The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 state representatives,each serving a two-year term,and 48 state senators,who serve four-year terms that are staggered so only half of the Oklahoma Senate districts are eligible in each election cycle. Legislators are elected directly by the people from single member districts of equal population. The Oklahoma Legislature meets annually in the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City.
The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions,provide legislative oversight for state agencies,and help to craft the state's budget. The upper house of the Oklahoma Legislature is the Oklahoma Senate.
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma,the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.
The Oklahoma Republican Party is an Oklahoma political party affiliated with the Republican Party. Along with the Oklahoma Democratic Party,it is one of the two major parties in the state.
The president pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-ranking official,serving ex officio as President of the Senate,even though the lieutenant governor only votes in the case of a tie. During the lieutenant governor's absence,the president pro tempore presides over sessions. By longstanding custom,the lieutenant governor presides over sessions devoted to ceremonial purposes,while the bulk of the legislative management and political power is reserved for the president pro tempore,who is elected directly by the Oklahoma Senate.
Jari Askins is an American judge,lawyer,and Democratic politician from the state of Oklahoma. She was the 15th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma,being the second woman and the first female Democrat to hold that position.
Christopher C. Rants is a former Iowa State Representative. He served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1992 to 2010. He received his BA from Morningside College. His work experience includes managing environmental compliance projects for Metz Baking Company,and Pierce &Associates,a Sioux City consulting firm. After leaving the legislature,Rants started inSight Communication as government affairs and public relations firm. In 2015 Rants partnered his firm with PolicyWorks LLC,another Iowa government affairs firm.
Charlie Laster is an American attorney and former Democratic member and Minority Leader of the Oklahoma Senate. Laster served as a caucus leader during a period of Oklahoma history in which the Republican Party and Democratic Party had equal representation in the Oklahoma Senate.
Kris Steele is a United States politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma who served as state representative. Steele served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives as the Speaker of the House,a position he took over after the 2010 elections. He presided over the 53rd Oklahoma Legislature.
The Fifty-first Oklahoma Legislature was a meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma,composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. State legislators met at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City from January 2,2007 to January 3,2009,during the first two years of the second term of Governor Brad Henry. A tie in the number of seats held by Republicans and Democrats in the Oklahoma Senate resulted in bipartisan leadership. Republicans held the majority of seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
The Fifty-second Oklahoma Legislature was the meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City from January 3,2009,to January 4,2011,during the second two years of the second administration of Governor Brad Henry. It was the first session in state history where the Republican Party has controlled both houses of the legislature.
Tahrohon Wayne Shannon is an American banker and politician who served as a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives for the 62nd district from 2007 to 2015. In 2013,he became Oklahoma's first African-American speaker of the House.
The Fifty-fourth Oklahoma Legislature was the meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma from January 8,2013 to January 5,2015. The first session met from February 4,2013,to May 24,2013,in the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City,during the third year of the first administration of Governor Mary Fallin. After the 2012 elections,the Republican Party held more than two-thirds of the seats in the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Mike Jackson is a United States politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Jackson served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives as the Speaker Pro Tempore from 2013 to 2014.
The Sixteenth Oklahoma Legislature was a meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma,composed of the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The state legislature met November 24,1936,to May 11,1937,during the term of Governor E.W. Marland.
Spencer Thomas Bernard was an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Bernard served as the 11th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma from 1979 to 1987. He also served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Charles Adelbert McCall III is an American politician who currently serves as the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party,he represented the 22nd district in southeastern Oklahoma from 2013 to 2024. He is the longest reigning Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Terry O'Donnell is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party who served as the Oklahoma House Representative for the 23rd district from January 8,2013,to November 20,2024. He first won elected office in the 2012 Oklahoma state elections. In January 2021,O'Donnell was promoted to be the speaker pro tempore of the Oklahoma House of Representatives,the second highest ranking Republican Party of Oklahoma member in the state house. On December 17,2021,O'Donnell was indicted in relation to a tag agency corruption scandal. He resigned as speaker pro tempore on February 2,2022 but later rejoined House Republican leadership in 2023 as majority whip,"a position that involves coordinating the teams of legislators that whip vote counts ahead of key bills."
Kyle Hilbert is a Republican member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the current speaker pro tempore. He has represented 29th district of the Oklahoma House of Representatives since 2016 and is the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives-elect.
