Special thanks to Nancy McDaniel of Creek County for making this update possible! We hope to make this a regular column in OKGrassroots. She does a great job of tracking legislation and keeping us and others informed on legislative matters.
Note: Remember SB (Senate bills) are now in the House for consideration and HB (House bills) are in the senate for consideration. As the month progresses to the April 24th deadline to have bills out of their committees, there will be many bills weeded out.
How an Idea Becomes a Law Chart: The only thing that has changed on this chart is the House now has 2 committees (assigned committee and an oversight committee) that bills have to progress through to advance to be eligible for a vote on the House floor.
House bills passed so far since March 14th. Now moving to Senate:
HB1205 Maynard/Bullard – Adds completely new language that modifies the income qualifier for the sales tax relief credit and increases the credit amount to $40 to $200. The floor substitute also repeals the tax credit for manufacturers of advanced small wind turbines.
HB1243 Strom/Hicks – Creates a financial assistance program to help eligible National Guard members pay for a certification or licensure program at a CareerTech school for a maximum of three years. Requires a Guard member to apply for all federal education grants and scholarships before seeking assistance through this scholarship.
HB1276 Caldwell, C/Seifried – Requires school boards to adopt policies prohibiting cell phone and smartwatch use on campus before the start of next school year. The policies must include a provision for emergency use. School boards may choose to allow cell phone use, but must revisit their decision annually.
HB1277 Caldwell, C/Seifried – Requires the State Board of Education to distribute $7.5 million in grant funding to help schools implement their phone-free policies.
SB1373 Boles/Green – Requires an industrial solar power facility to include a provision in their contract with the landowner guaranteeing they will remove their solar equipment from the landowner’s property and to provide the landowner with financial assurance proving their ability to remove the solar power equipment from the property.
HB1412 Johns/Pugh – Prohibits chronic absenteeism from being a measure of school success on the state’s ESSA Plan. The State Department of Education is required to replace chronic absenteeism with a measure of instructional time. This would require schools to be evaluated on their number of in-person school days, total school hours for the academic year, and school day length.
HB1433 Boles/Daniels – Re-creates the Special Investigative Unit Auditing Revolving Fund. The fund shall consist of all monies received by the State Auditor and Inspector from funds withheld from a municipality’s allocations of gas taxes pursuant to certain Oklahoma Statutes, all monies received from legislative appropriations for the purpose of conducting investigative municipal audits.
HB1565 Duel/Weaver – Requires the Department of Human Services to ensure that Abuse and Neglect Hotline supervisors notify local law enforcement immediately, in writing, when a referral of abuse or neglect is received, and the alleged perpetrator is not the child’s legal guardian.
HB1574 Lawson/Stanley – Expands the responsibilities of the Office of Juvenile System Oversight by directing the Office to inspect misfeasance and malfeasance within the children and youth system, including privately-operated institutions and facilities that receive state funding and has the authority to examine records and budgets, the ability to interview residents within the children and youth service system, and subpoena witnesses and hold public hearings.
HB1861 Robert/Weaver – Provides that any person convicted of offering money or any other item or service of value for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct is to be guilty of a felony punishable by imprisonment in the Department of Corrections for a term not more than three years and by fines.
HB1863 Roberts/Rader – Amends the Oklahoma Children’s Code to increase penalties for individuals or agencies that discloses confidential records related to child abuse investigations. Requires the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth to provide for the creation and maintenance of a secure database that will be used by freestanding multidisciplinary child abuse teams during case review. The database will collect case information and maintain strict security as well as be subject to confidential records requirements.
HB1865 Roberts/Bergstrom – Authorizes the Secretary of the State Election Board to accept written notice from tribal court clerks regarding felony convictions and cancel the voter registrations of affected individuals in their respective counties. The bill also allows the Secretary to approve additional ballot printing on election day in cases of shortages or emergencies while maintaining existing provisions for accessible ballots. Additionally, the measure establishes that vote centers, where voters can cast ballots regardless of precinct, will not be used on election day, except in emergencies affecting specific precincts, as determined by the Secretary.
