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We are now officially halfway through our legislative session.

Now that the House and Senate have swapped bills, House committees have begun meeting to consider Senate measures. That work will continue over the next few weeks.

Thousands of Oklahomans recently visited the State Capitol for several major advocacy days. We hosted Oklahoma Film & Music Day, as well as Alzheimer's Awareness Advocacy Day. We also had many visitors here for Aerospace & Aeronautics Day, and more people later came to the Capitol for Autism Awareness Day. I’m glad that so many Oklahomans speak up about the issues that concern them and always appreciate hearing their perspectives.

Throughout our various committee meetings, we continue developing the state budget for Fiscal Year 2026. We have $12.3 billion to work with, which is slightly less than last year. We continue to work with our state agencies to find increased efficiencies as we proceed through the budget process.

Additionally, the Oklahoma DOGE report was released this month. This has caused some increased uncertainty in our budget. We are trying to get to the base facts of what the report is telling us. I am looking at this with an eye for reducing government spending where appropriate, but this needs to be done after a complete understanding of the recommendations.

I firmly believe that if there is waste in our government, it should be removed; if we don't proceed deliberately, we could make changes that could cost us more in the long run. An example of this could be cutting full-time employees to the point that contract labor (higher cost) has to be used to provide core services. With many others here at the Capitol, we will discern what the best opportunities are for true savings for the taxpayers of Oklahoma.

We have our work cut out for us as we work to provide a balanced budget for our state. We have until the end of May, and we will get it done. The Legislature holds the constitutional authority to appropriate funds, and we will assert this authority over budget matters to ensure government functions effectively.

I take our constitutional responsibility for taxpayer funds very seriously. My colleagues and I are committed to crafting a budget that reflects the real needs of our state. We will make sure that the people’s government is working for the people, not against them.

As always, please feel free to reach out to my office with any questions or concerns about legislation. You can contact me at 405-557-7358 or by email at iohn.kane@okhouse.gov.

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