HB 2622: Nuisances; unlawful acts; modifying provisions related to actions resulting in certain felony convictions; public nuisance; effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add a new Section 2 regarding remedies for public nuisance and to reorganize the bill structure. The Senate version includes new provisions clarifying liability requirements and adding a Section 2 that was not present in the House version. The effective date remains November 1, 2025.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include new remedies and liability standards for public nuisance cases that were not in the original House version.

REQUIREMENT

Added Section 2 establishing that remedies against public nuisance include indictment, civil action, or abatement, and requiring defendants to be in control of nuisance conditions at time of injury

Added Section 3 allowing private persons to maintain public nuisance actions only when court determines by clear and convincing evidence of special injury to the private person

DEFINITION

Reorganized bill structure with new committee substitute designation and changed title from 'nuisance' to 'nuisances'

ENFORCEMENT

Added language clarifying that manufacturing, marketing, and selling lawful products shall not be deemed a public nuisance

TECHNICAL

Changed committee report attribution from Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight to Rules committee

Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill → Floor (House) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove references to Sections 2, 8, and 10 of the Oklahoma nuisance law, leaving only Section 21. Section 21 was modified to change 'and/or' to 'or' in the list of prohibited acts and to remove the word 'may' before 'shall' for clarity. The bill title was updated to reflect only the Section 21 amendment, and a committee report was added.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from amending four sections of the nuisance law to amending only Section 21, which addresses drug distribution, prostitution, and sex trafficking.

SCOPE

Amendments to Sections 2, 8, and 10 of 50 O.S. 2021 were removed, eliminating provisions about general public nuisance definitions, remedies, and private person standing.

DEFINITION

Section 21 was modified to change 'and/or' to 'or' when listing unlawful acts, clarifying that each act independently constitutes a nuisance.

TECHNICAL

Section 21 was modified to remove the word 'may' before 'shall' for grammatical consistency.

A committee report from the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee was added to the floor version.

House Conference Committee Substitute → Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reorganized from a Conference Committee Substitute to a Senate Committee Substitute format. The substantive legal text remains largely unchanged, with Section 21 clarifying that repeated use of property for drug distribution, prostitution, or sex trafficking resulting in felony convictions constitutes a public nuisance. Minor formatting adjustments were made throughout the document.

TECHNICAL

Document title changed from 'CONFERENCE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' to 'COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE'

Formatting adjustments to section headers and page numbering throughout the document

Minor text cleanup in Section 21 removing redundant 'may shall' language

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 3 edits · May 22, 2025

MINOR

The bill was converted from an Engrossed version to an Enrolled final version, adding signatures from both legislative chambers and the Governor's office. The substantive policy content regarding nuisance laws and drug distribution remains unchanged. The only significant change is the addition of official passage dates and signature lines required for final enactment.

TECHNICAL

Added official passage dates showing the bill passed both House and Senate on May 22, 2025

Added signature lines for House Presiding Officer, Senate Presiding Officer, Governor, and Secretary of State

Changed header from 'ENGROSSED HOUSE' to 'ENROLLED HOUSE' indicating final version ready for signing

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 5 edits · May 22, 2025

MODERATE

The Senate amended the House version of HB 2622 to expand the bill's scope from addressing nuisance to also clarifying civil remedies and liability standards. The amendment reorganizes the bill structure, renumbering sections and adding provisions about proximate cause requirements for private nuisance actions.

Scope change

Expanded scope from nuisance and felony convictions to include public nuisance definitions, civil action remedies, and liability determination standards

SCOPE

Title and purpose expanded to include clarifying remedies, liability determinations, and proximate cause requirements in addition to nuisance and felony provisions

DEFINITION

Added definition of public nuisance affecting entire communities or considerable numbers of persons, while explicitly excluding lawful product manufacturing, marketing, and selling

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that defendants must be determined to have control of nuisance conditions at time of injury to be found liable

ELIGIBILITY

Modified private person eligibility for public nuisance actions to require clear and convincing evidence of special injury and proximate cause

TECHNICAL

Reorganized bill structure by renumbering sections and adding new section headers for clarity

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 6 edits · May 22, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand its scope from addressing only nuisance related to Section 21 to also cover Sections 2, 8, and 10 of 50 O.S. 2021. The Senate amendment clarifies liability requirements for public nuisance actions and adds provisions about proximate cause for private persons to maintain nuisance actions. The House version retains the original narrower scope focused only on Section 21 regarding drug distribution and trafficking.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded by the Senate amendment to include additional statutory sections (2, 8, and 10) beyond the original Section 21 focus, broadening the legal framework for public nuisance claims.

SCOPE

Senate amendment expanded the bill to amend Sections 2, 8, and 10 of 50 O.S. 2021 in addition to Section 21, whereas the original bill only addressed Section 21.

House version retained narrower scope focusing only on Section 21 amendments related to drug distribution, prostitution, and sex trafficking.

DEFINITION

Senate amendment added a definition of public nuisance in Section 2, clarifying what constitutes a public nuisance affecting communities or considerable numbers of persons.

REQUIREMENT

Senate amendment added liability requirements in Section 8 requiring courts to determine defendant control of conditions giving rise to the nuisance at time of injury.

Senate amendment added proximate cause requirements in Section 10 for private persons to maintain public nuisance actions.

ENFORCEMENT

Section 21 was modified to change 'may shall' to 'may' in both versions, correcting a grammatical error regarding when certain acts constitute a public nuisance.

Enrolled (final version) → House Conference Committee Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill's title page was updated to reflect its Conference Committee Substitute status, indicating it has been reconciled between House and Senate versions. The substantive policy content regarding nuisance laws remains unchanged, with only minor formatting adjustments to the text layout.

TECHNICAL

Title page formatting changed from 'Enrolled House Bill' to 'Conference Committee Substitute' to reflect legislative process status

Page numbering and layout adjustments made to accommodate conference committee markup

Removed original sponsor attribution lines to standardize formatting for conference substitute version

Nuisances; unlawful acts; modifying provisions related to actions resulting in certain felony convictions; public nuisance; effective date.

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