HB2019 Pae/Pugh – Extends the sunset date for the aerospace engineer employer and employee tax credits from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2032.
HB2033 Blair/Frix – Creates the “Community Health Center Access to Care Revolving Fund” for the State Department of Health. The money may be budgeted and expended for the purpose of increasing access to care provided by community health centers.
HB2051 Stinson/Thompson, K – Creates the “Supervised Physicians Act,” which provides that supervised physicians are subject to supervision requirements provided in the measure.
HB2157 Dobrinski/Pederson – Creates the 17-member Agrivoltaics Advisory Committee assisting the Corporation Commission in finding compatibility between renewable energy projects and the agricultural industry.
HB2301 Moore/Gollihare – Sets forth provisions related to membership, recusal, and removal within the Judicial Nominating Provision.
HB2753 Caldwell, T/Howard – Allows an additional $200 million in state tax credits to be made available under the Oklahoma Rural Jobs Act. (In addition to the $100 million already).
HJR1024 Moore/Gollihare – Refers to the people for their approval or rejection a proposed amendment modifying the appointment process for the Judicial Nominating Commission. It requires the six members appointed by the Governor to serve a term of six years and that at least one be from each congressional district as they exist as of the date of appointment. The three at large members are to serve 2 year terms and the six members of the Bar Association are to serve 6 year terms.
Senate bills passed since March 14th moving to House:
SB6 Seifried/Banning – Moves school district board of education and technology center school district board of education elections from the first Tuesday of April to the second Tuesday of November in odd numbered years or the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November in even-numbered years. The bill moves the primary elections for such boards from the second Tuesday in February to the second Tuesday in September in odd-numbered years or the fourth Tuesday of August in even-numbered years.
SB32 Stanley/Miller – Modifies the Oklahoma National Guard Educational Assistance Program; allows the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to establish limits on the amount of assistance available.
SB139 Seifried/Caldwell, C – Requires school district boards of education to adopt a policy prohibiting students from using cell phones and personal electronic devices while on a public school district campus from bell to bell. One year pilot program.
SB147 Pederson/Newton – Requiring Secretary of the State Election Board to direct all counties to conduct post-election audits for specified elections.
SB269 Rader/Luttrell – Adds Class VI CO2 injection wells as well as any CO2 storage unit associated with a CO2 sequestration facility under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission who shall regulate carbon capture efforts in the state and authorizes the Commission to enter into memorandums of understanding with any governmental entity deemed necessary to address areas of implementation of the Oklahoma Carbon Capture and Geologic Sequestration Act. Applicants to build injection wells must give notice by 2 publications. At least 1 of the publications must be 30 days prior to the Commission hearing. Applications may be filed if the applicant owns 63% of the tracts of land to be included in the CO2 storage unit. Notice shall be provided to owners of affected wells, owners of mineral rights, and surface owners.
SB279 Green/Boles – Requires transmission developers to file an application to obtain a certificate of authority from the Corporation Commission for each electric transmission facility. Developers must provide information showing that the developer published notification in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or counties in which all or a portion of the electric transmission facility is to be located, and that all relevant entities where notified. The developer must also attest that a public meeting was held in the affected county or counties, it has sufficient insurance coverage, it has a safety plan, the line is beneficial and in the public interest, and a decommission plan is in place.
SB333 Haste/Lawson – Expands “area of operations” as it relates to the Oklahoma Housing Authorities Act to include anywhere within the boundaries of the state.
SB352 Gollihare/Pfeiffer – Requires electric transmission facilities to obtain a certificate of authority from the Corporation Commission prior to exercising any right of eminent domain to construct or expand a transmission facility rated greater than 300 kilovolts.
