Elk City Republican Rep. Nick Archer’s bill would create the Oklahoma Gas, Artificial Intelligence and Space Research Hub, or GAS Hub, under the State Department of Commerce.
The hub would coordinate between federal and state agencies, higher education institutions and private industry partners to jumpstart long-term funding support for research and development of energy, infrastructure and defense technologies.
Archer said the bill is inspired by a visit to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, he made last year.
“We know that today, the Department of Energy at the federal level has open RFIs open to states for innovation campuses,” Archer said on the House floor Thursday. “I think it would be important for our Department of Commerce to pursue opportunities like that, and that’s what this bill aims to do.”
Requests for Proposals, or RFIs, are calls by the federal government for states to submit proposals for specific projects to complete on a contractual basis.
The Department of Energy is accepting proposals for a Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus capable of “nuclear fuel fabrication, enrichment, reprocessing and disposition.” Additionally, the campus ideally could support advanced nuclear reactor manufacturing and deployment for power generation in communities and nearby data centers.
Archer’s bill focuses efforts on the oil and gas industry, but it leaves room for much more. He said he envisions building a robust workforce pipeline within state universities to help fill federal needs in Oklahoma, while incentivizing talent to stay and support the state’s largest industry.
But his fellow lawmakers have hesitations about the implementation and over $831,000 estimated fiscal impact of the measure. The estimated total cost comes from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s need to hire four new full-time employees to staff the GAS hub, amounting to about $540,000, and annual operational costs.
Oklahoma City Democrat Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval questioned the measure's focus on oil and gas.
“I know I’ve brought this point up in the past on the bill; It does have a focus,” Alonso-Sandoval said. “Could you talk a bit about why we're not expanding to more than just the oil and gas industry, and including things like nuclear and other renewable energies?”
“Yes,” Archer responded. “It is specific to natural gas because that is where I see the void.”
Archer said his research shows that of the $212 billion the federal government spent on energy research and development in 2025, nuclear and renewable energy sources are already largely funded.
“When you break that down, those other sectors that you're asking about are heavily represented in those dollars, which I think provides an opportunity for, again, our state's largest industry,” he said.
Archer also has House Bill 3175 awaiting floor discussion, which establishes an Oklahoma Nuclear Energy Office, led by the Governor. His are among dozens of measures lawmakers have filed this year aimed at incentivizing and regulating energy development in the state.
Rep. Aletia Timmons, another Oklahoma City Democrat, raised concerns about money.
“I'm perplexed,” Timmons said. “We have no money for childcare subsidies. We couldn't fund our end of SNAP benefits, but we have $840,000 for an aspirational program that might bring money in the future. And we've been told we have a flat budget … Can you answer why at this point in time, you think this makes sense?”
Archer pushed back on Timmons’ concerns based on their relevance, while sharing her frustration about unfunded priorities.
“I mean, I have issues that are unfunded as well,” he said. “I've worked very diligently to increase foster care payments across the state of Oklahoma. That was unfunded last year. So I appreciate those concerns. But they do not relate to this bill specifically.”
Oklahoma is facing a $1.5 billion shortfall this year, and with $12.1 billion in certified available appropriations, the state has around $500 million less than it did last fiscal year.
Democrats aren’t the only ones with concerns. House Appropriations and Budget Committee Chair Trey Caldwell, R-Faxon, moved to strike the bill's title, leaving it open to changes in light of the fiscal impact to the state.
Still, the measure passed the House floor with 51 votes in favor and 37 votes in opposition. It moves on to the Senate for committee consideration, where it is sponsored by Tulsa Republican Sen. Dave Rader.
