for abusers to sidestep meaningful consequences and avoid jail time with less effort. This isn’t meaningful reform – it’s a concession to abusers, and it puts victims at greater risk.”
HB 2798, approved, allows the Department of Human Services to establish a statewide centralized hotline for the reporting of child abuse or neglect to the Department. The new law also requires DHS to provide hotline-specific training including, but not limited to, interviewing skills, customer service skills, narrative writing, necessary computer systems, making case determinations and identifying priority situations.
Rep. Dick Lowe (R-Amber) authored one bill that became law last week without the governor’s signature. HB 1086 modifies state school district funding regulations and primarily focuses on how general fund money can be calculated and used. It amends existing statutes and provides school districts with more flexibility in using general fund revenues in specific circumstances.
Rep. Daniel Pae (R-Lawton) co-sponsored two bills that became law last week without the governor’s signature. They are:
• SB 891, which will modify the Oklahoma Kratom Consumer Protection Act by updating definitions and labeling requirements for kratom products. In part, the new law adds a new definition for “independent testing laboratory” to require labs testing kratom products are unbiased and nationally accredited. The intent is to provide clearer regulations and consumer protections for kratom product sales in the state.
Leaves from kratom, a tropical tree native to Southeast Asia, produce both stimulant effects (in low doses) and sedative effects (in high doses), and can lead to psychotic symptoms, and psychological and physiological dependence, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports.
• HB 1600 creates the Lori Brand Patient Bill of Rights Act of 2025, which outlines the rights and responsibilities of adult patients in Oklahoma healthcare settings. The new law guarantees fundamental rights of patients, including receiving respectful and safe care, giving informed consent for treatments, obtaining clear and accessible medical information, participating in care planning and maintaining privacy and confidentiality.
Additional protections for minor patients include focusing on developmental needs, emotional support, involvement in medical decision-making, age-appropriate care and the right to a supportive treatment environment. Parents or legal guardians still retain final medical decision-making authority.
Southwest Oklahoma legislators, Rep. Stacy Jo Adams (R-Duncan) and Sen. Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard) also co-sponsored the bill.
During the legislative session, bills sent to the governor’s desk can become law without the governor’s signature provided no action — such as approval or veto — is taken within five days.