SB 870: Oklahoma Children's Code; creating the Accountability, Transparency, and Protection for Exploited Youth Act. Effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 8 edits

MODERATE

The Senate version of SB 870 adds a new section requiring immediate reporting of sexual misconduct or exploitation involving juveniles to facility supervisors and the Office of Juvenile System Oversight, with felony penalties for failure to report. It also expands civil liability protections for victims and establishes civil fines against negligent entities. The bill adds requirements for annual training and reporting, and amends existing juvenile record confidentiality provisions.

Scope change

Expanded to include county facilities and private contractors under Office of Juvenile Affairs supervision in reporting requirements, and added civil liability provisions for victims.

REQUIREMENT

Added mandatory immediate reporting requirements for sexual misconduct or exploitation involving juveniles to facility supervisors and the Office of Juvenile System Oversight

Added requirement for annual training on prevention, identification, and reporting of misconduct

Added requirement for Office of Juvenile System Oversight to submit annual reports on investigations and corrective actions

ENFORCEMENT

Established felony penalties with fines up to $5,000 and up to 2 years imprisonment for failure to report incidents

Added requirement for investigation reports to be forwarded to district attorneys and notifications to victims' families and legislators

Created civil fines of up to $50,000 per juvenile victim for negligent entities

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded civil liability to include juvenile victims, parents, guardians, or next friends seeking damages for negligence

DEFINITION

Added definition of negligence to include failure to train, respond to reports, terminate abusive employees, or safeguard juveniles from known risks

Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted from a Committee Substitute version to a Floor version, with page headers and formatting changes but no substantive policy changes to the actual law. The core provisions regarding mandatory reporting, penalties, and civil liability remain unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Page headers changed from 'Committee Substitute' to 'House of Representatives - Floor Version' with updated page numbering and formatting.

Sponsor attribution line updated to include House sponsors (Williams, Blancett, and Provenzano) alongside Senate sponsor (Rader).

Page footers changed from 'Req. No. 1794' to 'SB870 HFLR' with consistent formatting across pages.

Enrolled (final version) → Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from its enrolled version to a committee substitute version, primarily changing the formatting and page numbering while keeping the core legislative text substantially the same. The substantive policy provisions regarding mandatory reporting, civil liability, and juvenile record confidentiality remain unchanged.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are primarily formatting and page numbering adjustments.

TECHNICAL

Page numbering and formatting were adjusted throughout the document, with page references changing from 'ENR. S. B. NO. 870' to 'Req. No. 1794'.

Header information was updated to reflect 'Committee Substitute' status with new page numbering sequence.

Spacing and line breaks in the bill text were adjusted, particularly in the summary description section.

REQUIREMENT

Core reporting requirements, civil liability provisions, and juvenile record confidentiality rules remain identical to the enrolled version.

Introduced → Engrossed · 7 edits · Mar 27, 2025

MODERATE

SB 870 was revised from introduction to engrossed status, expanding its scope from juvenile facilities to include private contractors and group homes, strengthening reporting requirements, clarifying civil liability protections, and adding oversight reporting requirements to the legislature.

Scope change

The bill now applies to private contractors and group homes in addition to state-run facilities, and the oversight committee was renamed to 'Office of Juvenile System Oversight' with expanded reporting duties to the legislature.

SCOPE

Expanded applicability to include private contractors and group homes under Office of Juvenile Affairs supervision, not just state-run facilities.

REQUIREMENT

Updated reporting requirements to include 'coercive relationships' alongside sexual misconduct and exploitation, with reports going to the Office of Juvenile System Oversight instead of an Independent Oversight Committee.

Added requirement for the Office of Juvenile System Oversight to submit an annual report to the Senate President Pro Tempore and House Speaker detailing investigations and corrective actions.

ENFORCEMENT

Clarified that individuals failing to report are guilty of a felony with potential fines up to $5,000 and/or up to 2 years in prison.

Strengthened civil liability provisions by exempting negligent employees from the Governmental Tort Claims Act, allowing victims to sue for damages directly.

TECHNICAL

Changed statutory codification section numbers from 1-2-112 through 1-2-116 to 2-8-301 through 2-8-304 in Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes.

DEFINITION

Amended existing juvenile record confidentiality sections (10A O.S. 2021, Sections 2-6-102 and 2-6-110) to update statutory references and clarify disclosure limitations.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 4 edits · May 5, 2025

MODERATE

The bill moved from its Engrossed version to the final Enrolled version with several substantive changes. The primary modifications include adding a new co-sponsor to the bill, updating the description of negligence to include specific failures like not terminating abusive employees, and clarifying the reporting and notification procedures for investigations involving juvenile victims.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on protecting exploited youth in juvenile facilities, but the specific requirements for negligence and civil liability were refined to include more detailed obligations for employers and oversight agencies.

TECHNICAL

Added Provenzano as a co-sponsor of the bill alongside Rader, Williams, and Blancett.

REQUIREMENT

Expanded the definition of negligence to explicitly include failure to terminate employees who abuse juveniles and failure to take action to safeguard juveniles from known risks.

Clarified that the Office of Juvenile System Oversight must submit an annual report to both the Senate President Pro Tempore and the House Speaker detailing investigations, findings, and corrective actions taken.

ENFORCEMENT

Updated the civil penalties section to maintain the $50,000 fine limit for negligent entities while ensuring clarity on who can be held financially responsible.

Oklahoma Children's Code; creating the Accountability, Transparency, and Protection for Exploited Youth Act. Effective date.

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