HB 1271 prohibits public airports offering commercial services from entering agreements with private security vendors that allow those vendors to use standard or TSA PreCheck security lanes. The bill exempts agreements already in place before January 1, 2025, and allows agreements where a private vendor has dedicated TSA lanes solely for its own use. It also clarifies that airlines (as certified under federal aviation rules) are not considered "private third-party vendors," so airline-operated priority lanes for their passengers remain unaffected. The law takes effect on November 1, 2025.
HB 1581 establishes requirements for county-level child abuse review teams in Oklahoma, directly affecting district attorneys, law enforcement, child welfare agencies, and medical professionals. The bill mandates that each district attorney create a multidisciplinary team including law enforcement, medical staff, child protective services workers, and mental health professionals to coordinate investigations of child sexual abuse, physical abuse, or neglect. Key provisions require teams to develop written protocols for joint investigations and interviews, standardize procedures, eliminate duplicative efforts, and undergo annual reviews by the Oklahoma Multidisciplinary Team Council to ensure compliance. Teams must also publicly report annually on child death/near-death case reviews and coordinate with the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth.
HB 2841 updates the management rules for Oklahoma's Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund. It requires the Board of Investors to use competitive bidding for selecting investment managers, custodial banks, and financial consultants, and mandates that at least 2% of the fund's principal balance (or $40 million, whichever is greater) be spent annually on grant programs. The bill also allows the State Treasurer to cover up to two staff positions as administrative costs for the fund. These changes apply to the fund's investment strategy and spending requirements, directly affecting how the trust fund is managed and distributed.
HB 2628 modifies Oklahoma's civil procedure rules for expert testimony in court cases. It requires parties (the "proponent") introducing expert witnesses to prove to the court that the testimony is: 1) based on sufficient facts/data, 2) derived from reliable methods, and 3) properly applied to the case facts. This directly affects individuals or organizations involved in civil lawsuits relying on expert opinions, such as in medical malpractice or product liability cases. The law takes effect on November 1, 2025, raising the standard for admitting expert evidence.
SB 1003 requires Oklahoma's Corporation Commission to create rules ensuring electricity grid affordability and reliability. It mandates that the grid maintain 115% guaranteed power capacity (sufficient backup power) to prevent outages, requires new wind/solar projects to include backup power costs in their total expense calculations, and directs the Commission to select new power sources based on the lowest total cost to ratepayers. These rules directly affect electric utilities and the Corporation Commission, with specific requirements including preventing premature retirement of existing power plants unless cost-effective and ensuring power sources meet continuous operating needs during extreme weather. The bill aims to prevent power shortages through measurable reliability standards, effective November 1, 2025.
SB 1003, if passed, would require Oklahoma's Corporation Commission to set rules ensuring the state's electricity grid is both affordable and reliable. It mandates that the grid maintain at least 115% of peak electricity demand capacity (accounting for wind/solar variability), prohibits retiring existing power plants without proof of equivalent capacity, and requires wind/solar projects to include "firming power" (backup power for 48 hours during peak demand) in cost calculations. The bill directly affects utilities, the Corporation Commission, and ratepayers by setting specific grid reliability standards and cost-review processes. The bill failed in committee on February 20, 2025, and is not currently law.
HB 2628 amends Oklahoma's civil procedure law to set clearer standards for expert testimony in court. It requires the party introducing an expert (the "proponent") to prove to the court that the testimony is based on sufficient facts, uses reliable methods, and was properly applied to the case. This affects parties in civil lawsuits relying on expert witnesses, such as in medical malpractice or personal injury cases. The bill takes effect November 1, 2025.
HB 1261 creates the Wrecker Licensing Reform Act of 2025, transferring oversight of wrecker and towing services from Oklahoma's Corporation Commission to the Department of Public Safety. It establishes a new Oklahoma Wrecker and Towing Services Board with nine members (appointed by the Governor, Senate, and House) to set rules and handle complaints, while creating a Wrecker Services Division within DPS to investigate overcharging and violations. The bill modifies fee structures (disallowing excessive charges, requiring fuel surcharges based on actual costs), updates record-keeping for rotation logs, and transfers all relevant rules, records, and personnel to the Department by November 2025. This directly affects tow truck companies - especially those providing nonconsensual towing - and consumers who may face billing disputes or service issues.
SB 339 would freeze tuition and fees at Oklahoma public universities and colleges at 2024-2025 approved rates for the 2025-2026 academic year. It directly affects all institutions within the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education by prohibiting any rate increases beyond the previous academic year's approved levels. The key provision requires institutions to maintain tuition and fee rates no higher than those set for 2024-2025, effective July 1, 2025. This policy change aims to limit cost increases for students at public higher education institutions.
SB 829 updates Oklahoma's divorce laws by adding "incompatibility" as a permissible ground for divorce and requiring courts to consider the degree of fault when making certain orders, such as property division or support. It mandates that parents in divorce cases involving children must attend an educational program about the impact of divorce on children, covering topics like child well-being, co-parenting strategies, and available resources, with a fee that may be waived. Additionally, the bill requires courts to establish a trust fund in specific circumstances to protect children's financial interests, including rules for fund management, restrictions on access, and safeguards against unauthorized withdrawals. The bill was introduced in the 2025 Oklahoma Legislature but failed in committee in February 2025.
HB 1918, titled the "Oklahoma Agriculture Act of 2025," is a procedural bill that establishes the official name for future agricultural legislation and sets an effective date. It does not create new policies, regulations, or funding; it solely provides a title for the act and specifies that it takes effect on November 1, 2025. The bill directly affects Oklahoma's legislative record-keeping by designating this specific name for agricultural-related laws. It has no substantive impact on agricultural practices, farmers, or state programs.
SB 456, the "Abolition of Abortion Act," would reclassify most abortion procedures as criminal homicide under Oklahoma law, defining "human being" to include unborn children and applying homicide statutes to abortion-related deaths. It exempts legal abortions with maternal consent, standard medical practices, life-saving procedures for the mother (with steps to save the fetus), and spontaneous miscarriages. The bill also modifies wrongful death claims to include unborn children and expands duress defenses for mothers who undergo abortions under threat. The bill failed in committee in February 2025 and would not take effect if passed, as it is currently pending legislative action.