SB418 Daniel/Hasenbeck – Requires any institution run by the Department of Corrections or contracted with the Department to designate each multi-occupancy restroom, changing room, and sleeping quarters for the exclusive use of either females or males. No member of the opposite sex shall be allowed into such areas.
SB552 Hines/Duel – Prohibits any state agency from procuring any biotechnology equipment or service as well as contracting with a company designated by the federal government to be a biotechnology company of concern. A company of concern is a company controlled by a foreign adversary that poses a risk to national security.
SB658 Daniels/Crosswhite-Hader – Prohibits the Department of Human Services from requiring any current or prospective adoptive or foster parent to support any government policy regarding sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with the parent’s sincerely held religious or moral beliefs as a condition for eligibility to adopt or foster or deny for same.
SB722 Kern/Burns – Prohibits the use of electronic monitoring as a method to officially identify livestock species.
SB915 Green/Boles – Requires commercial solar energy facilities constructed on land owned by the Commissioners of the Land Office on and after the effective date to be constructed on permanent grass that is suitable for livestock grazing. The measure provides the owners of such land immunity to liability for any damage to the facility caused by livestock. Such facilities must construct the panels at least 6 feet high from the lowest point of the solar panel and to provide at least 25 feet of space between each row of panels. Such panels must be setback at least 300 yards from the nearest point on the outside wall of any residential dwelling and provide optimal runoff flow. Provides such facilities shall be liable for all soil erosion occurring along the land with the installed panels. The Commissioners of the Land Office shall be required to make a payment in lieu of ad valorem taxes if the property has a commercial solar facility installed.
SB1027 Bullard/Hilbert – No more than 10% of the total number of signatures required for an initiative petition or referendum petition shall be from legal electors of a county with a population of 400,000 or more and that no more than 4% shall be from legal electors of a county with population less than 400,000. All donated funds received from sources in this state.
Some more HOUSE bills that passed by today’s deadline and now engrossed to the Senate:
HB1120 Lepak – New state oversight requirements for the implementation of federal election directives and the acceptance of federal election funds, and disallows the Secretary of the State Election Board and county election board secretaries from implementing any new federal election directive or guidance without prior approval from the State Legislature.
HB1126 Grego – Prohibits the sale or distribution of manufactured-protein food that is misbranded or falsely advertised.
HB1178 Stark – Provides that any person that does not have a disability or is not training to assist individuals with disabilities who uses a service animal to gain treatment or benefits will be guilty of a misdemeanor, upon conviction.
HB1199 Maynard – Establishes a definition for specie, which is considered coins with gold or silver content or refined gold and silver bullion that is coined, stamped or imprinted with its weight and valued primarily based on its metal content and provides that species cannot be considered personal property for taxation or regulatory purposes and no person should be subject to tax when exchanging, selling or purchasing specie.
HB1224 West, K – Freedom of Conscience. Provides that a healthcare institution or payor may not be required to participate in or pay for a service that violates their conscience, including permitting the use of its facilities. A healthcare payor must list any health scare service that it may refuse to pay for on the basis of conscience. Refusal to participate in or pay for a health care service may not give rise to liability or be the basis of discrimination.
HB1275 Caldwell, C – Places restrictions on social media usage. Social media companies may not allow minors under 16 to use social media and must require parental consent for minors 16 or older. Companies who violate this regulation are subject to a $2,500 fine per violation plus court costs, attorney fees, and damages. The Attorney General is also authorized to take legal action. Commercial entities are prohibited from collecting or sharing a minor’s personal or location information.
HB1374 Boles – Allows certain companies and individuals that produce power on their own premises to avoid being regulated as a public utility.
HB1393 Kerbs – Requires the State Board of Education to create a parental consent form for school districts to use when determining whether a student with an IEP will participate in the Oklahoma Alternative Assessment Program (OAAP). The school district may not require a student to participate in the OAAP without parental consent unless the school district documents reasonable efforts to obtain consent without parental response or the district obtains approval through a due process hearing.
