After Oklahoma governor vetoed mammogram bill, lawmakers could attempt to override him

Yahoo

18-05-2025

The month of May at the Oklahoma Capitol has become known, in recent years, for Gov. Kevin Stitt's frequent vetoes, followed by lawmakers' inevitable attempts to override some of those vetoes.
Stitt, through Thursday, May 15, had vetoed 39 bills approved by the Legislature. With a deadline of May 30 looming, legislative leaders are forming the list of vetoed bills on which they'll attempt override votes. And while those leaders are still keeping the contents of that list close to the vest, one bill clearly is at the top: House Bill 1389.
The bipartisan bill, sponsored by Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, and Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, would have expanded insurance coverage for breast cancer imaging and advanced diagnostic tests that are essential to early detection, without cost-sharing for patients.
Provenzano's introduction of the bill on the House floor resulted in a touching display of affection rarely seen in the Capitol. Legislators of both major parties wore pink to honor Provenzano, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Tears and hugs and words of kindness abounded from both sides of the political aisle.
The bill passed 95-0 — unanimous votes on legislation are rare ― in the House, and 34-11 in the Senate, with only far-right Republican senators voting against it.
Stitt vetoed it on May 6, saying, while he is 'deeply sympathetic to the women across our state who have bravely fought breast cancer,' he believed 'this legislation imposes new and costly insurance mandates on private health plans that will ultimately raise insurance premiums for working families and small businesses. … Without fail, when government gets involved in markets, prices rise for everyone.'
The veto stunned most Capitol observers, given the strong support the bill received in the Legislature and the fact that one of its sponsors had such a sympathetic story. Stanley called the veto 'disheartening' and said the governor was mistaken about the bill's cost: '(T)he reality is that the costs of providing preventative screenings are minuscule when compared to the costs to treat late-stage disease.'
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Provenzano said a law passed in 2022 covered diagnostic mammograms and the vetoed bill would have covered 'the very next test that gets ordered when your doctor finds something on your annual screening mammogram.' She said she'd fielded many calls 'from women who say their insurance companies are pushing back on coverage, despite what the law says.'
Almost immediately, House Bill 1389 moved to the top of the veto-override list. Because it didn't contain an emergency clause, only two-thirds of the members of each legislative chamber would need to approve the override for it to be successful — 68 in the House and 32 in the Senate. (Bills with an emergency clause require a three-fourths majority in both chambers.)
Asked Thursday about possible veto overrides, Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, immediately mentioned House Bill 1389. His legislative counterparts on the Democratic side of the aisle seem to agree.
More: Oklahoma governor rejects measure requiring insurers to cover more breast cancer tests
'I know that there's strong support to override the mammography insurance mandate (veto),' said Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City. 'That's something … many people in the Women's Caucus have signed onto, and I think that was just important to make sure people have access to quality health diagnosis. That's a huge one we've been talking about.'
House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, said she's hopeful that now that Paxton and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, have reached an agreement with Stitt on the state budget, the Legislature will start working on potential veto override votes.
'I'm assuming we'd utilize that very last week after Memorial Day to come back,' Munson said, mentioning specifically House Bill 1389. 'There are a couple other pieces of legislation that I think both Republicans and Democrats — Republicans have been getting their bills vetoed as well. So I'm sure they have a list of requests that they've sent into their chamber leaders that we may be able to see in that last week. I'm not certain on that, but I'm hopeful that that will happen.'
If House Bill 1389 does become law via a veto override, it would take effect Nov. 1.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma mammogram bill vetoed by Gov. Stitt could see override