Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 1778 on Tuesday during a ceremony at John Rex Charter Elementary School in Downtown Oklahoma City.
The bill spends $26 million in tax dollars to overhaul Oklahoma's literacy policies, according to a Senate fiscal report. It establishes a third-grade retention system with early-intervention programs and additional state reading coaches, which Stitt said is about ensuring Oklahoma children can live up to their potential.
"And most of all, it's about restoring the promise that in Oklahoma, hard work and opportunity still go hand in hand," Stitt said. "It will mean stronger families, a stronger workforce, and a stronger Oklahoma."
Among the more than 30 other bills Stitt has signed this session is the 2027 state budget, which includes a total of $12.8 billion dollars promised for education and other investments across state agencies.
About 70 bills and resolutions have become law this session. Stitt has signed 32 measures. And while hundreds more bills are still slated to hit the governor's desk before adjournment is scheduled in late May, some of Republicans' top priorities, like the Strong Readers Act, have already completed their legislative journey with Stitt's help.
Those also include Rain's Law, which requires fentanyl abuse education for middle and high schoolers and House Bills 2786 and 2787, which make emergency appropriations of $19.6 million to the state mental health department and $2 million to the state health department, respectively.
Others, like proposed state questions to reform the judicial selection process and reform property tax incentives for new and expanding manufacturing companies, have passed both chambers and been sent to the secretary of state's office for ballot certification.
Committee meetings finalizing the language for most pieces of legislation are still ongoing, meaning Republicans have a budget before completely knowing what they'll be paying for.
Normally, lawmakers have until early May to move bills through committee and final discussion, leaving two weeks to resolve the final budget items. This year, the budget was approved before the Joint Committee Appropriations and Budget meetings – where the details are ironed out – have finished.
Democrats in the legislature have griped from the start about rushing the process to finish the state budget and stretching tax dollars during a time of unforeseen expenditures and when they say Oklahomans' needs have yet to be met.
