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

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was moved from the House to the Senate, where it was significantly restructured and expanded. The Senate version adds new definitions for public nuisance, clarifies who can be sued, and broadens the list of criminal acts that constitute a nuisance. It also shifts the legislative oversight committee from Judiciary to Rules.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a single amendment regarding drug-related nuisance to a comprehensive revision of multiple nuisance statutes, including new definitions and liability standards.

DEFINITION

Added a new definition for public nuisance that explicitly states lawful product manufacturing is not a nuisance.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement that a defendant must be in control of the nuisance conditions at the time of injury to be held liable.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the criteria for private citizens to sue, requiring them to prove the nuisance caused special injury to them specifically.

SCOPE

Expanded the list of criminal acts constituting a nuisance to include sex trafficking and human trafficking.

ENFORCEMENT

Added specific remedies for public nuisance, including indictment, civil action, and abatement.

TECHNICAL

Changed the committee reporting from Judiciary to Rules and updated the document header to reflect the Senate floor version.

Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was reintroduced as a floor version with a significantly narrowed scope. The original committee version amended four different sections of the law to broadly define public nuisance and clarify liability rules. The new floor version removes three of those amendments entirely and simplifies the remaining text. Additionally, the description of prohibited acts was slightly altered to include 'and/or' between trafficking types.

Scope change

The bill's scope was reduced from amending four separate legal sections to amending only one section (50 O.S. 2021, Section 21).

SCOPE

Removed amendments to Sections 2, 8, and 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes, which previously defined public nuisance broadly, established control requirements for liability, and set rules for private lawsuits.

DEFINITION

Changed the list of prohibited acts in Section 21 by adding 'and/or' between 'human' and 'sex trafficking', altering the phrasing of the statute.

TECHNICAL

Adjusted the bill title and summary to reflect the reduced scope, removing references to nuisance remedies and civil action clarifications.

House Conference Committee Substitute → Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was reclassified from a Conference Committee Substitute to a Committee Substitute, indicating it is now in a different legislative stage. The substantive text regarding public nuisance definitions and effective dates remains largely the same, though minor formatting and line break changes were made throughout the document.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability are unchanged; it continues to address public nuisances in Oklahoma with the same effective date of November 1, 2025.

TECHNICAL

The document type was changed from 'Conference Committee Substitute' to 'Committee Substitute', reflecting a procedural update in the legislative process.

Minor formatting adjustments, such as line breaks and spacing, were made to the text of the bill without altering the legal meaning.

Enrolled (final version) → House Conference Committee Substitute · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was reclassified from a standard 'Enrolled House Bill' to a 'Conference Committee Substitute,' indicating it has been revised to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions. The substantive policy text regarding the definition of a public nuisance remains identical, with no changes to the laws or effective dates.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability are unchanged; only the document type and formatting metadata were modified.

TECHNICAL

The document title was updated from 'Enrolled House Bill' to 'Conference Committee Substitute' to reflect the final reconciliation of legislative differences.

Formatting and layout details were adjusted, including the removal of original signature lines and the addition of standard conference committee page headers and footers.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 3 edits · May 29, 2025

MINOR

The bill was finalized by adding signatures from the House and Senate, the Governor's approval, and the Secretary of State's receipt. The substantive policy text regarding nuisance laws and effective dates remained unchanged, with only minor formatting adjustments to the header and body text.

TECHNICAL

Added official signatures and dates for the House, Senate, Governor, and Secretary of State to finalize the bill as law.

Changed the document header from 'ENGROSSED' to 'ENROLLED' to reflect the final version ready for publication.

Adjusted line breaks and spacing in the bill title and section headers to match standard enrolled formatting.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 4 edits · May 22, 2025

MODERATE

The Senate amended the bill to rename it from 'nuisance' to 'nuisances' and expanded its scope to amend four sections of the law instead of just one. The amendment clarifies liability rules by requiring courts to determine if a defendant controlled the nuisance at the time of injury and adds a 'clear and convincing evidence' standard for private citizens to sue. It also renumbered the effective date section from Section 6 to Section 2 to align with the new structure.

Scope change

The bill now affects four statutory sections (2, 8, 10, and 21) instead of one, broadening the legal changes to include definitions of public nuisance, civil remedies, and liability standards.

DEFINITION

Changed the bill title from 'relating to nuisance' to 'relating to nuisances' and expanded the list of amended statutes to include Sections 2, 8, and 10 in addition to Section 21.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a requirement that a defendant must be determined by the court to have controlled the nuisance conditions at the time of injury to be held liable.

ELIGIBILITY

Modified the standard for private citizens suing for public nuisance to require 'clear and convincing evidence' that the nuisance caused special injury to them.

TECHNICAL

Renumbered the effective date provision from Section 6 to Section 2 to match the new section ordering.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 4 edits · May 22, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to expand its scope from addressing only a single type of nuisance to covering multiple areas including public nuisances, remedies, and civil actions. The Senate amendment added new sections to amend existing statutes regarding the definition of public nuisance, remedies available, liability requirements, and standing for private citizens to sue. A key substantive change occurred in the definition of the specific nuisance related to illegal activities, where the House version included 'sex trafficking' alongside other crimes, but the Senate amendment removed 'sex trafficking' from that specific list while retaining 'human trafficking'.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded significantly from a single provision targeting drug distribution and prostitution to a broader framework addressing public nuisances, civil remedies, and liability standards across multiple sections of the law.

SCOPE

Added new sections to amend statutes regarding the definition of public nuisance, available remedies, and liability requirements.

DEFINITION

Changed the specific list of unlawful acts constituting a public nuisance by removing 'sex trafficking' from the list in Section 21, while keeping 'human trafficking'.

REQUIREMENT

Added new requirements for courts to determine control of conditions and proximate cause before maintaining certain civil actions for public nuisance.

ELIGIBILITY

Clarified that private persons can maintain an action for public nuisance only if the nuisance is specially injurious to them and is the proximate cause of that injury.

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

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