OKPOLICY.ORG
Oklahoma lawmakers passed new legislation this year to help protect and support children, especially those in foster care, the legal system, and with special needs. While these changes aim to keep kids safe, support families, and improve access to state assistance, other important ideas-like eliminating detention fees for kids, evaluating ability to pay fines and fees, and expanding reentry support -did not make it past the finish line. At the same time, lawmakers chose to cut taxes, threatening the very programs Oklahoma kids and families rely on. This session brought some important wins, but also stark reminders of the urgent need for continued investment in Oklahoma’s children and families.
Oklahoma legislators approved policies this session that will protect youth from harm and support their ability to succeed
This session, Oklahoma took action to protect youth from harmful systems and shield students with special needs from physical abuse at school. Lawmakers also passed a measure that will examine the feasibility of modernizing Oklahoma’s application for social support benefits. These measures, coupled with investment in support that Oklahomans need, could prevent youth from harm while strengthening their families’ ability to thrive.
With passage of House Bill 1965, which became law without the governor’s signature, youth who commit first time misdemeanor offenses must be offered diversion before being subject to court involvement. This is a common sense policy that will give youth the opportunity to access developmentally appropriate services-such as therapy, group counselling, or diversion programs-before facing serious legal consequences. The policy change is also likely to help reduce growing racial and ethnic disparities in the youth justice system by ensuring that every youth who commits a first time misdemeanor offense is treated the same in the legal system.
HB 1965 is multi-pronged, including multiple reforms to the children’s code that will improve reunification services for youth separated from their families due to suspected neglect. The bill requires that services be provided within 15 months of separation and offers caregivers more flexibility in meeting their reunification goals.
As Oklahoma faces overwhelming demand for foster families to serve the more than 6,000 youth in Department of Human Services (DHS) custody, it is more important than ever for youth to remain with their caregivers unless unsafe circumstances are present. By offering more flexibility to parents working through reunification services and establishing a speedy timeline, HB 1965 is likely to help more children remain in their communities with caregivers they trust.
Lawmakers also passed measures this session that will protect youth with disabilities from physical harm at school. With the passage of Senate Bill 364, school districts are barred from utilizing corporal punishment-or the deliberate infliction of physical pain-on students with disabilities in accordance with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This policy change aligns with the wealth of research surrounding corporal punishment that asserts while causing physical pain is effective in securing compliance, it is not more effective than alternative means of discipline. In fact, corporate punishment carries greater risks- such as physical injury to the child, increased aggression, and antisocial behavior.
Additionally, lawmakers took steps to improve access to social safety net programs by passing HB 1575, which would require DHS to conduct a feasibility study on creating a unified eligibility and enrollment system for programs like Medicaid and SNAP. Although 77 percent of social safety net programs across the country offer online applications, they are spread across different platforms and applications, and these forms are rarely mobile-friendly. If fully implemented, this policy could make applications more accessible for the growing population of households who are smartphone-only internet users. It would be especially beneficial for Oklahomans applying for SNAP, TANF, or child care assistance, which are not currently functional for applicants using a mobile device. These changes, paired with the reforms that protect youth, will help ensure more young Oklahomans grow up with the support they need to thrive.
Increasing accessibility of essential documents and reducing fines and fees for youth in the legal system lacked support to make it across the finish line
Some measures that would have built upon previous youth justice reforms were unable to gain traction this session but remain available for consideration in 2026. HB 1480 would have built on previous legislation that reduced fines and fees for youth by eliminating counties’ ability to charge families for youth detention, while also creating a fine and fee waiver process for justice-involved kids. Similar efforts to reduce or eliminate fees from youth justice systems have significantly eased financial burdens on families, who are often held responsible for their child’s legal representation, detention, and supervision. With HB 1480 not heard in the Senate this session, young Oklahomans and their families facing the legal system will have to wait at least another year for meaningful fines and fees reform from the legislature.
Another bill that would have eased burdens on youth in Oklahoma, HB 2361, also failed to gain the support needed to move through the legislature. This bill would have expanded the support provided to the 200 youth who age out of foster care yearly through Oklahoma’s Successful Adulthood Act (OKSA), while also offering the same support to youth leaving custody of Oklahoma’s Office of Juvenile Affairs. It would have required that youth leaving foster care and OJA custody receive information on obtaining health insurance, documentation of any services or certificates completed in custody, and access to essential documents like birth certificates and Social Security cards. Without HB 2361’s passage, foster youth will still be afforded support through Oklahoma’s Successful Adulthood Act, but youth exiting OJA custody will not be guaranteed the assistance needed to successfully transition into adulthood.
Divesting from government functions via tax cuts is counterproductive for the success of Oklahoma children
Oklahoma legislators voted to approve a tax cut trigger bill this session, reducing state revenue by more than $400 million annually, which is likely to impact state agencies’ ability to carry out core functions. This comes alongside federal uncertainty on the availability of funding to states, which accounts for more than 2 out of every 5 dollars the state of Oklahoma spends each year, Oklahomans should be prepared for budget shortfalls in the future. Choosing to divest from our state’s core functions and support via tax cuts create conditions where more children grow up in a state of dysfunction. While it can be difficult to measure the return on investment in government-funded children’s programs, repeatedly reevaluating the value of funding core government functions that benefit them ignores the clear return on investment- up to $10 or more per dollar spent.
Oklahoma children face a litany of problems that legislators have yet to address, including the loss of childcare providers, with more than half of Oklahomans live in a child care desert, and consistently low rankings on child well-being indicators. 1 in 5 children in Oklahoma live in poverty, and the majority of Oklahoma 4th graders are not reading at a proficient level. These are problems that require funding and legislative support to solve, yet lawmakers made the decision yet again to prioritize tax cuts that will largely bypass working families. The benefits of investing in children are obvious, yet lawmakers continue to make choices that threaten their ability to thrive here.
Small policy wins for kids will not make up for years of disinvestment
While the 2025 session brought meaningful reforms for youth involved in the child welfare or justice systems, many challenges remain. The failure to advance other critical measures-like reducing fines and fees for justice-involved youth and expanding support for those aging out of state custody-means too many young people are still being left behind. As lawmakers continue to prioritize tax cuts over funding vital programs or innovating to solve problems, there’s a real risk that progress will stall or even reverse. If all children in Oklahoma are to grow up safe, supported, and ready to succeed, advocates must keep pushing for policies that invest in them-not leave them behind.
