Oklahoma House swiftly overrides Stitt veto of notification bill
The Oklahoma House wasted no time overriding a veto of a measure requiring the governor to give notice to a successor when he is out of the state.
The same day Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed their bill, House lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to override him.
House Bill 4434 would have required the governor or person serving as acting governor to electronically notify the next officer in the line of succession. It has an exception for emergencies.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt - public domain
It was set to take effect January 11, 2027, after Stitt finishes his final term.
The measure requires the governor to give 24-hour notice before leaving the state and to include departure return dates and times.
Stitt’s veto message said the measure would impose “impractical” requirements on the governor.
“The advances in transportation and communication technology since 1907 ensure that the Governor is the Governor regardless of where he is,” Stitt’s veto message said. “It’s unreasonable to assume that the Governor would no longer be the Governor just because he crossed state lines.”
The line of succession includes the lieutenant governor, then the Senate president pro tem and then the House speaker.
State law bars the governor from conducting state business while out-of-state.
Leaders of the House and Senate have both complained that they have not been given notice they were the acting governor when Stitt has been out of state.
“I’m literally brushing my teeth and get this random text message from somebody, and that is how I found out I was governor,” House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said in March.
Hilbert and Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, are the authors of the measure.
The House overrode the veto on Wednesday by a vote of 86-4.
The Senate has not yet considered the veto override, but the measure passed the chamber on April 29 by a vote of 41-3, a veto-proof margin.