Members of the Okmulgee County Republican Party and members of the surrounding community gathered Tuesday night to hear directly from two state lawmakers about what to expect in the upcoming Oklahoma legislative session, which begins the first Monday in February.

Scott Fetgatter and Bryan Logan addressed a range of topics, including criminal justice, tribal relations, property taxes, insurance costs, utility rates and proposed legislation expected to generate significant debate at the Capitol.

Both lawmakers emphasized the importance of public involvement as legislation moves forward and encouraged constituents to stay informed and communicate with their elected officials throughout the session.

— Criminal Justice & Child Protection Legislation

Rep. Fetgatter spoke at length about legislation he plans to continue advancing related to sexual crimes against children. He referenced a bill passed out of the House last year that would require chemical castration as a condition for parole for individuals convicted of sexually abusing minors.

“If you commit sexual crimes against kids, you’re convicted, you’re put in prison. You want any opportunity to be paroled, you have to be chemically castrated,” Fetgatter said.

He acknowledged the controversy surrounding the proposal but was firm in his position.

“What we know about people that do these things is they cannot be rehabilitated … I make no bones about it, we have to protect our children.”

Audience members raised concerns regarding constitutionality, enforcement, female offenders and whether such a measure would prevent future crimes. Fetgatter responded that similar laws have been upheld in other states and clarified that the requirement would apply only to parole eligibility.

“It’s not automatic. It’s only if you want to be paroled.”

He also noted that the Legislature passed measures last year allowing life without parole and the death penalty for certain child sexual offenses.

— Proposed Constitutional Question on Personhood Fetgatter announced plans to file a resolution that would place a constitutional question before Oklahoma voters regarding when constitutional protections begin.

“I have a resolution to put on the ballot that would give the citizens of Oklahoma the opportunity to vote on whether a human being has the right to constitutional protections at the point of conception.”

He said the intent is to allow voters – not just lawmakers – to weigh in on the issue.

“It’d be good for the legislature to understand where the citizens of Oklahoma really are on this issue.”

— Restoring Rights for Non-Violent Felons

Fetgatter also discussed a bill he plans to run that would restore certain Second Amendment rights to non-violent felons who have completed their sentences and demonstrated longterm rehabilitation. He shared the example of a childhood friend who was convicted at 19 for possessing a fake ID, a non-violent offense that permanently stripped him of his right to own a firearm.

“He made a great life for himself … never got in trouble again … family man, business owner,” Fetgatter said, noting that despite decades of law-abiding behavior, the individual remains unable to legally possess a firearm.

The proposed legislation would establish specific conditions and time requirements before rights could be restored, focusing on non-violent offenses and documented rehabilitation.

— Tribal Relations, McGirt & Jurisdictional Issues

As chair of the Joint Committee on Tribal Government, Fetgatter addressed ongoing legal and jurisdictional disputes following the U.S. Supreme Court’s McGirt decision.

He pushed back strongly against public rhetoric suggesting tribes have unchecked authority.

“The governor was literally … boldfaced lying on social media,” Fetgatter said, referencing claims about tribal hunting rights.

He emphasized that tribal hunting laws mirror state regulations and rejected claims that tribes believe they can hunt or fish on private property without permission.

“The Muscogee Nation hunting laws are identical to the state of Oklahoma’s hunting laws.”

Fetgatter also highlighted the role tribes play in regional healthcare.

“We would not have a hospital in this town if it were not for the Muscogee Nation… and you do not have to be Native to be treated there.”

He noted that funds will be appropriated to defend district attorneys in Okmulgee, Muskogee and Tulsa counties in ongoing jurisdictional lawsuits, which he said may ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

— Cross-Deputization & Law Enforcement Consistency

Fetgatter discussed efforts to standardize cross-deputization agreements statewide.

“If you live in Okmulgee County, our county sheriff ’s department does not have a cross-deputization agreement … but if you go to Tulsa County, they do.”

He said the goal is to eliminate confusion over who has authority to enforce the law.

— Senator Bryan Logan: Property Taxes, Insurance & Local Costs Senator Bryan Logan told attendees he is entering the session focused on rising costs facing counties, school districts and other political subdivisions – pressures he said ultimately fall back on taxpayers.

