Higher education; requiring all academic programs be reviewed on a five-year cycle for quality and currency; review; low-producing programs; emergency.
HB 3701, the "Oklahoma Higher Education Reform Act of 2026," is a procedural bill that names the legislation and sets its effective date. It does not establish new policies or alter existing laws; instead, it designates the act's official title and specifies that it takes effect on November 1, 2026. This bill directly affects Oklahoma's higher education system by formally naming the reform package, but it contains no substantive provisions or mechanisms beyond its own naming and timing. As a non-substantive procedural measure, it has no direct impact on students, institutions, or funding.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 2, 2026
Signed May 6, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 6 comparisons
What changed between versions
Floor (House)
→
Floor (Senate)
·
1 edit
MINOR
The bill was amended to transition from the House to the Senate floor version, updating the header and committee attribution to reflect Senate approval. The substantive policy content regarding the review of low-producing academic programs, including definitions, exemptions, and probationary periods, remains unchanged.
TECHNICAL
Updated document headers and committee report dates to reflect the Senate Floor Version and the Education Committee's approval on April 21, 2026.
Floor votes · Senate Apr 29, 2026 · House Mar 10, 2026
How they voted
39–7
Passed · 4 other
Total votes 50
Apr 29, 2026
D
Democratic9
77% Nay
R
Republican41
90% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
26
Key actions
8
Committee
7
May 6, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 05/05/2026
lower
Apr 29, 2026
Committee
Referred for enrollment
lower
Apr 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
Engrossed measure signed, returned to House
upper
Apr 29, 2026
Upper · Passed
Measure and Emergency passed: Ayes: 37 Nays: 7
upper
Apr 21, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported Do Pass Education committee; CR filed
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Introduced
First Reading
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Engrossed, signed, to Senate
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Committee
Referred for engrossment
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading, Measure and Emergency passed: Ayes: 81 Nays: 13
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
CR; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Education Oversight Committee
lower
Feb 17, 2026
Lower · Passed
Policy recommendation to the Education Oversight committee; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Postsecondary Education
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Committee
Referred to Postsecondary Education
lower
Feb 10, 2026
Committee
Referred to Education Oversight
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Introduced
First Reading
lower
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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