Oklahoma lawmakers override record number of vetoes, remove Stitt appointee in dramatic end to legislative session
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Oklahoma lawmakers have officially wrapped up their work for the year, ending the 2025 legislative session with late-night drama and a flurry of veto overrides, capped off by the removal of a high-profile Stitt appointee.For most of the session's final days, it looked like things might end more smoothly than usual.No bills were being held hostage.No calls for a special session.Not even the typical budget standoff.It appeared the House, Senate and Governor were all, in large part, getting along.But then Governor Kevin Stitt began issuing vetoes.'This is stuff that I know is bad for Oklahoma, bad for taxpayers,' Stitt said in a Facebook video, after vetoing 68 bills—a record.Among the bills vetoed, was one authored by State Rep. Melissa Provenzano (D-Tulsa), who is battling breast cancer.
Lawmakers upset after Gov. Stitt brings family member into Friesen fallout
It would have required insurance companies to cover diagnostic mammograms, and received bipartisan, near-unanimous support in the legislature before Stitt vetoed it. 'I just want to say, did you read the bill? Did you understand what it was we're trying to do?' Provenzano said.Stitt also vetoed bills that supporters argued would strengthen DUI laws and open records laws, require ethics training for state department heads and put resources toward solving the state's backlog of missing Indigenous people cases.Legislative leaders initially said they would override a handful of the vetoes.Stitt responded by threatening to back primary opponents against them in their next elections in a video posted to his official state Facebook page. Legislators called his bluff, and upped the ante, by placing all 68 vetoed bills on the table for overrides.
In total legislators overrode 47 of them—a new state record.More drama came late Thursday, after Stitt learned a representative and senator had introduced a resolution to remove embattled Mental Health Commissioner Allie Friesen—a Stitt appointee—from office.
Lawmakers override majority of Gov. Stitt's vetoes
Stitt issued a statement suggesting, without evidence, the senate author's wife may actually be to blame for the department's issues.That prompted a furious response from senators across party lines.'I'm very, very, very disappointed in our governor, that he would put out a press release as disrespectful and disingenuous as this one,' Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) said.'I haven't teared up the whole session, until I read that,' said Sen. Christi Gillespie (R-Broken Arrow). 'We're better than that, we all are.''We keep family out of it. The fact that it was put out in a statement, it's disturbing,' said Sen. Aaron Reinhardt (R-Jenks). 'I will cut your throat to protect my district, but there are standards,' said Sen. Casey Murdock, (R-Felt). 'We need to leave family out of it. That is crossing a line.''A line was crossed with a false, baseless accusation against a spouse of a member of this body, and I will not stand for it,' said Sen. Bill Coleman (R-Ponca City).The resolution to remove Friesen passed both chambers overwhelmingly in the middle of the night.With that, the legislature officially adjourned.Lawmakers will return next February for the 2026 legislative session.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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