HB1408 Grego – Requires the State Department of Education to create an online portal for school district superintendents to use to report when students have le… Read more
HB1603 Gise- Requires schools to teach human growth and development curriculum to high school students whose parents have completed an opt-in form. The curriculum must include: • Human biology related to pregnancy; • Human development inside of a womb; • An ultrasound video showing the development of a fetus; and • An animation of fetal development which highlights markers in cell growth and organ development.
HB1965 Williams – Regarding foster care, terminating parental rights of parents due to noncompliance of a multitude of issues.
HB2017 Pae – Clarifies the crime of bullying as to knowingly terrify, intimidate, threaten or harass a specific person or otherwise disturb by repeated, unwanted, or unsolicited electronic communications. Clarifies that these provisions do not apply to constitutionally protected speech or activity or to any other activity authorized by law. Requires the district school board to hold public hearings prior to adoption or modification of the school bullying policy.
HB2036 Archer – Modifies the circumstances for property owners to be reimbursed during eminent domain proceedings for railroads and oil and gas pipelines.
HB2043 Archer – Removes political subdivisions from the provisions of the Energy Discrimination Elimination Act. The Act will only apply to state agencies.
HB2106 Osburn – Modifies the date for elections currently held in September from the second Tuesday of September to the third Tuesday of June in any year. The date for elections in November has been updated from the second Tuesday of November to the fourth Tuesday of August in any odd-numbered year.
HB2118 Kannady – Amends changes to the duties of the Adjutant General and also cleans up language relating to the militia.
HB2155 Dobrinski – Directs the Corporation Commission to promulgate rules for the permitting and regulation of renewable energy facilities in the state.
HB2156 Dobrinski – Creates setback requirements for utility scale solar energy facilities and associated battery storage facilities. The facilities must be: • 500 feet away from any occupied structure or occupied residence, unless waived by the occupant; • 50 feet away from the outer boundary of the solar or battery facility property; • 100 feet away from the center line of any public road; and • 1/2 mile from any public school, or hospital.
HB2157 Dobrinski – Creates the 17-member Agrivoltaics Advisory Committee which is charged with assisting The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) in finding compatibility between renewable energy projects and the agricultural industry.
HB2191 Wolfley – Introduces new requirements for notaries public who notarize absentee ballot affidavits. Notaries must record the voter’s name and the date, time, and method of identification in a log. Notaries who notarize more than 20 absentee ballot affidavits in a single election must submit a copy of their log to the county election board within five business days after the election, and the log will be maintained as a public record by the county election board. Notaries who either fail to submit the log or exceed 20 notarized ballots without the required authorization will face an eight-year revocation of their notary license. Additionally, willful and intentional violations of these provisions are classified as misdemeanors, punishable by a fine of up to $500.
HB2197 – Wolfley – The second floor substitute prohibits state research universities from requiring students to purchase a meal plan as a condition of enrollment or residing in on-campus housing.
HB2268 Miller – The Oklahoma Medicaid Program or contracted entity must provide reimbursement for such benefits delivered through cognitive assessment and care planning services and could have a fiscal impact of up to $758,484 on the state budget.
HB2407 Fetgatter – Creates the Oklahoma Main Street Grant Program Revolving Fund for the Department of Commerce for the purpose of preserving and developing Oklahoma main streets.
HB2751 Caldwell, T – The second Floor Amendment for HB 2751 creates setback requirements for industrial wind turbines in affected counties. Affected counties include those with a population density greater than 8.5 people per square mile, and those with an average wind speed of less than 9.5 miles per hour. The turbines must be at least: • 1.5x the windmill tower height from the point on the property line of the windmill parcel nearest to the point on a property line of any parcel of real property affected; or • 1/2 nautical mile away from the nearest point of a “dwelling”, which is defined as a structure that is occupied by at least one person for at least half of the year. These setbacks will remain in effect unless a Board of County Commissioners agrees to refer the elimination or modification of the setback requirements to a vote of county residents. County residents may also vote on the setbacks if a certain amount of residents (10% of registered voters who voted in the last general election) file a petition with the county clerk. Such votes may not occur more frequently than every five years.
