By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — A board on Tuesday approved raising the salaries of Oklahoma lawmakers to $54,900 and increasing stipends for over a dozen other legislative leaders.
The Board on Legislative Compensation, made up of appointees of the governor, the House speaker and the Senate president pro tem, approved an additional $1.3 million annually for lawmaker salaries and leadership stipends.
The board previously voted to increase stipends for legislative leaders while keeping lawmaker pay stagnant.
Lawmakers will earn $7,400 more per year, up from $47,500. Their salaries had not changed since 2019.
These changes are effective after the next general election on Nov. 18, 2026. Currently, lawmakers are prevented from taking a salary increase during the term of office.
The House Speaker and Senate President Pro Tem will receive a stipend equal to 50% of the new base pay, or $27,450.
About another dozen leaders in the House and Senate will receive stipends of more than $18,000.
The group was forced to reconvene after it was discovered that a member, James Leewright, was a registered lobbyist and ineligible to be on the board. Leewright is a former Republican lawmaker. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, then replaced Leewright with Krista Ratliff.
There were three other new members of the panel on Tuesday, including Bill Kern and Charlie Hannema, appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt, and Leslie Walker, appointed by Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle. They replaced Chairman Brian Jackson, Robert DeNegri and Gary Unruh. All new members voted in favor of increasing the salaries and stipends.
Only two board members, Scott Douglas and Jeff Baumann, voted against the pay hikes.
The board rescinded its previous votes on lawmaker pay and instead approved the across-the-board raises.
Former Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, spoke against increasing pay for public officials during the public comment period of the meeting.
“Legislative public service was once considered exactly that, public service, not a career path,” he said. “If money is the motive, you’re motivating the wrong people.”
The panel discussed the salary changes behind closed doors in an executive session, a change from its previous meetings where the discussion was in front of the public.
