Oklahoma Bills

SB 2083 makes Oklahoma Bar Association membership voluntary for attorneys, allowing them to choose whether to pay annual dues to remain active. Attorneys opting for "inactive" status pay only 20% of dues, are exempt from continuing legal education requirements, and cannot practice law while inactive. The bill also grants the Oklahoma Legislature authority to request disciplinary information from the bar and requires disciplinary committees to include at least one non-lawyer member for transparency. It takes effect November 1, 2026.

SB 1626 bans specific anti-competitive clauses in health insurance contracts between insurers and healthcare providers. It prohibits "gag clauses" (which hide price or cost information from patients), "anti-steering clauses" (restricting insurers from directing patients to lower-cost providers), "all-or-nothing clauses" (forcing full network inclusion), and "most-favored-nations clauses" (blocking price competition). The law also bans any other contract terms that create anti-competitive effects. Violations are treated as unfair or deceptive acts, allowing Oklahoma's Insurance Commissioner to impose penalties or refer cases to the Attorney General for enforcement.

SB 1622 requires tenants who abandon, surrender, or are evicted from residential rental property to pay any unpaid utility charges in their name to the utility company. Landlords are exempt from liability for these unpaid charges if the utility was contracted directly with the tenant, not the landlord. The bill mandates that utility companies must restore services to the rental property upon the landlord’s request if the tenant fails to pay, and they must pursue payment solely from the tenant. This law directly affects tenants leaving rental units with outstanding utility bills and shifts responsibility from landlords to tenants for those specific charges.

SB 2002 protects pregnant and postpartum women who use substances by granting them immunity from prosecution for prescribed or unprescribed substance use if they are enrolled in or actively seeking treatment through a certified program. Health care providers can recommend enrollment in qualified addiction recovery programs, and women making good-faith treatment efforts cannot be prosecuted even if their infant shows signs of withdrawal or other health issues related to substance exposure. The bill also shields health care providers from civil liability for properly referring women to treatment and modifies district attorney protocols to prioritize treatment over prosecution. It explicitly preserves existing laws for reporting newborn exposure and pursuing unrelated child abuse cases.

SB 2077 increases Oklahoma's maximum surcharge for credit card payments from 2% to 4% of the transaction amount, or the actual processing fee, whichever is lower. It requires businesses to clearly post surcharge amounts at physical points of sale, online checkout pages, and verbally disclose them for phone orders. The bill also permits private schools, municipalities, and money transmitters to charge service fees limited to actual costs like bank processing fees, while prohibiting surcharges that exceed the new cap. This change takes effect November 1, 2026, applying to all businesses operating in Oklahoma that accept credit cards.

SB 1747 requires Oklahoma state agencies to demonstrate a 10% cost savings when requesting increased funding for fiscal years beginning with 2028, compared to the previous year's appropriation. This applies directly to agencies seeking higher budgets than they received in the prior fiscal year. The bill amends existing budget reporting rules to mandate this savings analysis as part of their funding requests. It does not affect agencies maintaining or reducing their current funding levels.

SB 1892 removes a requirement for Oklahoma public school districts to include the Oklahoma Prevention Needs Assessment Survey in their biennial reviews of mental health crisis protocols. The bill amends Section 24-159 of Oklahoma statutes by deleting language mandating the use of this specific survey during protocol updates, and repeals Section 24-158 which established the survey. This change affects school districts that previously needed to incorporate survey data into their protocol reviews, shifting their review process to use alternative methods. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, with an emergency declaration.

SB 1693 lowers the fine for violating firearm prohibition signs from $250 to $25 under Oklahoma's Self-Defense Act. It applies to individuals who carry firearms on private property where signs prohibit them and refuse to leave after being asked by a property owner or manager. The bill affects all locations covered by existing law, including businesses, event spaces, and public venues with posted restrictions. The amendment to Section 1290.22 of state law reduces penalties for minor violations while maintaining property owners' rights to restrict firearms.

SB 2037 requires licensed mental health professionals and health care providers in Oklahoma to obtain written, informed consent from patients before using artificial intelligence (AI) for therapy or psychotherapy services. The bill prohibits AI from making independent therapeutic decisions, directly interacting with clients during sessions, generating treatment plans without provider review, or detecting emotions. It mandates that providers maintain full responsibility for all AI-assisted interactions and explicitly states that final clinical decisions must be made by licensed professionals, not AI systems. Violations may result in disciplinary action and fines up to $10,000 per incident, enforced by licensure boards or the Attorney General.

SB 1968 requires Oklahoma's State Regents for Higher Education to create a policy allowing public colleges to grant college credit for courses taken at state-funded technology centers. This directly affects students enrolled in technology center courses (who gain transferable credit) and public colleges (which must adopt the policy). The policy must include clear processes for recording credit, a detailed list of eligible courses, and specific requirements for technology center instructors teaching college-level material. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, with an emergency declaration making it effective immediately upon approval.

SB 1751 creates a secure digital platform for reporting human trafficking in Oklahoma, requiring the Attorney General to contract with a nonprofit organization to develop and manage it. Mandated reporters (such as teachers, healthcare workers, and social workers) can use this platform to anonymously report suspected trafficking, with high-priority cases automatically routed to law enforcement or child protection agencies in real time. The platform must comply with privacy laws (including HIPAA), allow anonymous reporting, and integrate with existing systems like the National Human Trafficking Hotline. The bill becomes effective November 1, 2026.

SB 1901 prohibits hospital staff and organ procurement organizations from discussing organ/tissue donation with a family within 24 hours of a person's death determination. It bans misleading claims (like donations speeding up end-of-life care), implies financial compensation, or hiding conflicts of interest, and requires written donation process summaries and contact info for an independent ombudsman. All donation discussions with families must be electronically recorded if the family consents, and whistleblowers reporting violations are protected from workplace retaliation. Violations carry civil penalties up to $50,000 per incident, and the bill also updates Oklahoma’s death determination law to require a second independent medical verification for organ donation purposes. The law takes effect November 1, 2026.