House Media

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Tim Turner, R-Kinta, the vice chair of the House Appropriations & Budget Public Safety Subcommittee and a former sheriff, today recognized National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, Jan. 9.   "Men and women who serve in law enforcement willingly and selflessly put their lives on the line every day in order to keep the public safe from harm," Turner said. "They do this at risk to themselves and at great sacrifice to their families and loved ones. On this day, may we remember the individuals behind the badge. They are human, and they face the same challenges we all face, but their service keeps people and our communities safe from those who would break the law. They enhance our lives in innumerable ways. I'm personally thankful for such dedication, and I know many Oklahomans join me in such appreciation of jobs well done."

OKLAHOMA CITY — Rep. Gabe Woolley, R-Broken Arrow, has filed House Joint Resolution 1040 , legislation that is intended to address concerns about the influence of Sharia Law and reaffirm the authority of the U.S. Constitution in Oklahoma. HJR1040 would place a constitutional amendment before voters that would prohibit the use of Sharia Law or any similar foreign legal code in Oklahoma courts. "To the argument of religious liberty, the truth is Sharia Law is a political ideology painted as a religion," Woolley said. "This is a Trojan horse. One group does not have permission to trample on the rights of others. We cannot jeopardize our constitutional rights by allowing a political ideology to infiltrate our nation and our state." Woolley said the resolution is rooted in protecting individual liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. "Our Constitution protects women’s rights, free speech, freedom of expression and many other fundamental freedoms," Woolley said. "Sharia Law does not protect or respect those rights. This foreign religious law and political structure directly contradicts our Constitution." In 2010, Oklahoma voters approved the Save Our State Amendment , which sought to ban Sharia Law, with nearly 70% support. The amendment was later struck down by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and never took effect. Woolley said he believes now is the right time for the amendment to make a meaningful difference and ensure Oklahoma does not follow the path of other states. "With a new administration and 16 years having passed, I believe it is time to attempt this ban once again to protect our American way of life in Oklahoma," Woolley said. "We have seen what is happening in Dearborn, Michigan, New York, Texas and Europe. Oklahoma does not want to become to the next Dearborn, Michigan." If approved by both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the Oklahoma Senate, the resolution would be placed on a statewide ballot for a vote of the people. HJR1040 is eligible for consideration in the Second Regular Session of the 60th Legislature which convenes on Feb. 2.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow, has filed legislation with the intent to protect Oklahomans from having to pay increased utility rates by ensuring data centers pay their share of infrastructure costs as they expand across the state. House Bill 2992 , titled the Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026, would require data centers to pay their share of infrastructure costs associated with their significant electricity demands. While the bill's language is still being finalized, it is being drafted to prevent those costs from being passed on to residential, industrial and small-business ratepayers through higher utility rates. "With more than a dozen potential new data centers planning to locate in Oklahoma that we are aware of at this point, we have to make sure everyday Oklahomans are not stuck paying the price of the electricity use due to these new data centers being built," Boles said. "This bill is about protecting ratepayers and making sure massive energy users cover the infrastructure needed to support their operations instead of shifting that burden onto families and small businesses." Data centers are specialized facilities that store, process and manage digital information. Often referred to as the home of the internet, they house servers, networking equipment and electrical systems that allow everything from cloud storage to video streaming and online banking to navigation apps and email to function in real time. These facilities are connected by fiber-optic cables across the globe and require enormous amounts of electricity to operate. According to the Pew Research Center , a typical AI-focused hyperscale data center can consume as much electricity each year as 100,000 households. Even larger facilities currently under construction are expected to use multiple times that amount. "As these facilities grow, we, as the legislature, must put guardrails in place so Oklahomans are not the ones footing the bill for new substations, transmission lines and other infrastructure upgrades," Boles said. "This legislation ensures fairness and keeps utility rates from climbing for our Oklahoma ratepayers because of the unprecedented increased demand of new electrical generation needed due to the AI data centers. I look forward to working to ensure we have proper safeguards and protections in place for our Oklahoma ratepayers." The Data Center Consumer Ratepayer Protection Act of 2026 will be eligible for consideration when the Legislature convenes for the Second Regular Session on Feb. 2. Rep. Boles serves as the Oklahoma House of Representatives Chair of the Energy & Natural Resources Oversight Committee.