SB 995: Administrative Procedures Act; proposed permanent rules; requiring legislative approval for final rule adoption. Emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from the House version to the Senate version, resulting in a significant reorganization of the legislative text. The Senate version reorders the sections to address proposed permanent rules first, clarifies the timeline for legislative review of these rules, and repeals the previous rule adoption procedure section. These changes streamline the process for the legislature to approve or reject agency rules.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on the Administrative Procedures Act, but the applicability of the review timeline for permanent rules has been adjusted to reflect Senate procedural preferences.

TIMELINE

The deadline for submitting proposed permanent rules to the legislature was changed from April 1 to March 1 to align with Senate scheduling.

REQUIREMENT

The section regarding the review of proposed permanent rules was moved to Section 1 and reorganized to prioritize the legislative review process before defining other terms.

The specific section detailing the rule adoption procedure (previously Section 308.3) was repealed entirely.

DEFINITION

The order of statutory definitions was altered to match the new section structure, moving definitions of 'final rule' and related terms to appear after the procedural requirements.

TECHNICAL

New committee sponsors (Kendrix of the House) were added to the bill header, and the document was rebranded as the 'Senate Floor Version'.

House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill → Floor (House) · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted from a committee substitute version to a floor version, changing the header and page numbering. Substantive policy content, including definitions and legal requirements, remains unchanged.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated to reflect the House Floor version, and page numbers were renumbered to match the new format.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill amends the Oklahoma Administrative Procedures Act to redefine key terms like 'final rule' and 'agency,' clarifying which rules require legislative approval versus those that do not. It also updates the definition of 'rule' to explicitly exclude certain administrative actions like rate-setting and internal management memoranda, streamlining the regulatory process.

Scope change

The scope of rules requiring legislative approval has been clarified and narrowed by updating definitions to exclude specific administrative actions and internal agency matters from the formal rulemaking process.

DEFINITION

Updated the definition of 'final rule' to specify conditions under which a rule requires legislative approval, distinguishing it from emergency rules and final agency orders.

Expanded the definition of 'agency' to include public trusts where the state is a beneficiary and interstate commissions, while explicitly excluding the Legislature and courts.

Refined the definition of 'rule' to exclude the issuance or denial of specific licenses, rate-setting activities, and internal agency management statements.

TECHNICAL

Removed references to a specific 'technical legal defect' section, likely streamlining the statute by eliminating outdated or unnecessary procedural language.

Enrolled (final version) → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten by the House Committee, replacing the original Senate version with a new text that retains the same subject matter but alters specific definitions and procedural requirements. The most significant change is the redefinition of 'Final rule' to explicitly include rules approved by the Governor or Legislature under specific subsections, while also adding a new option for rules disapproved by a joint resolution that was vetoed by the Governor. Additionally, the definition of 'Technical legal defect' was removed entirely, and the definition of 'Agency' was slightly modified to clarify exclusions.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains the Administrative Procedures Act, but the applicability of certain rule definitions has shifted due to the rewording of approval and disapproval criteria.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Final rule' was expanded to include rules approved by the Governor under subsection C of Section 308.3 and rules approved by a joint resolution under subsection B of Section 308, which were not explicitly detailed in the original version.

A new option was added to the 'Final rule' definition for rules that were disapproved by a joint resolution and subsequently vetoed by the Governor, provided the veto was not overridden.

The definition for 'Technical legal defect' was completely deleted from the bill.

The definition of 'Agency' was slightly restructured to list the Legislature and courts as exceptions more clearly, though the core meaning remained similar.

REQUIREMENT

The bill text was replaced entirely with a new version submitted by the House Committee, indicating a full revision of the legislative language rather than incremental edits.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 4 edits · May 27, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was finalized after passing both legislative chambers, with sponsors added to the House side. The substantive text was significantly rewritten to clarify definitions (e.g., adding 'technical legal defect') and update the legislative review timeline for permanent rules, while repealing the old rule adoption procedure section.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on the Administrative Procedures Act, but the specific sections amended and repealed were updated to reflect new statutory citations and definitions.

TIMELINE

The deadline for submitting proposed permanent rules to the Legislature was changed from April 1 to March 1 for the current session, and to February 1 for future sessions.

DEFINITION

New definitions were added for 'Administrative head', 'Final rule', 'Final agency order', 'Hearing examiner', 'Individual proceeding', 'License', 'Office', 'Order', 'Party', 'Permanent rule', 'Person', 'Political subdivision', 'Promulgated', 'Rule', 'Rulemaking', 'Secretary', 'Small business', and 'Technical legal defect'.

REQUIREMENT

Section 308.3, which previously governed the rule adoption procedure, was repealed.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was updated from 'Engrossed' to 'Enrolled' status, adding co-sponsors and changing the title to reflect the new definitions and repealed sections.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 4 edits · May 15, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered from a House amendment to a Senate bill, and its substantive content was completely rewritten to clarify the legislative review process for permanent agency rules. The new text establishes specific deadlines for submitting rules to the legislature, defines when rules are considered finally adopted, and repeals the previous section governing rule adoption procedures.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from a procedural amendment to a comprehensive revision of the Administrative Procedures Act's rulemaking section, replacing vague references with specific dates and clear criteria for rule approval and disapproval.

TIMELINE

Specific submission deadlines for proposed permanent rules were established (March 1 for the current session, February 1 for future sessions), replacing previous ambiguous timing.

REQUIREMENT

The definition of a 'finally adopted rule' was updated to explicitly require legislative approval via joint resolution or a specific legislative vote, rather than relying on the Governor's approval or other implied actions.

The repealed section (75 O.S. 2021, Section 308.3) that previously governed rule adoption procedures was removed entirely.

DEFINITION

Several key definitions were restructured to align with the new procedural requirements, particularly regarding how rules are adopted and what constitutes a final agency order.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 4 edits · May 15, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add House coauthors and replace the entire text with a revised version that corrects legal citations and updates definitions. The substantive policy scope remains focused on the Administrative Procedures Act, but the specific sections amended were changed from Section 308 to Section 250.3 (definitions) and Section 308.3 (repealed).

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from amending rule review timelines (Section 308) and repealing rule adoption procedures (Section 308.3) to amending statutory definitions in Section 250.3 and repealing Section 308.3 again.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was completely replaced to fix incorrect citations (changing references from Section 308 to Section 250.3) and update the summary description of the bill's purpose.

New House coauthors (Williams, Cornwell, Crosswhite Hader, and Duel) were added to the bill sponsor list.

DEFINITION

The bill now targets Section 250.3 to update definitions regarding 'final rule' and 'adopted' rules, removing references to a technical legal defect.

REQUIREMENT

The original text requiring legislative review deadlines for proposed permanent rules (April 1/February 1) was removed in this version.

Administrative Procedures Act; proposed permanent rules; requiring legislative approval for final rule adoption. Emergency.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors