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Sen. Joe Newhouse headshot

Joe Newhouse Voting Record & Scorecard | Christian Employers Alliance

OK Senator

District: 25 • Republican

2024 Alignment:

87.88%

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Lifetime Ratings by Policy Category

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Sen. Joe Newhouse (R-OK-25) earned a 88% Christian Employers Alliance score for 2024, showing strong alignment with biblical business policy positions. Joe Newhouse voted on 18 of the 18 key bills CEA scored in 2024. Joe Newhouse represents the 25th District in the Oklahoma State Senate. Highest category scores: Operational Freedom (100%), First Freedom (100%), and Healthcare Freedom (88%).

Title

Lawmaker Position

HB 1345Senate 20241x

Reducing Employment Barriers and Improving Access to Healthcare by Allowing Licensing Reciprocity for Psychologists.

With CEA
This bill allows the Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists to establish reciprocity agreements to issue licenses to psychologists licensed in other states, if the other states' licensing requirements are "substantially equal" to Oklahoma's.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Luke 10:34-35 – "He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have."
Leadership Insight
The Good Samaritan embodies healthcare freedom - personal compassion delivered without government permission, insurance approval, or bureaucratic delay. He bandaged wounds himself, paid directly for care, and promised to cover additional costs. Healthcare freedom means protecting this direct relationship between caregiver and patient. When government mandates and insurance bureaucracies stand between the suffering and those who would help, compassion is delayed, costs explode, and the wounded lie waiting while paperwork processes.
HB 1449Senate 20243x

Reducing Frivolous Litigation Under State Non-Discrimination Law by Clarifying the Definition of "Sex" as One's Biological Sex at Birth.

With CEA
This bill, the "Women's Bill of Rights," establishes a legal definition of "sex" for use in statutes and state code. The bill defines "sex" as "a natural person's biological sex at birth." The bill provides that the state and local governments "shall not be prohibited from establishing distinctions between sexes when such distinctions are substantially related to an important government objective," such as "biology, privacy, safety, or fairness." All individuals - regardless of their sexual identity - should be treated with respect and have the same freedoms, rights and opportunities under the law. This bill helps strengthen safety and privacy in restrooms and locker rooms at educational facilities, prisons and other locations across the state.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Luke 12:58 – "As you are going with your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison."
Leadership Insight
Jesus warns against rushing to court - wisdom that protects operational freedom from predatory litigation. Businesses today face adversaries who weaponize lawsuits to extract settlements, destroy reputations, and bankrupt enterprises through legal costs alone. Operational freedom requires tort reform, loser-pays provisions, and protection from frivolous claims that use the courthouse as a tool of extortion rather than justice.
HB 1955Senate 20241x

Promoting Economic Growth by Eliminating the State Sales Tax on Grocery Items.

With CEA
This bill eliminates the state sales tax for "retail sales of food and food ingredients." This does not include certain items, such as alcoholic beverages, dietary supplements, or prepared food. Local sales taxes are not affected, but future sales or excise tax increases submitted to voters for approval must "provide that the increased rate does not apply to "food and food ingredients".
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Deuteronomy 17:14-20 – "The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself... He must not take many wives... He must not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites."
Leadership Insight
God restricts leaders to protect their integrity and the people's freedom. Limits on power preserve liberty. Leaders who reject accountability invite corruption. Humility before God and equality before the people are marks of righteous governance.
HB 2330Senate 20245x

Expanding Access to Mental Healthcare by Slightly Reforming the State's Draconian Certificate of Need Laws.

With CEA
This bill repeals the certificate of need requirement for psychiatric and chemical dependency facilities, which prohibited any "psychiatric or chemical dependency facility or unit" unless a certificate was issued. Certificate of need laws prevent individuals from opening or expanding healthcare facilities unless they can prove to the government there is a "need" for the expansion and additional competition.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Romans 14:3-4 – "The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall."
Leadership Insight
Paul's protection of conscience applies directly to healthcare freedom. No government or employer has authority to mandate medical treatments, vaccines, or procedures that violate sincere religious or moral conviction. Healthcare freedom means patients and providers can follow conscience in medical decisions without coercion, contempt, or punishment. When healthcare mandates override conscience, they violate the biblical principle that each person is accountable to their own Master.
HB 2872Senate 20241x

Hiking Health Insurance Premiums by Establishing Minimum Reimbursement Rates for Out-of-Network Ambulance Services and Restricting Cost Sharing.