HB2752 Caldwell, T – Requires any company seeking to use eminent domain for the construction of a 300kV transmission line to first obtain a Certificate of Authority from the Corporation Commission. The measure also clarifies that utilities using natural gas have the power of eminent domain. Lastly, the measure prohibits the use of eminent domain for siting renewable energy facilities on private property
HB2829 Burns – Makes it unlawful for any person to manufacture, sell, hold or offer for sale. or distribute any cultivated meat product in the state. Any person who violates this will be found guilty of a misdemeanor upon conviction.
SENATE bills passed by today’s deadline now engrossed to the House:
SB2 Green – Establishes set back requirements for wind energy facilities beginning November 1, 2025. The measure requires such facilities to be located at least 0.25 miles away from the nearest point on the outside wall of any residential dwelling and any nonparticipating property. If a notice of commencement of construction of a wind energy facility is completed and filed with the Corporation Commission prior to November 1, 2025, with a date to commence construction at the location detailed in the notice on or before November 1, 2026, the setback provisions shall not apply. (This conflicts with passed HB2751 in the House).
SB3 Green – SB 3 prohibits land application of sludge and biosolid materials after July 1, 2027. The Department of Environmental Quality from issuing any new permit for the land application of sludge or biosolid material.
SB96 Hamilton – requires cell-cultured meats or insect-protein food products to be labeled as such.
SB133 Burns – Requires any person applying for a groundwater permit to include documentation that the applicant has a valid, unexpired driver license or U.S. passport with the application.
SB224 Seifried – Creates the Oklahoma Education and Workforce Efficiency Data System (EDS) as a secure system for the de-identification, exchange, and matching of education and workforce data among approved entities. (Tracking and data sharing of YOUR KIDS!)
SB279 Green – Requires transmission developers to file an application to obtain a certificate of authority from the Corporation Commission for each electric transmission facility. Developers must provide information showing that the developer published notification in a newspaper of general circulation in the county or counties in which all or a portion of the electric transmission facility is to be located, and that all relevant entities where notified. The developer must also attest that a public meeting was held in the affected county or counties, it has sufficient insurance coverage, it has a safety plan, the line is beneficial and in the public interest, and a decommission plan is in place.
SB299 Rader – Repeals the throwback rule for taxable income on corporations. The throwback rule applies to income that is not taxed outside of the state, subjecting such income to taxation by the state for domiciled corporations.
SB304 Rader – Imposes a flat 4.75% income tax and provides that no deduction for federal income taxes paid shall be allowed to any taxpayer to arrive at taxable income. Additionally, the measure specifies a standard deduction for individuals and joint filers. The measure establishes a standard deduction of $13,550.00 for single filers, $27,100.00 for joint filers, and $19,225.00 for those filing as head of household.
SB352 Gollihare – Requires electric transmission facilities to obtain a certificate of authority from the Corporation Commission prior to exercising any right of eminent domain to construct or expand a transmission facility rated greater than 300 kilovolts.
SB382 Bullard – Requires children to be toilet trained prior to enrolling in prekindergarten beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.
SB410 Stanley – Modifies the curriculum requirements for graduation. It adds computer science or acceptance and successful completion of a career and technology program leading to an industry credential/certificate or college credit as an option to fulfill the science units or sets of competencies as part of a core curriculum.
SB423 Rader – Authorizes health care providers to impose a reasonable, cost-based fee when patients or their personal representatives request copies of medical records.
SB445 Hamilton – Increases the age of consent from 16 to 18 years of age. Provides that no one can be convicted of rape with a consenting person who is at least sixteen years of age provided the other person is not more than four years older.
