Courts; jurisdiction of special judges; applications for court orders to issue titles; effective date.

The header was changed to indicate this is the 'Floor (House)' version of the bill, replacing the 'Committee Substitute' label.

A committee report was added stating the Committee on Rules voted to pass the bill as amended.

Page footers were updated to reflect the new 'HB3499 HFLR' version identifier.

The monetary threshold for special judges to hear actions for the recovery of money was increased from $1,000 to $10,000.

Special judges are now explicitly authorized to serve as referees in any matter before the district court.

Special judges are now authorized to perform the duties of a magistrate in criminal cases.

The bill's title was changed from 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' to 'Committee Substitute' to reflect the current legislative stage.

Added a new header identifying the document as a 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' with committee member details.

Removed the original 'Enrolled' status header and associated signatures.

Replaced the entire body of the bill text with a new version that contains the same legal provisions but formatted as a committee substitute.

Added a 'SUBJECT: Courts' line to the top of the bill for better identification.

Standardized the header layout to match the official enrolled format.

The bill title and summary were changed from creating a general 'Oklahoma Courts Reform Act' to specifically amending 20 O.S. 2021, Section 123 to authorize special judges to hear title issuance applications.

A new provision was added allowing special judges to hear applications for court orders to issue, reissue, correct, or replace titles for motor vehicles, manufactured homes, vessels, and other titled property.

The bill now explicitly distinguishes between lawyer and nonlawyer special judges, limiting nonlawyer judges to hearing uncontested civil matters under $1,000 and criminal misdemeanors with penalties under $200 or 30 days in jail.

The previous draft included a section establishing the 'Oklahoma Courts Reform Act of 2026' as a new law not to be codified; this was removed in favor of direct statutory amendments.

The effective date remains November 1, 2026, but the legislative text was restructured to reflect the new specific jurisdictional grants.