“One of the hottest issues right now is property taxes,” Logan said, noting that insurance costs, inflation and liability judgments are increasingly driving those increases.

Logan explained that counties and school districts are facing a growing number of costly legal judgments, particularly related to jails. Those expenses, he said, are often attributed to factors such as mental health and COVID, but the financial burden does not disappear.

“And guess who gets to pay that? You do,” Logan said.

To address this, Logan said he is working on what he described as a reinsurance-style revolving fund aimed at political subdivisions such as school districts and, eventually, county jails. The proposal would allow participating entities to pay into a shared fund designed to absorb catastrophic or high-cost judgments once they exceed a certain threshold.

“It’s a catastrophic failure fund,” Logan said. “Instead of putting it on your back right away and increasing your property taxes right out of the gate.”

Logan said the program would be voluntary and would initially focus on public school districts, which he said are increasingly affected by rising insurance costs and litigation. If successful, the concept could later expand to jails and other local government entities. He emphasized that the proposal is still being refined, with safeguards and training requirements expected to be included.

In addition to the reinsurance proposal, Logan outlined several other bills he has filed or plans to pursue this session, including legislation to extend the timeframe for fireworks sales, a bill addressing misuse of ADS-B aviation tracking data that allows pilots to be billed without prior notice, and a utility-related bill that would allow certain connections to be made without requiring a licensed plumber in limited circumstances.

Logan also said he has filed a church security bill and several cleanup measures related to tourism and utilities. He noted that he intentionally limited the number of bills he filed in order to stay focused and effective during his first full session.

“I didn’t want to run a bunch of bills,” Logan said. “I wanted to focus.”

— Electric Rates & Energy Concerns Rising utility costs – particularly electric bills – were also raised during the meeting, with attendees expressing concern over recent increases and what may be ahead. Both lawmakers acknowledged that utility rates are expected to be a major topic during the upcoming legislative session.

Sen. Logan referenced correspondence sent to customers by East Central Electric Cooperative explaining recent rate increases and noted that the cooperative is hosting forums across its service area to address member questions. He said the issue has become one of the most immediate financial pressures facing households in Okmulgee County.

Rep. Fetgatter added that lawmakers have been in communication with multiple electric providers, including investor-owned utilities and cooperatives, as questions circulate about whether large-scale data centers are driving higher costs for residential customers.

“I’ve talked to PSO, I’ve talked to East Central Electric,” Fetgatter said. “When it comes to the data centers, they have plans and programs in place so that the data centers absorb all of the cost for what they are doing, and it’s not transferred on to the citizens.”

Fetgatter cautioned, however, that while utilities say data center demand is not currently being passed on to consumers, the issue is still under legislative review. He noted that several lawmakers have filed bills aimed at protecting ratepayers from future cost shifts tied to increased electric generation and infrastructure expansion.

“It will be a very hot topic this session,” Fetgatter said.

Both lawmakers encouraged residents to attend utility-hosted forums, review rate explanations provided by their electric providers and stay engaged as related legislation moves forward. They emphasized that decisions made during this session could have long-term impacts on household costs, local infrastructure and economic development across the state.

— Budget Outlook & Revenue Concerns

Rep. Scott Fetgatter warned that lawmakers are entering the upcoming session facing a potential budget shortfall, which he attributed in part to recent tax cuts that have reduced state revenue. He cautioned that while tax relief remains popular, it also limits the Legislature’s ability to fund new initiatives and absorb rising costs tied to infrastructure, public safety and legal obligations.

Fetgatter said the expected revenue gap will likely shape which bills advance this session and how they are structured, forcing lawmakers to prioritize core services and exercise restraint.

Both Fetgatter and Sen. Bryan Logan emphasized that a tighter budget environment will require difficult tradeoffs, making public input and transparency especially important as legislative decisions are made.

— Encouraging Civic Engagement Both Fetgatter and Logan emphasized that the legislative process depends on public involvement. They urged residents to track bills, ask questions and contact their representatives and senators as proposals move through the Capitol.

As the legislative session begins, many of the issues discussed Tuesday night – criminal justice reform, energy costs, taxation and tribal-state relations – are expected to shape debate across Oklahoma in the months ahead.