SB480 Green – Entities or individuals generating electricity solely for their premises for their own consumption or indirectly by contracting with a public utility, rural electric cooperative, or municipality to furnish electric service to a specific customer shall not be classified as a public utility.
SB484 Standridge – No property located within 3,000 feet of any school, school property, public library, municipal park, child or adult day care facility, or prekindergarten facility shall be approved for the creation of a homeless shelter in municipalities that meet the population requirements of less than 300,000. The measure provides for current shelters to continue in such municipalities.
SB491 Guthrie – Authorizes each public body to enter executive session to discuss the sale, lease, or acquisition of real property by the public body.
SB544 Wingard – Provides that the chief administrator of the law enforcement agency that requests the issuance of a driver license shall be jointly responsible to ensure the license is promptly returned to the Department of Public Safety.
SB599 Hamilton – Provides that a person convicted of lewd molestation of a child under 14 years of age shall be punished by imprisonment for life without parole. It will ensure the death penalty is a prosecutorial option for criminals convicted of child sex abuse after a first offense.
SB652 Paxton – Modifies authorized election dates conducted by county election boards. The measure provides that the board may hold an election on the third Tuesday of June, the fourth Tuesday of August, and the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November. Special elections called by the Governor shall be limited to the second Tuesday of January in any year, the first Tuesday of March in any year, the first Tuesday of May in an odd-numbered year, the second Tuesday of July in an odd-numbered year, the second Tuesday of September in an odd-numbered year, the first Tuesday of October in an odd-numbered year, and the second Tuesday of December in any year. The provisions of this measure shall take effect on elections after held after January 1, 2026.
SB713 Jech – Requires the owner or operator of a new wind energy facility to apply to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for installation of a light-mitigating technology system that complies with FAA regulations. The measure authorizes counties to issue a bond to pay for all or part of the costs. (So it will INCREASE YOUR TAXES).
SB743 Gollihare – Establishes a maximum fine of $500.00 and/or a term of imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed 1 year if a person is convicted of willfully disturbing, interrupting, or disquieting any assemblage of people met for religious worship. A person convicted of a second or subsequent offense shall be guilty of a felony and shall be subject to a maximum fine of $1,000.00 and/or a term of imprisonment in custody of the Department of Corrections not to exceed 2 years.
SB915 Green – Requires commercial solar energy facilities constructed on land owned by the Commissioners of the Land Office on and after the effective date to be constructed on permanent grass that is suitable for livestock grazing.
SB942 Thompson, K – Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or marital status against a student or an employee at a state institution of higher education or a public school and prohibits individuals from being excluded from participating in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination on such basis in any institution of higher education or public school program or activity or employment conditions or practices. Directs state institutions of higher education and public schools to integrate the definition of antisemitism provided in the bill into student, faculty, and employee codes of conduct
SB991 Thompson, K – Adopts the non-legally binding Working Definition of Anti-Semitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on May 26, 2016.
SB997 Frix – Creates the Procurement Protection Act of 2025. The measure prohibits state-owned enterprises of a foreign adversary, companies domiciled within a foreign adversary, foreign adversary companies, and federally banned corporations from bidding on contracts with state agencies and political subdivisions.
SB1073 Murdock – Provides that the hunting of mountain lions shall be administered through a lottery system. (Multi county constituent request bill).
SB1114 Woods, T – Submits to a vote of the people a constitutional amendment that provides a property tax credit on the homestead of an individual head of household who is at least 65 years of age and qualifies for the limitation on the growth of fair cash value. The property tax credit would be equal to the difference between the property owner’s current property tax liability for the homestead and the property tax liability of the homestead the year in which the homestead first qualified for the limitation on fair cash value.
Reference Articles with links where possible and more information:
Press Release from Oklahoma House Leadership – summary of bills included:
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma House leadership today celebrated the successful passage of key caucus priority bills off the House floor as the deadline to get House bills out of the house of origin concludes the first phase of legislative work. House leadership has worked diligently to advance measures that reflect the values and priorities of all Oklahomans.
