Journalist: Heidi Hampton (TU)
University of Tulsa Senator Brody Scott, put forth bill TU-006 today, Saturday April 18th, 2026, in the Senate. The bill called the “Oklahoma Remote Work” Act of 2026, failed in the Senate with a vote of 5-18. The bill aimed to create a program similar to another already present in Tulsa, Oklahoma in which remote workers get a yearly stipend for living in Oklahoma.
In his bill the author states, “The Oklahoma Remote Work Program is created for the purpose of attracting and retaining a highly skilled remote workforce, promoting economic development, and increasing population growth within the state.”
Representatives of the Senate had many opinions about the bill. One Senator was concerned that the system would be abused and people would get the payment for relocation long after they had moved to the state. The bill does however say no person will receive payments after five years of being a part of the program, which eased the Senators mind.
One senator mentioned concerns about the date in which the act would become effective. The bill states the act would become effective 90 days after passage. The Senator mentioned that more time is needed between the passage and the date the act goes into effect. The Senator mentioned concerns regarding creating a board as outlined in the bill, as well as the funding of the bill.
The funding was quite contentious due in large part to where the money would be taken from. The funding would come from annual contributions from the Oklahoma Lottery Fund as well as an initial appropriation of money from the State General Revenue Fund. The money would be placed in a new revolving fund called the “Oklahoma Remote Work Program Fund.”
One Senator argued the funds should not be taken from the Lottery Fund because a lot of their money goes towards schools, and putting it towards the program would take away from schools. Another stated the fund would not contain enough money, but acknowledged there would be problems if the fund was too low in some people’s eyes as well.
Some other Senators were for the bill being passed. Some stated despite some minor changes they would like made to the bill they enjoyed the bill’s idea. Others stated they would like to see the bill pass because similar programs already exist and this act would help better the state of Oklahoma.