Against CEA
This bill, the "Out-of-Network Ambulance Service Provider Act," sets minimum allowable reimbursement rates for out-of-network ambulance services under health care benefit plans. Under the bill, the rate is to be set by localities. If a locality does not establish a minimum rate, the rate is equal to 325% of the Medicare rate, or the amount charged by the ambulance service, whichever is less. Additionally, the bill imposes price controls, providing that any cost sharing, such as a deductible, coinsurance, or copayment, may not be greater than for in-network ambulance services.
OPPOSE is the CEA Position, based on:
Romans 14:3-4 – "The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall."
Leadership Insight
Paul's protection of conscience applies directly to healthcare freedom. No government or employer has authority to mandate medical treatments, vaccines, or procedures that violate sincere religious or moral conviction. Healthcare freedom means patients and providers can follow conscience in medical decisions without coercion, contempt, or punishment. When healthcare mandates override conscience, they violate the biblical principle that each person is accountable to their own Master.
HB 2975Senate 20241x

Increasing Food Freedom and Protecting Privacy of Homemade Food Producers Through an Optional Alternative to Listing Personal Information on Product Labels.

With CEA
This bill allows homemade food producers the option of listing a registration number on product labels instead of their name, phone number, and the address where the product was made. The registration number requires a fee of $15 annually.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Leviticus 25:10 – "Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan."
Leadership Insight
The Year of Jubilee proclaimed economic liberty - restoration of property, cancellation of debts, and freedom from bondage. Economic freedom follows this biblical pattern: protecting property rights, enabling debt relief through bankruptcy rather than permanent servitude, and ensuring families can rebuild wealth across generations. Government policies that permanently trap families in poverty, extract generational wealth through death taxes, or prevent property ownership contradict Jubilee's vision of economic restoration.
HB 3159Senate 20242x

Strengthening Property Rights by Providing Property Owners the First Opportunity to Purchase Back Their Property Seized by Eminent Domain.

With CEA
This bill amends the Landowner's Bill of Rights to include the right of first refusal or first offer to purchase property that was seized by the state through eminent domain, if the government later sells the property. Under the bill, a property owner whose property was seized, and their "first generation of heirs," may purchase the property at the current value or the compensation paid when the property was seized, whichever is less.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Luke 16:10-11 – "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"
Leadership Insight
Jesus connects economic stewardship to spiritual trustworthiness. Economic freedom is built on this principle: individuals who manage small resources faithfully should be trusted with more - not have government confiscate their increase through taxation or redistribute their success. When government punishes productive stewardship through progressive taxation, it contradicts Christ's teaching that faithful management of "very little" qualifies you for "much." Economic freedom rewards faithful stewardship.
HB 3594Senate 20242x

Strengthening Property Rights by Protecting the Right of Individuals and Businesses to Mine Digital Currency.

With CEA
This bill prohibits the state and local governments from imposing certain regulations on digital assets (such as Bitcoin and others). Under the bill, the state may not prohibit or restrict the use of digital assets for purchases or impose taxes specific to payments made with digital assets. The bill also declares the right "to participate in home digital asset mining" and to operate "a digital asset mining business" in industrial-zoned areas. Local governments may not impose sound pollution restrictions that do not apply generally, and may not "impose any other requirements" that do not also apply to data centers. The bill also contains other protections related to digital assets, such as ensuring a money transmitter license is not required.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Isaiah 10:1-2 – "Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless."
Leadership Insight
God pronounces woe on lawmakers who craft economic policies that oppress the poor through excessive taxation, regulatory barriers to entry, and cronyism that favors the connected over the capable. Economic freedom is justice for the poor - when the working class keeps more of their earnings, when small businesses can compete without crushing compliance costs, and when families can build wealth without government extraction. Unjust economic laws always hit the poor hardest.
HB 3959Senate 20241x

Expanding Cronyism Through a New Fund to Provide Millions of Dollars to Professional Sports Teams Based on the Number of Employees.

Against CEA
This bill, the "Oklahoma Five Major Sports Leagues Rebate Program Act," establishes a fund to provide rebate payments to professional sports teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS. Under the bill, a team is eligible to receive up to $10 million annually, based on the number of full-time equivalent employees. A team must have a total payroll of at least $10 million annually and at least 80% of the employees must be full-time equivalent positions, work an average of at least 30 hours per week, and be subject to state income taxes. The rebate payments are funded using income tax revenue.
OPPOSE is the CEA Position, based on:
Proverbs 11:1 – "The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with Him."
Leadership Insight
Integrity in business is not optional - it’s spiritual obedience. Every transaction reflects the character of the Kingdom. Honesty is Heaven’s currency for influence.
HB 4069Senate 20243x

Strengthening Law and Order by Expanding Credit and Debit Card Fraud to Include Gift Cards.

