HB 2798: Reporting requirements; making certain acts unlawful; effective date. - Oklahoma

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

MODERATE

The bill was amended to transition from the House version to the Senate version, which includes several substantive policy changes. The Senate version adds specific reporting requirements for school employees regarding older students (18+), clarifies confidentiality protections for school employees who make reports, and expands the list of conditions requiring health care professionals to report infants testing positive for substances. The Senate version also adds a new subsection requiring school employees to report older students (18+) to law enforcement only, without Department of Human Services involvement.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include mandatory reporting requirements for school employees regarding students age 18 and older, whereas the House version only required reporting for students under 18. Additionally, the Senate version clarifies that school employees reporting to law enforcement must keep their identity confidential unless ordered by a court.

REQUIREMENT

Added mandatory reporting requirement for school employees when they believe a student age 18 or older is a victim of abuse or neglect, requiring immediate reporting to local law enforcement only.

Added confidentiality protections for school employees who make reports, requiring local law enforcement to keep their identity confidential and redact it unless ordered by a court.

Expanded health care professional reporting requirements to include infants diagnosed with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder when testing positive for alcohol or controlled dangerous substances.

Modified reporting procedures to clarify that allegations reported to county offices must be immediately referred to the hotline by the Department.

ENFORCEMENT

Added explicit liability provisions stating that employers or supervisors who discriminate or retaliate against employees who make good faith reports shall be liable for damages, costs, and attorney fees.

HB2798 (4-10-25) (ALVORD) FA1.PDF → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from a Senate chamber version to a House floor version, removing Senate-specific amendment language and formatting. The core policy content remains substantially the same, focusing on child abuse reporting requirements for various professionals including school employees, healthcare providers, and general citizens.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains unchanged as it continues to apply to the same categories of mandated reporters and maintains the same reporting requirements to the Department of Human Services.

TECHNICAL

Removed Senate chamber-specific formatting, amendment cycle language, and committee amendment markers that were not applicable to the House floor version.

Replaced Senate amendment instructions (pages 7-11) with the actual enacted statutory text showing the final legislative language.

Added House-specific header information including bill number, sponsor names, session details, and page numbering for the floor version.

Enrolled (final version) → HB2798 (4-10-25) (ALVORD) FA1.PDF · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill was amended to expand who must report suspected child abuse and neglect to include private school employees alongside public school staff. The amendments also clarify the age range for mandatory reporting requirements, ensuring consistency across different reporting scenarios.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include private school employees as mandatory reporters, whereas the original version only explicitly required public school employees to report suspected abuse or neglect.

ELIGIBILITY

Added private school employees to the list of individuals required to report suspected child abuse or neglect, expanding the pool of mandatory reporters beyond public school staff.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified the age threshold for reporting requirements by specifying that reports are required for students under 18 years old, with additional language added to clarify the upper age limit in certain contexts.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document header from 'Enrolled House' to 'Senate Chamber' and added floor amendment formatting consistent with Senate procedures.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 2 edits · May 21, 2025

MINOR

The bill was finalized from its engrossed version to the enrolled version, which is the final version ready for signing into law. The substantive policy content remains largely the same, with only minor formatting adjustments and a correction to the list of sponsors in the header.

TECHNICAL

The list of bill sponsors was updated in the header to include 'Adams of the House' and 'Hamilton of the Senate' alongside the original sponsors Hasenbeck, Caldwell, and Alvord.

Minor formatting and spacing adjustments were made throughout the document to align with final enrolled bill standards.

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

MODERATE

The Senate amendments add Hamilton as a coauthor and insert six amendments throughout the bill to clarify that reporting requirements apply to both private and public schools. Additionally, the House version includes new provisions requiring local law enforcement to keep reporting school employees confidential, and expands protections against retaliation for those who report child abuse or neglect.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include private schools alongside public schools in reporting requirements.

ELIGIBILITY

Added 'private school or public' to multiple sections to clarify that both private and public school employees are subject to reporting requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Added new provision requiring local law enforcement to keep reporting school employees confidential and redact their identifying information unless ordered by a court.

ENFORCEMENT

Expanded anti-retaliation protections to explicitly prohibit discrimination or retaliation against employees who report abuse or provide testimony in child abuse cases.

Added liability provisions allowing harmed individuals to recover damages, costs, and attorney fees if they suffer harm due to retaliation.

AUTHORSHIP

Added Senate Coauthor Hamilton to the bill's authorship list.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 4 edits · May 5, 2025

MODERATE

This bill amendment expands mandatory child abuse reporting requirements to include private school employees alongside public school employees, clarifies reporting timelines for school staff, and adds a Senate coauthor. The changes ensure that abuse reporting obligations apply uniformly across all school types.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include private school employees in mandatory reporting requirements, previously limited to public school employees.

ELIGIBILITY

Added private school employees to the list of individuals required to report suspected child abuse or neglect, ensuring consistent reporting obligations across all school types.

REQUIREMENT

Clarified reporting timelines and procedures for school employees, specifying that reports must be made immediately to both the Department of Human Services hotline and local law enforcement.

Extended the reporting timeline requirement from unspecified duration to a maximum of ten (10) years for certain reporting obligations.

TECHNICAL

Added Senate coauthor Hamilton to the bill's sponsorship list.

Reporting requirements; making certain acts unlawful; effective date.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors