As we discussed last week, the Oklahoma Legislature continues to move several potential laws forward for the 2026 session over the past month. Lawmakers have held committee meetings to initially consider the bills filed for 2026.

The ones that survived committees will now be scheduled by the majority floor leaders- Rep. Josh West, R-Grove, in the House of Representatives, and Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, in the Senate – along with their teams who develop the House’s and Senate’s daily agendas.

As I noted in last week’s column, if a bill would cost money, despite the value of the idea, the chance of it becoming law is slim. A good idea may pass with language stating, “if funds are available” and then not receive sufficient appropriations to function.

House Bill 1016, by Rep. Michelle Mc-Cane, D-Tulsa, and Sen. Michael Bergstrom, R-Adair, would create protection for minors who appear in online content created by adults, including their parents. This legislation would require compensation, trust funds, and protections under the law included in monetized online content. Minors would be engaged in content creation work if they appear in at least 30 percent of a creator’s compensated video content within a 30-day period or if their participation generates more than $10,000 in revenue.

HB 3288 by Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, and Senator Brian Logan, R-Paden, requires the State Board of Education to require, as a condition of accreditation, that public elementary schools provide physical education or exercise programs for students in full-day prekindergarten through grade 5. The amount of physical education or exercise must average at least 150 minutes each week, not including recess. This is an increase from the current 60 minutes required under law.

HB 3636 by Rep. Emily Gise, R-OKC, and Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond, provides that beginning with the 2027 program year, the State of Oklahoma must participate in the federal Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer for Children program to provide supplemental nutrition assistance to eligible children when school is not in session.

For those keeping up with this policy, Oklahoma’s executive branch has refused to participate in this program over the past three years, placing a tremendous strain on families across the state, along with churches and nonprofit organizations who work to fill the gaps in feeding the hungry.

HB 4421 by Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, and Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Kellyville, would require Oklahoma Human Services to include fentanyl and methamphetamine in drug screenings during child welfare investigations and before children are returned to parents or guardians. The legislation would require investigators to obtain a warrant for testing if parents refuse a drug test. This bill would make it a felony to knowingly expose a child to fentanyl.

Senate Bill 1377 by Sen. Chuck Hall, R-Perry, and Rep. John Kane, R-Bartlesville, would require Oklahoma Human Services to provide foster children who lack a suitcase with a duffel bag or other adequate bag in which to pack personal belongings. Also, as funds allow, the department may include personal hygiene items or other personal supplies.

For years, far too many children taken into foster care or moved from placement to placement have had their items placed in garbage bags for transport, so this bill would eliminate that practice.

SB 1521 by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-Mc-Curtain, and Rep. Cody Maynard, R-Durant, would prohibit the design, development, or making available artificial intelligence human- like chatbots to minors, with a penalty of up to $100,000 for each violation. The measure would require reasonable age certification measures to keep the technology away from children.

These and other bills will continue through the process, and the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) will continue to monitor and engage in promoting legislation which supports the best interests of the health, safety, and well-being of the youth of our state. Please sign up at oica. org to follow these and other bills through our weekly email newsletter.

The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. The OICA’s mission statement is: “Creating awareness, taking action and changing policy to improve the health, safety and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”