OKLAHOMA CITY – An area lawmaker, who has pushed for changes in the state’s administrative law system, said the last of four major reforms to the process when into effect in November.
State Rep. Gerrid Kendrix, R-Altus, said House Bill 2729 when into effect on Nov. 1. Kendrix said that measure eliminates the Chevron deference at the state le vel, following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 2024. The new law, Kendrix said, directs Oklahoma courts to independently interpret administrative rules rather than deferring to agency interpretations.
'When the Legislature, whether by intention or disregard, let regulations take effect without approval by lawmakers, we cede our lawmaking constitutional responsibility to unknown, unelected bureaucrats,' Kendrix, chair of the House Administrative Rules Committee, said in a media statement. 'That's not what we were elected to do. We weren't sent to the State Capitol to run the g overnment on autopilot. I'm glad to see the l ast of these reform bills take effect and retore transparency, accountability and common sense to the rulemaking process.'
Kendrix said the bill was the last of four major reforms to Oklahoma’s administrative rulemaking process. He said three other measures strengthen legislative oversight, limit agency overreach, and ensure that regulations are grounded in law and subject to greater public accountability.
Those measures include:
• House Bill 2728 which establishes the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2025. The law requires additional f iscal and statutory review for major agency rules, ensuring that regulations with significant financial or policy impacts receive proper legislative attention.
Under the REINS Act, the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency will analyze proposed major rules and report potential costs or economic effects before implementation. Any rule expected to cost more than $1 million over five years must be voted on separately from other proposed rules.
• Senate Bill 995, w hich clarifies that any agency rule not explicitly approved by the Legislature is considered disapproved, reinforces the concept that administrative rules cannot carry the force of law without legislative consent.
• Senate Bill 1024 pr ohibits the adoption of a proposed rule by an agency unless the agency receives approval of scope from the Governor or the appropriate Cabinet secretary. This additional step ensures that the agency has statutory authority to propose the rule.
'These four bills provide a much-needed modernization of Oklahoma's administrative rulemaking framework,' Kendrix said. 'Most importantly, they reaffirm the Legislature's constitutional role in ensuring that all regulations reflect the will of the people.'
Administrative rules are the regulations written by state agencies to enforce laws passed by the Legislature and carry the force of law. After being approved by the agency, proposed rules move to the Legislature, but state statutes left loopholes that could allow rules to become permanent without a single vote from lawmakers.