With CEA
This bill expands the scope of "False making or embossing of credit or debit card" and includes gift cards by including a "similar card containing a magnetic strip capable of storing data." Additionally, the bill provides that possessing at least three cards "containing cloned or altered data" creates a rebuttable presumption of "intent to defraud." The bill provides that possession of five or fewer cards is punishable by 2-5 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000, with increased penalties for possession of 6-20 cards (5-10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $10,000) or 20 or more cards (10-20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $100,000).
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Proverbs 21:15 – "When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers."
Leadership Insight
Justice is not neutral - it rewards righteousness and confronts evil. Leaders who execute justice faithfully create cultures where virtue thrives and corruption fears. Moral clarity strengthens societies; moral ambiguity weakens them.
SB 1155Senate 20241x

Fueling Wasteful and Out-Of-Control Spending Through $18 Million for the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture.

With CEA
This bill appropriates $18 million to the Oklahoma Historical Society for the Oklahoma Museum of Popular Culture. An additional $18 million must be raised from other sources before the funds may be used. Taxpayers should not be forced to fund wasteful and unnecessary initiatives which do not pertain to the core functions of government.
OPPOSE is the CEA Position, based on:
Luke 14:28-30 – "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?"
Leadership Insight
Vision must meet calculation. God honors leaders who count costs before claiming promises. Stewardship without foresight breeds collapse.
SB 1259Senate 20241x

Enriching Comcast and Other Woke Corporations by Forcing Taxpayers to Continue to Provide "Broadband Equity" Through a Government Central Planning Scheme.

Against CEA
This bill extends the rebate for the sales tax exemption for broadband equipment "to establish or expand broadband services in underserved or unserved areas." Previously, the exemption only applied to purchases made in 2022 and 2023. Under this bill, the tax credit is available annually. This measure forces taxpayers to enrich woke corporations such as Comcast for infrastructure which may soon be unnecessary due to significant advances in satellite technology from Comcast's competitors, such as Elon Musk's Starlink.
OPPOSE is the CEA Position, based on:
Proverbs 11:1 – "The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with Him."
Leadership Insight
Integrity in business is not optional - it’s spiritual obedience. Every transaction reflects the character of the Kingdom. Honesty is Heaven’s currency for influence.
SB 1450 (Senate Version)Senate 20243x

Strengthening Law and Order by Creating the Offense of Organized Retail Crime and Extending the Timeframe for Combining Multiple Retail Theft Offenses.

With CEA
This bill creates the offense of "organized retail crime." Under the bill, this applies if two or more conditions are met, such as "The property is taken for resale," "Such property is taken by two or more persons acting jointly," and "The persons taking such property have a means of getaway to evade capture or arrest." The bill provides for a sentence of up to 5 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $1,000, if the value of the items taken is less than $15,000. The maximum sentence is increased to 8 years if the value is greater than $15,000. Additionally, the bill extends the timeframe in which multiple thefts of merchandise from stores may be combined. Previously, if a person committed theft three or more times within 90 days, the value of the stolen items could be combined to determine the severity of the offense (ex. for a first offense, if the value is $1,000 or more, it is a felony). The bill extends the timeframe to 1 year. Finally, the bill also establishes the Oklahoma Organized Retail Crime Task Force to advise lawmakers and the Governor.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Romans 13:1-4 – "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."
Leadership Insight
Government authority is legitimate only when it reflects God's design - to punish evil and reward good. Leaders submit to righteous authority but resist tyranny. Romans 13 is not a blank check for government overreach; it's a framework for godly governance rooted in justice.
SB 1520 (Senate Version)Senate 20241x

Hiking Unfunded Pension Liabilities by $53 Million by Increasing the Ability of Retired Educators to "Double Dip".

Against CEA
This bill increases the maximum earnings that retired teachers may earn by returning to work while continuing to receive retirement benefits (aka "double dip"). Under the bill, the maximum earnings amount is increased from $15,000 to $30,000 for retirees under 62, and from $30,000 to $55,000 for retirees 62 or older. According to the bill's fiscal note, this is estimated to increase unfunded liabilities by $53 million.
OPPOSE is the CEA Position, based on:
Ecclesiastes 5:10 – "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless."
Leadership Insight
The pursuit of wealth without purpose breeds emptiness. Leaders who prioritize accumulation over stewardship lose both meaning and influence. Contentment comes from mission, not margin. Economic freedom flourishes when purpose drives prosperity.
SB 1854Senate 20242x

Strengthening Public Safety by Prohibiting Homeless Encampments on State Property.

