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The legislative session is officially underway.

On Monday, the Legislature heard Gov. Kevin Stitt's seventh annual State of the State address to mark the beginning of the 60th Legislature. He shared several of his priority policies for this year.

One idea he discussed follows a model the House launched in December. Gov. Stitt announced the creation of the Division of Government Efficiency (DOGE-OK), which will submit a report on efficiency, fiscal reforms and budget findings by March 31. The House has received many submissions from our DOGE portal that we have reviewed throughout our budget hearings last month, and we will continue to revisit those concerns while drafting the state budget for the next fiscal year. If you want to submit a report of government inefficiency or waste, you can find the portal at okhouse.gov. The portal is accessible through a button on the homepage.

The governor also released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2026. We are reading his proposal thoroughly as we begin the budget negotiation process with our Senate counterparts. Throughout the budget negotiation process, the House will keep our Budget HQ portal updated as we reach agreements. The Budget HQ is also accessible through a button on the homepage.

The governor also discussed his "bell to bell, no cell" push for school boards to implement cell phone-free policies across the state. This idea has gained significant traction in the Legislature and statewide.

House Bill 1276 would require Oklahoma school boards to adopt policies prohibiting cell phone use on campus before the start of the next school year. Personal electronic devices, including smartwatches, are also included under the measure. It maintains local control and leaves it up to individual districts to decide how to implement the policy while removing the distraction of cell phones in classrooms. HB1276 passed its first committee this week and must now be heard in the House Education Oversight Committee.

Wednesday marked one of our annual traditions at the State Capitol. Every year, Oklahomans bring each of their elected officials a rose to remind us of the sanctity of life. By the end of the day, our vases are full with roses as a symbol that our constituents want Oklahoma to pursue pro-life policies and protect the unborn.

Next week, we'll continue hearing bills in committees, but Friday, Feb. 14 is an especially important day. The Oklahoma Board of Equalization will meet to approve how much the Legislature has to appropriate every year for the next state budget. We are currently expecting a slight budget decrease, but we have a very healthy savings amount, which the Legislature has worked hard to grow since 2019 for this exact reason.

It was a busy first week of session, but we're hitting the ground running to develop good legislation for the people of Oklahoma. As always, please reach out to my office with questions or concerns regarding legislation. You can contact me at 405-557-7358 or john.kane@okhouse.gov.

John Kane, a Republican, serves House District 11 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Tulsa and Washington counties.