SB 2166: Damages; prohibiting certain damages exceeding a certain amount. Effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (Senate) → SB2166 (2-26-26) (DANIELS) WDFA1.PDF · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to update the effective date from November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2026, ensuring the new damage caps and evidence rules apply to future cases rather than retroactively. The amendment also added a header indicating this is a floor amendment, clarifying the legislative process stage.

Scope change

The bill's applicability is now restricted to cases occurring on or after November 1, 2026, instead of the previous 2015 date.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date of the new damage limitations and evidence rules from November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2026.

TECHNICAL

Added a header identifying the document as a 'Floor Amendment' to clarify its legislative status.

SB2166 (2-26-26) (DANIELS) WDFA1.PDF → SB2166 (3-10-26) (DANIELS) FA2.PDF · 3 edits

MINOR

The amendment to Senate Bill 2166 was modified to include three specific changes rather than a single amendment. The bill now removes 'workers' compensation insurance' from its scope, extends a key date from November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2026, and updates the title to reflect these changes.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing workers' compensation insurance from its coverage, and the timeline for implementation was extended by 11 years.

SCOPE

Workers' compensation insurance was removed from the bill's coverage scope on Page 1, Line 22.

TIMELINE

The date on Page 8, Line 7 was changed from November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2026.

TITLE

The bill title was amended to conform with the substantive changes made to the text.

SB2166 (2-26-26) (DANIELS) FA1.PDF → Floor (Senate) · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Oklahoma's personal injury damages law to limit recoverable medical expenses to amounts actually paid or payable, rather than billed amounts. It establishes new definitions for key terms and creates specific rules for when billed amounts may be admitted as evidence. The changes aim to reduce insurance premiums and medical costs by preventing inflated billing from being used to calculate damages.

Scope change

The bill applies to all civil actions arising from personal injury in Oklahoma courts, affecting how medical damages are calculated and proven at trial.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'factoring company', 'health plan', 'health care provider', 'letter of protection', and 'medical services or treatment' to clarify what terms mean under the law.

REQUIREMENT

Requires that actual amounts paid for medical services be used as evidence at trial instead of billed amounts, unless specific exceptions apply.

Allows Medicare reimbursement rates to be used as evidence when no payment has been made, if the provider agrees to accept that rate as full payment.

Permits billed amounts to be admitted as evidence only when no payment has been made and no provider statement or testimony about payment is provided.

Limits recoverable medical damages to amounts actually paid or payable by the plaintiff, including future treatment needs.

Allows evidence of health plan obligations and the plaintiff's share of expenses when calculating damages for covered plaintiffs.

TIMELINE

Removed a previous amendment that would have changed an effective date from November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2026.

Committee Substitute → SB2166 (2-26-26) (DANIELS) FA1.PDF · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill's text was reorganized and formatted differently, but the substantive policy content remains largely the same. The most significant change is a floor amendment that updates the effective date from November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2026, and changes the document header from 'Committee Substitute' to 'Senate Chamber Floor Amendment'.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; only the effective date was modified by a floor amendment.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the bill was changed from November 1, 2015 to November 1, 2026 by a floor amendment.

TECHNICAL

The document header was changed from 'Committee Substitute' to 'Senate Chamber Floor Amendment' to reflect the amendment process.

Introduced → Committee Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill was changed from an 'Introduced' version to a 'Committee Substitute' version, which typically means the bill was amended during committee review. The substantive policy content regarding personal injury damages and medical billing appears largely unchanged, though there are some formatting differences and minor text adjustments. The core provisions remain the same: limiting damages to actual amounts paid rather than billed amounts, defining key terms like 'factoring company' and 'letter of protection', and establishing rules for what evidence is admissible in court regarding medical expenses.

TECHNICAL

The bill header changed from 'AS INTRODUCED' to 'COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE', indicating the bill was amended during committee review but the substantive policy content remains largely the same.

Minor formatting and pagination changes occurred throughout the document, including updated requirement numbers (from 3547 to 3650) and page references.

DEFINITION

The definition section for 'Health plan' includes some reformatting but maintains the same meaning, covering medical insurance, health benefit plans, workers' compensation, Medicaid, Medicare, and other similar programs.

Damages; prohibiting certain damages exceeding a certain amount. Effective date.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors