HB 4488: Insurance; motor vehicle total loss or damage claim; appraisal process; requiring policies to include certain provision; claim notification; effective date. - Oklahoma

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was converted from a 'House Committee Substitute' draft to the official 'Floor Version' for the House of Representatives. This change primarily involves formatting updates, such as adding the specific sponsor's full name and removing internal committee tracking numbers, rather than altering the substantive legal content of the insurance appraisal process.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's legal provisions remains unchanged; the text represents the same legislative proposal but in a different stage of the legislative process.

TECHNICAL

The header was updated to reflect the 'Floor Version' of the bill and included the full name of the Senate sponsor (Hamilton), replacing the generic 'By: Townley' line.

Internal committee tracking information, including page numbers and reference numbers (e.g., 'Req. No. 17089'), was removed to prepare the text for final floor consideration.

The document title was changed from 'COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' to 'HOUSE BILL NO. 4488' to reflect its status as the official floor version.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 2 → House Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten by the House Committee to update the title and restructure the text. The substantive policy changes include requiring insurers to use competitive bidding to determine fair market prices for repairs, prohibiting insurers from using low settlement amounts as a basis for cash payments unless agreed upon, and banning the requirement for claimants to sign full settlement releases when personal injury is involved.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on motor vehicle insurance claims, but the specific requirements for how insurers calculate repair costs and handle settlements have been significantly expanded and clarified.

REQUIREMENT

Insurers must now use competitive bids or market surveys to determine fair and reasonable prices for vehicle repairs, with allowances for reasonable deviations based on case facts.

Insurers are prohibited from offering cash settlements that are lower than the cost of repairs unless the insured explicitly agrees to that lower amount.

Insurers cannot force a claimant to sign a full settlement release if the claim involves a personal injury.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was entirely replaced to conform to committee amendments, updating the title and page numbers.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 2 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was resubmitted with a new committee substitute version, updating the tracking number from 15949 to 16391 and removing a requirement for an outside attorney to be retained before deducting expenses from deductible recoveries. Additionally, a new provision was added requiring insurers to establish competitive pricing through market surveys or insured competitive shopping.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on insurance claim processes, but the removal of the attorney requirement expands the financial flexibility for claimants recovering deductibles.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement that an outside attorney must be retained to collect a deductible recovery before an expense deduction can be made.

Added a requirement for insurers to establish competitive pricing through market surveys or by having the insured shop competitively.

TECHNICAL

Updated the document tracking number from Req. No. 15949 to Req. No. 16391 and adjusted page numbering.

Engrossed → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was completely rewritten from scratch by the Policy Committee, replacing the original text with a new version that includes a detailed summary of the law's purpose at the top. The substantive policy language regarding insurance claims appears to remain largely similar to the original, though the structure and specific line numbers have been altered.

TECHNICAL

Added a formal summary of the bill's purpose and scope at the beginning of the text, which was not present in the original version.

Completely replaced the original text with a new version that retains the core policy provisions but reorganizes the layout and numbering.

Removed the original text of the bill, including the specific formatting and line-by-line structure of the initial draft.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 25, 2026

MINOR

The bill was updated to reflect its status as an 'Engrossed' version and refined its official title to focus on motor vehicle insurance claims and appraisal processes. The substantive content of the new insurance law remains largely the same, detailing how insurers must handle total loss settlements, repair estimates, and subrogation, but the document now includes specific formatting markers indicating it has passed initial committee reviews.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability has not changed; it continues to regulate motor vehicle insurance claims in Oklahoma. The change is primarily in the document's metadata and title, shifting from a general 'Insurance Act' description to a more specific focus on 'motor vehicle insurance' and 'disputes'.

TECHNICAL

The bill's title was updated from a broad 'Insurance Act of 2026' to a specific description of 'motor vehicle insurance policies' and 'disputes', clarifying the bill's primary focus.

The status label changed from 'AS INTRODUCED' to 'ENGROSSED HOUSE', indicating the bill has advanced further in the legislative process and may contain amendments not yet visible in this diff.

New formatting markers were added to the header, including the names of the Senate co-sponsor (Hamilton) and specific page numbers for the engrossed version.

Insurance; motor vehicle total loss or damage claim; appraisal process; requiring policies to include certain provision; claim notification; effective date.

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