“Our caucus remains committed to delivering results that improve the lives of our constituents, and I’m proud of the work we’ve accomplished so far this session,” said Hilbert. “Our members have worked diligently through a new two-tiered committee structure that successfully got bills further along in the process than in previous sessions at this time. The bills we have passed off the House floor address critical needs across our state. We look forward to working with the Senate to see them signed into law.”
The House successfully passed 438 House bills and 1 House Joint Resolution off the floor.
“The two-tiered committee structure implemented by Speaker Hilbert has been a game changer for the legislative process,” said House Floor Leader Josh West, R-Grove. “This system allows for more thorough vetting of legislation, ensuring that bills receive the scrutiny and debate they deserve before reaching the House floor. It has streamlined our workflow and ultimately led to better policy outcomes for the people of Oklahoma.”
Before session begins, the majority caucus comes together to collaboratively establish a legislative agenda that reflects the priorities and values of their constituents. The House remains dedicated to safeguarding taxpayer dollars by implementing key legislation that reflects a commitment to accountability, economic development and efficient government spending. The House is working to eliminate wasteful spending, promote transparency and invest in initiatives that drive long-term prosperity for the state.
The following list includes bills that passed the House by the deadline that align with caucus priorities:
House Bill 1087 – extends the teacher salary schedule from 25 years of experience to 35 years of experience to encourage quality teachers to stay in the classroom longer
House Bill 1276 – requires schools to adopt a bell-to-bell cell phone ban unless local school boards choose to allow student cell phone use in a policy that must be approved annually
House Bill 1374 – allows a business producing electricity only for itself to avoid regulation as a public utility
House Bill 1412 – removes chronic absenteeism from the state school report cards and replaces it with a measure of instructional time, rewarding districts that spend more days and time with students in the classroom
House Bill 1491- authorizes a member of a board of education to place an item on the Board’s agenda if two Board members have provided written request for the item
House Bill 1727 – waives the OHLAP scholarship financial eligibility requirements for the children of public school teachers
House Bill 2103 – gives flexibility to who can serve on the Judicial Nominating Commission
House Bill 2288 – allows teachers to draw down their earned retirement benefits while continuing to work in a public school classroom
House Bill 2516 and House Bill 2518 – create revolving funds for the Oklahoma Military Department to help bolster state military installations
House Bill 2728 – also known as the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2025, establishes new statutory requirements for state agencies adopting major administrative rules, enhancing economic impact analysis and legislative oversight
House Bill 2729 – establishes that state courts, hearing examiners, or administrative officers must independently interpret state statutes, regulations, and sub-regulatory documents without deferring to a state agency’s interpretation
House Bill 2751- creates setback requirements for industrial wind and solar facilities
House Bill 2854 – puts a moratorium on statutory geographic restrictions for two and four year colleges across the state, allowing the Oklahoma State Regents to meet their constitutional obligation to help degree-seeking students enter critical workforce areas
House Joint Resolution 1004 – resolves a 2023 lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and aims to improve competency restoration services in the State of Oklahoma
House Joint Resolution 1024 – sends changes to the structure of the Judicial Nominating Commission to a vote of the people
The new two-tiered committee structure in the House had its intended effect – to more thoroughly vet bills and ensure that language coming to the floor was much closer to final language than in years past.
By the Numbers:
2023 – 89 amendments adopted
2024 – 120 amendments adopted
2025 – 80 amendments adopted
2023 – 487 HBs and 3 HJRs to Senate
2024 – 444 HBs and 6 HJRs to Senate
2025 – 438 HBs and 1 HJR to Senate
-END-
Editor’s Note: Headlines below were written by others and do not include an OKGrassroots position on the bills!
