Oklahoma City, OK – State Sen. Brent Howard, R-Altus, said the second week of the 2026 legislative session brought a full slate of committee meetings and key policy discussions, including the first meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he chairs.
Most Senate policy committees met during the week to review and vote on a wide range of proposed legislation. Several appropriations subcommittees also completed their review of state agency budget requests as lawmakers continue early work on the state’s next spending plan.
Howard said more than 160 bills have been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee this session. He noted that many of those measures were filed by lawmakers who identify as “small government” conservatives.
“It’s my responsibility to carefully sort through each proposal to determine which ones represent sound policy that won’t grow state government,” Howard said.
In addition to committee work, Howard announced an agreement with House leadership and members of the business community on what he described as a major data privacy reform measure aimed at strengthening Oklahomans’ constitutional right to privacy online.
The proposal, Senate Bill 546, would give residents the right to know what personal data is being collected about them, the right to delete that information and the right to prevent it from being sold to third parties.
Howard is co-authoring the legislation with House Majority Leader Josh West, who has worked on the issue for six years. Howard said the reform comes as large technology and social media companies increasingly track online activity and sell user data.
The bill would allow companies to continue using consumer data internally, such as using purchase history to recommend products. However, it would require transparency and give consumers the ability to stop their information from being sold to other companies for targeted advertising.
Howard pointed to similar legislation in Texas, where Attorney General Ken Paxton has recovered billions of dollars under a law addressing misuse of personal data. He said Oklahoma’s proposal goes even further to protect residents’ personal information.
Howard said he expects the bill to be among the first measures advanced by the full House this session. After anticipated amendments in the House, the legislation would return to the Senate before potentially heading to the governor’s desk.
Constituents can contact Howard at the State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd., Room 427, Oklahoma City, OK 73105, by email at Brent.Howard@oksenate.gov or by phone at 405-521-5612.
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