February 2026

The 2026 Legislative Session is upon us, and things are in full swing. As always, the session starts with the State of the State address given by the Governor. This year, he seemed to use the speech to discuss his accomplishments, as well as a few challenges. The most controversial parts of his speech dealt with eliminating marijuana in Oklahoma and challenging the Legislature not to give in to tribal governments. He definitely wanted to go out swinging. With over 5,500 bills to review, we are working hard to narrow down those that have a real impact on us.

This session, we have asked for legislation that would allow a phase-in of the new bonding requirements. We hate that we didn’t address this last session, so we are working as hard and as fast as we can to do so now. We know you need time to transition into these new mandates, so we have worked to draft legislation that will allow for that. HB 3469 (Boles/Green) and SB 1976 (Green/Boles) have been introduced to help us with this issue. HB 3469 passed one of the two House committees this week and is now on to the next committee hearing.

Also, we are part of a working group trying to clean up the PRSA statutes, with the goal of protecting us from predatory lawsuits. This is going to be a mediated negotiation, as the Senate has said they would like to make this a priority. Therefore, leadership is assisting in bringing the parties together to work through the details.

We have a long way to go, but Darlene Wallace (your Legislative Chair) and I are working hard every day to monitor and influence legislation. Stay tuned—we might be calling on you to contact your legislator!

Bobby Stem

OEPA Director of Governmental Affairs

The 2026 Legislative session is upon us!

We are only weeks away from the legislature returning to the capitol. This is the second session of the legislature, meaning all dormant bills from last year (approx.. 2000) are alive again, as well as this year’s bills (approx. 3500). We will begin to sort through the bills, searching by “word” and “title” to identify any that might impact our operations. There are always a great deal of bills to sort through during the first few weeks of session, but after a deadline or two we find ourselves focusing on the real issues with momentum. We will be working with House and Senate leadership to make sure we have an impact on both good, and bad bills.

One main focus this year will be to establish a “transition period” for the new bonding requirements. The burden of these new requirements is heavy on our members and we will be working hard to find a solution for a “phase in” program. Stay tuned.

We will also be working to make changes to the PRSA. We are committed to working to make changes that benefit us and protect members from predatory trial lawyers. There has been a great deal of discussion around the topic, with various groups involved. We will work alongside the Alliance to find ways to protect the industry.

This will be an interesting year as our Governor is officially a “lame duck” Governor, and some big names are running to replace him. This will have an impact on all things at the capitol this year. Election year “governing” always makes for great theater. Pop some corn, grab a cold drink, and enjoy the show.

Thanks for allowing me to work on your behalf at the capitol. Please feel free to contact me at any time with questions or concerns.

Bobby Stem

OEPA Director of Governmental Affairs