Several Oklahoma agencies and councils are at risk of shutting down after Gov. Kevin Stitt vetoed several bills that would have extended their sunset dates past 2026.
July 1, the first day of the state's 2026-27 fiscal year, marks the sunset date for the affected organizations, which span public media, environmental advisory councils and a professional regulatory board. Sunset provisions set termination dates for laws and agencies, subjecting them to regular review before the legislature can reinstate them.
The affected councils can continue operating beyond this year if the legislature successfully extends their sunset dates in its 2027 session. Leaders at some agencies facing sunset, including the Oklahoma Education Television Authority and Board of Chiropractic Examiners, said they were optimistic that lawmakers would preserve their organizations.
Board of Chiropractic Examiners
Gov. Stitt vetoed House Bill 3003, which would have extended the sunset for the Oklahoma Board of Chiropractic Examiners through July 1, 2031.
The Board oversees the examination and licensing of chiropractors across the state and issues penalties for practitioners who violate the law. Stitt wrote that although he supports the "licensing and oversight of these practitioners," he was concerned that sunset provisions had come to prompt "automatic renewals" of agencies rather than holding them accountable.
Stitt added that the state should consolidate its medical licensing boards under one administrative entity, citing Utah's licensing system as an example.
"Oklahomans elected me with a prerogative to streamline and reduce the size of government," he wrote. "I urge the Legislature to consolidate these professional licensing boards into a single entity to reduce bureaucracy for both practitioners and constituents."
Beth Kidd, the Executive Director of the Board of Chiropractic Examiners, said that she did not think another administrative body would be equipped to license chiropractors without the institutional knowledge and expertise of the current Board.
The state's House of Representatives successfully overrode Stitt's veto of HB 3003, but the bill did not reach the Senate for a vote.
Kidd said she was hopeful that with the advocacy of lobbyists from the state's two chiropractic associations, the legislature would vote in 2027 to renew the organization or vote to remove it from sunset regulation entirely.
"I do feel confident, just for the simple fact that chiropractors do need to be regulated in the state of Oklahoma," Kidd said. "The expertise of our board helps with that. And, you know, it's a public protection matter. And I would hope that this next legislative session and the new governor would see that it is relevant to protect the public in Oklahoma."
According to the Board's legal counsel, the Board has a one-year period to wind down operations after July 1, Kidd wrote in an email.
In the meantime, she said it would continue its regular operations.
"We're not going to skip a beat, and we're hopeful that with the state associations and their lobbyists and their lobbying efforts, that we will get recreated so we can continue to provide public safety to the citizens of Oklahoma," Kidd said.
Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA)
In May, Gov. Stitt vetoed a bill that would have extended the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority's, or OETA's, sunset date by five years, though 2031. The Senate failed to override the governor's veto before the legislative session concluded in mid-May.
OETA is Oklahoma's Public Broadcasting Station affiliate and broadcasts PBS programming alongside Oklahoma-specific educational programs. The network also operates a 24-hour kids channel and issues weather emergency notices to viewers across the state. OETA receives 19 percent of its funding from state appropriations, according to the network's website.
In his veto message addressing the proposed sunset extension, Stitt wrote that it should not be up to the state to fund OETA.
"Though OETA's programming might be worthwhile for the viewer, funding a television station is not a core function of state government," Stitt wrote.
Stitt's budget for the 2027 fiscal year, submitted ahead of the legislative session, included funding for OETA. OETA Executive Director Shawn Black told KOSU in May that the organization will be fully operational through June 30, 2027 and that he was confident the legislature would work to extend the network's sunset date during its session next February.
Black said at that time OETA leaders had not yet looked deeply into a "plan B" for the station if it were to lose state funding indefinitely, but that it could explore becoming university-affiliated or an independent community organization.
"We have a lot of advocates across the state," Black said. "And we're just asking our advocates to make your voice known to both your legislators and to whoever the new governor is going to be in place to let them know how critical our services are. And so we feel confident that people across the state will let their legislators know OETA is valuable to them and where they live."
Oklahoma Advisory Council on Indian Education
Stitt's vetoes also affected the Oklahoma Advisory Council on Indian Education, or OACIE. House Bill 3006 would have extended the OACIE's sunset date through July 1, 2031.
The OACIE, established in 2010, advocated for Oklahoma's Native American students, issuing recommendations to state officials to improve their education and conducting data analyses to assess how well state education agencies are serving them. Under Stitt's veto, July 1, 2026, is its final day of operation.
In his veto message, Stitt described the council as redundant, inactive and lacking transparency. He wrote that the council served a similar purpose to the State Department of Education's Office of American Indian Education and noted that the council did not appear to have met as frequently as it was obligated to.
"If the goal is smaller, more accountable government, there is no reason to keep extending a dormant, redundant advisory council that lacks transparency. It should instead be eliminated," Stitt wrote.
OACIE Chair and Cherokee Nation Chief of Staff Corey Bunch wrote to KOSU in an emailed statement that the sunset was "disappointing," given that 150,000 Native American children attend Oklahoma's public schools.
"OACIE met regularly with the State Schools Superintendent and had no cost to operate, and it truly gave a voice to our Native students and priorities important for their academic success," Bunch wrote. "Perhaps in time it or a version like it may be restored for the betterment of our Native students."
Advisory councils in the Department of Environmental Quality
House Bill 3007 would have extended the sunsets for four advisory councils in the Department of Environmental Quality, or DEQ, through July 2031. After Stitt's veto, they are set to end operations on July 1 this year.
The affected councils determine rules, hold public hearings and offer expertise on the management of water quality, solid waste, radiation and hazardous waste.
Stitt wrote in his veto message that the bill to extend their sunsets would have preserved "administrative bloat" and the councils were not intended to exist indefinitely.
"The Department of Environmental Quality can use existing personnel, subject matter experts, and agency liaisons to coordinate with stakeholders and perform the work of these advisory councils without another layer of government," Stitt wrote.
In light of the sunsets, the agency will form an informal workgroup of current advisory council members and stakeholders to discuss proposed rules, according to DEQ spokesperson Skylar McElhaney.
The agency, McElhaney wrote in an email, plans to host public meetings four to six weeks before regular Environmental Quality Board meetings to solicit opinions from workgroup members and the public about proposed rules. She added that the Environmental Quality Board would add a public comment component to its regular meetings to ensure "continued opportunities for public participation."
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
