Oklahoma governor proposes four state questions on Medicaid, marijuana, taxes – The Journal Record
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By : Emma Murphy // Oklahoma Voice//February 4, 2026//
Gov. Kevin Stitt with a bandaged hand greets lawmakers as he prepares to give his final State of the State Address on Feb. 2, 2026, at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice)
Oklahoma governor proposes four state questions on Medicaid, marijuana, taxes
Gov. Kevin Stitt with a bandaged hand greets lawmakers as he prepares to give his final State of the State Address on Feb. 2, 2026, at the state Capitol in Oklahoma City. (Photo by Kyle Phillips/For Oklahoma Voice)
By : Emma Murphy // Oklahoma Voice//February 4, 2026//
OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday called on Oklahoma lawmakers to place four state questions on an upcoming ballot that would overhaul government spending and voter-approved health initiatives.
The term-limited Republican governor in his final State of the State address urged lawmakers to send two state questions — adjusting Medicaid expansion and eliminating the medical marijuana industry — to voters. The two questions could undo citizen-led initiatives and would attempt to reverse voters’ decisions at the ballot box. Stitt’s other two proposed state questions would freeze property tax growth and cap state spending as part of his broader push to lower state expenditures.
During his 30-minute speech, Stitt touted tax cuts, which have left the state with $1.6 billion less to spend. Still, he urged the Republican-controlled Legislature to further reduce spending and to become less reliant on the federal government, which he said “isn’t a reliable partner” any more.
“Government dependency is a trap,” he said. “It robs self-reliance and balloons budgets. I always say government programs should be a trampoline, not a hammock, but too often that is not the case.”
‘Adjusting’ Medicaid expansion
With his hand noticeably wrapped in bandages due to a cooking accident, Stitt said Medicaid is “driving massive spending growth while enabling waste.” He said he wants lawmakers to send a state question to voters that would “allow for adjustments” to Medicaid expansion.
He did not specify what those adjustments could be.
Oklahoma voters enshrined Medicaid expansion into its state constitution in 2020, which requires offering coverage to all adults below age 65 who make less than $21,597 a year.
Any changes to the voter-approved measure need to be approved at the ballot box.
Over 280,000 Oklahomans have benefited from the expansion, which also lowered the state’s uninsured rates, according to the nonpartisan Oklahoma Policy Institute.
But Stitt said in 10 years, Medicaid is projected “to eat up 37% of our annual budget” and cost the state $6 billion dollars.
“We have to make a change,” he said.
House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, said he supported the governor’s idea for a state question to adjust Medicaid expansion.
He said costs have been skyrocketing and there’s a need to address them as the Oklahoma Health Care Authority’s budget request nears $2 billion this year with utilization increasing from the Medicaid and Medicaid expansion populations.
Rich Rasmussen, president and CEO of the Oklahoma Hospital Association, said Medicaid expansion is a “cost-efficient system” that has improved health outcomes and limiting it would “undermine care for all Oklahomans.”
“The governor clearly has a misunderstanding, or is so disconnected to what everyday folks are going through, that he doesn’t understand what’s happening in health care across the state, the economic challenges that we’re facing right now in Oklahoma,” said House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City.
Closing down medical marijuana industry
Stitt also called on lawmakers to “shut down” the state’s medical marijuana industry, calling it one of the “greatest threats to public safety.”
Voters approved legalizing medical marijuana in 2018 by codifying it in state statute. While shutting down the industry would not require voters’ approval, Stitt said he wants lawmakers to put the issue to another vote.
“These (medical marijuana) storefronts hide an industry that enables cartel activity, human trafficking, and foreign influence in our state,” he said.
Lawmakers allowed medical marijuana legalization to take effect without a regulatory framework and have been playing catch up in years since.
The industry has generated hundreds of millions in revenue and licensing fees. A tax on medical marijuana generated over $47 million in the 2025 fiscal year, according to a report from the Oklahoma Tax Commission.
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority reported hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans have been issued medical marijuna licenses, and nearly 5,000 businesses are actively licensed.
Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, said he supports having further conversations about a medical marijuana state question and there’s probably a way to build out an “actual medical marijuana program.”
“When you’re actually reversing the vote of the people,” he said. “I think the appropriate place would be to put it back in front of the people rather than just saying, ‘Oh, this didn’t work, we’re going to undo your state question.’ We do take seriously the voters’ intent and what the voters actually voted on.”
Freezing property taxes, state government spending
The third state question Stitt suggested to lawmakers would be to freeze property taxes for “all levels.” Property taxes are a major funding source for public schools, CareerTech centers, county government operations, libraries and county health departments.
He said the freezing rates would provide relief to property owners but did not elaborate further.
Paxton said while lawmakers want to give relief to homeowners, they also don’t want to “wreck” a county or school district.
Stitt’s final suggested state question would amend Oklahoma’s constitution to place a 3% annual cap on recurring spending growth, meaning lawmakers would be limited on how much they can spend when crafting the state budget every year.
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