Coleman bill to create recall elections process clears Oklahoma Senate:
Senator Green’s bill prohibiting biosolids as fertilizer passes Senate unanimously
Senate Unanimously Approves Sen. Deevers’ Bill to Establish High Dosage Tutoring, Provide Teacher Bonuses
Senate Advances Frix Bill Prohibiting Sanctuary Cities
https://oksenate.gov/press-releases/senate-advances-frix-bill-prohibiting-sanctuary-cities
Senate Approves Gollihare Bills to Strengthen Property Owners’ Rights and Better Care for Vulnerable Oklahomans
Senator Hamilton Secures Passage of Legislation to Ensure Death Penalty Option for Child Rapists
Senate passes Seifried bill to move school board elections
https://oksenate.gov/press-releases/senate-passes-seifried-bill-move-school-board-elections
Senate passes Standridge bill to create ‘buffer zones’ to prohibit new homeless shelters near schools
Senator Thompson’s Landmark Antisemitism Legislation Passes Senate Floor
Senate Approves Weaver’s Bill Authorizing School Superintendents to Access JOLTS System
Senate Advances Bill to Provide Property Tax Credit to Oklahoma Seniors
Senator Hamilton Secures Unanimous Senate Approval for Consumer Protection Measures
Senator Hamilton Secures Passage of Legislation to Ensure Death Penalty Option for Child Rapists
House Bill 1168 outlawing the trafficking of chemical abortion pills:
OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, on Tuesday passed legislation in the House that would outlaw the trafficking of chemical abortion pills.
House Bill 1168 would create a felony trafficking offense for anyone who knows or has reason to know that another person intends to use an abortion-inducing drug and knowingly delivers such a drug to that person or who possesses the drug with intent to deliver it.
“Women considering an abortion are already in a vulnerable state,” Crosswhite Hader said. “They don’t need someone willing to skirt the law or to try to profit from such vulnerability and provide them with an abortion-inducing drug that could create great harm to them physically and mentally.”
Crosswhite Hader said the legislation only addresses those who intend to distribute these drugs to others, not those who are accessing these drugs for themselves.
Anyone convicted of trafficking or attempting to traffic abortion-inducing drugs could face a fine of up to $100,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both. This is the same as current law for those performing an illegal abortion.
This act does not apply to a pharmacist or a manufacturer or distributor acting lawfully in the usual course of their business or profession. Nothing in this act may be construed to prohibit preventive contraceptives used in accordance with manufacturer instructions.
Crosswhite Hader said her goal is to protect women’s health. She said there are numerous reports of women being given these drugs by non-medical professionals who do not understand what the medications can do to a woman if administered incorrectly.
The drugs are often taken in isolation. This leaves the woman to go through cramping and bleeding and the shedding of her pregnancy with no medical expert on hand to help her through not only the physical pain and after-effects of the drugs, but also the mental anguish that can result from seeing her pre-term pregnancy in a non-viable state.
“I’m concerned that a woman given these drugs to take in isolation could die by herself, and they could keep her from being able to carry to term a pregnancy at a later date should that be desired,” she said.
Even more alarming, she said, are reports that only the second drug in a two-drug sequence are being given in some instances. The first drug is intended to stop the growth of the pregnancy. The second is to evacuate. To give the second drug without the first presents a greater danger to the woman, she said.
Just like legislators enacted punishments for adults who give alcohol to minors, penalties are attached in this act to hopefully give people who would distribute these drugs pause, she said.
HB1168 now moves to the Senate where it is authored by Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant.
-END-
Kendai Sacchieri on X regarding SB942 and SB941 on anti-semetism
Which States Are Rushing to Pass Laws to Protect Big Chemical From Pesticide Lawsuits?
👆Oklahoma SB1073 not passed but title stricken so it can be brought up at any time. (Pesticides bill)
Editor’s Note: Please do your own research and make your opinions made known with your Representatives and Senators in OKC. We need more conversation! We need more awareness! Please let us know how we can help via OKGrassroots!
Original content OKGrassroots.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.