OKPOLICY.ORG
Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, announced last Friday which interim studies he had approved for the 2026 interim and the committees they were assigned to. Hilbert approved 92 of the 120 studies requested by House members and denied 28. There are several reasons that the Speaker might not approve a requested study, including not wanting to elevate a certain issue, the expense incurred in holding multiple committee hearings during the interim, or other concerns. The approval process is part of the Speaker’s responsibility. Here are a few of the studies that were denied.
None of the three interim studies proposed by Rep. Tom Gann, R-Inola, were approved. In one request, Gann asked to study the use of automated license plate readers. These cameras track and record the location of license plates on public streets and highways, and the topic has been the subject of controversial legislation in the past.
In another request, Gann, who has been a frequent critic of House rules, wanted to study parliamentary procedures used by state legislatures throughout the United States.
Gann’s final request was to study aluminum smelting in the United States. A controversial $4 billion aluminum smelter plant, sixty percent owned by a United Arab Emirates company and forty percent owned by a Chicago-based company, has been proposed in Gann’s hometown of Inola. The plant would produce 750,000 tons of aluminum per year, a volume said to more than double current U.S. aluminum production.
Another denied study was by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, who wanted to examine the operational structure, oversight mechanisms, accountability standards, and long-term sustainability of the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program as Oklahoma continues expanding publicly funded educational pathways for students with disabilities.
The “Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Program Act,” named after the deceased daughter of former Gov. Brad Henry, was passed in 2010 as an initial foray into publicly funded private school education and was limited to certain children with established disabilities.
The program has been broadened throughout the years to include several other groups of students. Scholarships range from approximately $4,196 to $22,236. Since passage of the Act, the state has invested heavily in private school funding, setting aside $275 million for tax credits going to parents who choose to send their children to private schools.
Another education-related study request not approved was by Rep. Ellen Pogemiller, D-Oklahoma City. According to the request, the study would have examined Oklahoma’s current school accountability system, including state and federal accountability requirements, performance measures, and reporting standards.
Pogemiller had hoped to explore how accountability metrics are used to evaluate schools and districts and to identify areas for improvement. Oklahoma’s school accountability framework includes school report cards, academic performance indicators, graduation rates, attendance measures, and other accountability metrics. Pogemiller also wanted to look at best practices from other states regarding accountability, continuous improvement, and school support.
Finally, another study that did not make the cut was requested by Rep. Amanda Clinton, D-Tulsa. Clinton wanted to examine consumer ownership, control, and compensation for personal data as well as cookies, AI training data, and digital value creation.
According to Clinton’s request, the purpose of the study was to scrutinize whether Oklahoma consumers should have stronger legal rights in the personal data and digital activity they generate, including potential ownership rights, control rights, transparency rights, consent rights, opt-out rights, and compensation mechanisms.
The study would have explored how personal data, cookies, online behavior, consumer-generated content, biometric information, digital likeness, and AI training data are collected and monetized, and whether Oklahoma law should recognize additional consumer protections when that information is used to generate commercial value.
Schreiber, Pogemiller and Clinton all had other interim study requests approved.