With CEA
This bill prohibits any "unauthorized camp" on state property. A warning is issued for the first violation, and a subsequent violation is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 15 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $50. A citation may only be issued if "the person refuses any assistance offered to them by the arresting officer," such as "transportation to a shelter, food pantry, or other place where resources are made available to assist the indigent and homeless." Homeless encampments on sidewalks and streets present many health and safety concerns, including increased crime rates, open drug use, and sanitary concerns.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Romans 13:1-4 – "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."
Leadership Insight
Government authority is legitimate only when it reflects God's design - to punish evil and reward good. Leaders submit to righteous authority but resist tyranny. Romans 13 is not a blank check for government overreach; it's a framework for godly governance rooted in justice.
SB 1877Senate 20243x

Strengthening Public Safety by Extending the Timeframe for Combining Multiple Retail Theft Offenses.

With CEA
This bill extends the timeframe in which multiple thefts of merchandise from stores may be combined. Previously, if a person committed theft three or more times within 90 days, the value of the stolen items could be combined to determine the severity of the offense (ex. for a first offense, if the value is $1,000 or more, it is a felony). This bill extends the timeframe to 180 days.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Romans 13:1-4 – "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."
Leadership Insight
Government authority is legitimate only when it reflects God's design - to punish evil and reward good. Leaders submit to righteous authority but resist tyranny. Romans 13 is not a blank check for government overreach; it's a framework for godly governance rooted in justice.
SB 426Senate 20241x

Protecting Individual Liberties and Reducing Government Overreach by Declaring that United Nations, World Health Organization, and World Economic Forum Mandates Are Unenforceable in the State.

With CEA
This bill declares that "The World Health Organization, the United Nations, and the World Economic Forum have no jurisdiction in this state" and that "requirements or mandates issued by" those groups may not serve as the "basis for action" or be used to impose requirements that violate state law, such as those related to "masks, vaccines, or medical testing."
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Romans 14:3-4 – "The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall."
Leadership Insight
Paul's protection of conscience applies directly to healthcare freedom. No government or employer has authority to mandate medical treatments, vaccines, or procedures that violate sincere religious or moral conviction. Healthcare freedom means patients and providers can follow conscience in medical decisions without coercion, contempt, or punishment. When healthcare mandates override conscience, they violate the biblical principle that each person is accountable to their own Master.
SB 538Senate 20241x

Protecting Life by Expanding Pro-Life Grants Under the "Choosing Childbirth Act".

With CEA
This bill amends the "Choosing Childbirth Act," which provides funds to a "grant-supervising entity" that provides grants to organizations for pro-life services, such as healthcare services for women and infants. This bill allows the Department of Health to now also provide grants "both directly to the private organizations and to one or more grant-supervising entities." The bill also expands the eligible uses of grant funds to include additional services, such as ultrasounds and mental healthcare, and provides that postpartum services to reduce mortality rates extend for 3 years postpartum.
SUPPORT is the CEA Position, based on:
Psalm 139:13-16 – "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
Leadership Insight
David declares that God forms every person in the womb - a truth that shapes First Freedom's protection of religious pro-life conviction. Believers who hold that life begins at conception must be free to operate hospitals, businesses, and ministries according to this conviction. First Freedom protects religious organizations from being forced to fund, perform, or participate in abortion against their sincere belief that God is the Author of life from conception.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sen. Joe Newhouse's voting record?

Sen. Joe Newhouse (R-OK-25) earned a 88% Christian Employers Alliance score for 2024, showing strong alignment with biblical business policy positions. Joe Newhouse voted on 18 of the 18 key bills CEA scored in 2024. Joe Newhouse represents the 25th District in the Oklahoma State Senate. Highest category scores: Operational Freedom (100%), First Freedom (100%), and Healthcare Freedom (88%).

How aligned is Joe Newhouse with biblical business policy positions?

Joe Newhouse earned a 88% Christian Employers Alliance score in 2024, showing strong alignment with biblical business policy positions.

What is Joe Newhouse's CEA score?

Joe Newhouse has a 88% CEA score for 2024.

Where does Joe Newhouse serve?

Sen. Joe Newhouse (R-OK-25) represents the 25th District in the Oklahoma State Senate as a Republican.

What issue categories does Joe Newhouse score highest on?

Joe Newhouse's strongest categories on the Christian Employers Alliance scorecard are: Operational Freedom (100%), First Freedom (100%), Healthcare Freedom (88%).

Where can I see Joe Newhouse's full voting record?

View the full list of scored bills, category breakdown, and year-over-year voting record above. Christian Employers Alliance updates this scorecard as new key votes are scored.

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