HB 3050 Oklahoma House · 2026 Regular Session

Education; Oklahoma Education Reform Act of 2026; effective date.

This bill allows Oklahoma public colleges and universities to consider an applicant's status as a survivor of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre or a verified descendant of someone harmed by the event during the admissions process. The legislation defines specific criteria for who qualifies, including those who experienced physical injury, property destruction, forced displacement, or financial loss directly resulting from the 1921 events, and requires applicants to provide verifiable documentation through designated organizations. The bill explicitly states that this consideration must be applied in a race-neutral manner consistent with federal law and does not create quotas, set-asides, or mandatory preferences for any applicant.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 2, 2026 Last action Feb 3, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten by the Policy Committee to focus exclusively on higher education admissions considerations for survivors and descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The original bill's broader education reform content was removed and replaced with specific provisions allowing public universities to consider documented historical harm in admissions decisions.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from a general education reform act to a narrowly focused higher education admissions policy specifically addressing the Tulsa Race Massacre.

SCOPE

Removed all content related to the Oklahoma Education Reform Act of 2026, which was the original purpose of HB 3050.

ELIGIBILITY

Added eligibility criteria allowing public institutions to consider applicants who are survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre or verified descendants of those harmed.

DEFINITION

Created new legal definitions for 'Survivor' (those who experienced direct harm in 1921) and 'Harmed by the Massacre' (those who suffered property loss, injury, displacement, or economic harm).

REQUIREMENT

Added documentation requirements mandating applicants provide verifiable proof of status through organizations like Justice for Greenwood or recognized genealogical groups.

Added explicit language requiring implementation to occur only to the extent permitted by federal law, addressing potential legal challenges.

ENFORCEMENT

Added authority for the State Regents for Higher Education to create rules and procedures for implementing this admissions consideration.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 2, 2026

Introduced

First Reading

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors