Education

signed · Oklahoma · House May 8, 2025

HB 2888: Higher education; Oklahoma Tuition Equalization Grant; effective date.

HB 2888 amends Oklahoma's Tuition Equalization Grant program to set a $50,000 annual income limit for student eligibility (based on parents' income or the student's self-supporting income if independent). It directly affects Oklahoma residents attending 12 specific private, not-for-profit colleges (including Oral Roberts University and Oklahoma Baptist University) who enroll full-time as undergraduates. The bill provides a fixed $2,000 annual grant per eligible student, excludes summer terms, and limits total grant benefits to five years. It also requires institutions to maintain accreditation standards and mandates annual reports on grant recipients' academic outcomes to state leaders. The law became effective November 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill creates a $2,000 annual grant for eligible students at specific private colleges, directly funding higher education access within defined income limits.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Oklahoma · House May 7, 2025

HB 1995: Crimes and punishments; definitions of sex crimes; designating school resource officers as employees of a school system; emergency.

HB 1995 expands Oklahoma's definition of rape to include sexual acts between students aged 16-19 (while under school custody) and school employees (including resource officers) who are 18 or older. It explicitly designates school resource officers as school employees for these provisions and adds similar protections for foster children under 19 and secondary school students concurrently enrolled in higher education with staff. The law specifies that such acts are rape under Section 1111, with penalties including minimum 3-year prison terms (25 years for victims under 12). It also updates related provisions in Section 1123 regarding lewd acts with children under 16.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExpands rape definition to protect minors from school staff, strengthening legal accountability and victim protections in criminal justice context.92% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill enhances student safety by defining staff-student sexual acts as rape and designating resource officers as school employees, protecting educational environments.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Oklahoma · House May 7, 2025

HB 1483: Schools; whistleblower protections; extending applicability of protections to support employees; effective date; emergency.

HB 1483 extends whistleblower protections to school support employees (like counselors, cafeteria workers, and administrative staff) in Oklahoma, alongside teachers. It prohibits school districts from disciplining these employees for reporting violations of law, the Oklahoma Constitution, or rules - whether to supervisors, school boards, law enforcement, or the State Department of Education. The bill requires school districts to prominently post this law and clarifies it doesn’t override student privacy rights under FERPA. The law takes effect July 1, 2025, after being approved by the governor on May 6, 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExtends whistleblower protections to school support staff (counselors, cafeteria workers), protecting them from retaliation for reporting violations, thus strengthening educator safety and school environment.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExtends whistleblower protections to school support staff, prohibiting retaliation for reporting violations, directly strengthening worker rights protections.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Oklahoma · House May 7, 2025

HB 1601: Schools; creating the Advancing Rights for Caregiving, Health, and Extended Recovery (Maternity Leave Protection for Teachers) Act; effective date.

HB 1601, the "ARCHER Act," extends maternity leave protections for eligible public school teachers in Oklahoma. It amends existing sick leave rules (70 O.S. § 6-104.8) to require school districts to provide extended leave for teachers who have worked at least 1,250 hours in the past year, specifically covering pregnancy-related needs beyond standard sick leave. The bill creates a dedicated exception to current sick leave policies, ensuring teachers can take leave for maternity without losing pay, aligning with federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) standards. This directly affects full-time classroom teachers in public school districts who meet the employment threshold. The law became effective after Governor approval on May 6, 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExtends maternity leave for public school teachers, protecting employment during pregnancy-related needs and strengthening educator welfare within K-12 education policy.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates extended leave for pregnancy-related health needs, protecting teachers' access to healthcare during maternity without penalty, aligning with patient rights protection.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentExtends maternity leave protections for teachers, creating dedicated leave beyond standard sick leave for pregnancy needs, strengthening employment standards and workers' rights.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 7, 2025

SB 942: Education; prohibiting certain discrimination on certain basis against students or employees.

SB 942 is a clarifying amendment to an existing education discrimination bill. It adds a specific provision (subsection G) explicitly stating that the bill's provisions do not restrict the implementation, funding, or administration of Indian education programs or services established under federal or state law. This amendment directly affects existing Indian education programs by ensuring they remain protected from potential unintended restrictions under the broader anti-discrimination law. The amendment was added to the bill on February 24, 2025, and the bill became law after the governor approved it on May 6, 2025.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill explicitly protects Indian education programs' funding/administration from unintended restrictions under anti-discrimination law, ensuring continued support for these specific educational services.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 7, 2025

SB 283: Oklahoma State System of Higher Education; expanding annual transaction limit of the master lease program. Effective date.

SB 283 expands the annual transaction limit for Oklahoma's master lease program, which allows public higher education institutions to lease equipment and facilities without upfront costs. The bill specifically adds certain refunded lease projects to the annual limit calculation, enabling institutions to count these previously settled transactions toward their yearly cap. This change affects Oklahoma's public universities and colleges that use the master lease program for facility and equipment financing. The amendment updates Section 3206.6a of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes and sets an effective date for implementation.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExpands master lease program access for higher ed institutions, enabling cost-effective facility/equipment upgrades without upfront costs, supporting institutional infrastructure funding.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Oklahoma · House May 7, 2025

HB 1465: Schools; teacher pay computations; military service; teacher salaries; effective date; emergency.

HB 1465 updates Oklahoma teacher salary rules to count up to five years of military service (including National Guard) during a national emergency toward salary increments and retirement benefits. This directly affects Oklahoma public school teachers who served in the military, allowing their service to count toward their salary progression and retirement eligibility. The bill caps this credit at five years total, regardless of the service period. It became effective without the Governor's signature on May 7, 2025, and modifies existing salary schedules to reflect this change.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationUpdates teacher pay rules to count military service toward salary increments and retirement benefits, directly supporting educators' compensation and benefits.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill enhances teacher compensation and retirement benefits by counting military service toward salary increments, directly advancing employment benefits for educators.95% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransBill counts military service toward teacher salary increments/retirement, recognizing veteran service for career advancement in education sector.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Oklahoma · House May 6, 2025

HB 1485: Teachers; temporary contracts; teachers with emergency or provisional certificates; effective date; emergency.

HB 1485 modifies Oklahoma's teacher contract rules by clarifying that temporary contracts for teachers with emergency or provisional certificates are exempt from the four-semester limit. It requires school districts to provide written contract terms upfront, or the contract becomes a continuing one, and grants teachers who complete a full school year on temporary contracts one year of service credit toward career status. The law also specifies that temporary contract teachers in federally or privately funded roles must follow evaluation rules but cannot exceed the four-semester limit unless replacing a leave-taking teacher or for emergency/provisional certificate holders. The bill, which became law without a governor's signature on May 6, 2025, directly affects school districts and teachers using temporary contracts.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationExempts emergency/provisional cert teachers from contract limits, mandates written terms, grants service credit - enhances teacher stability and career progression in K-12 education.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProvides teachers with temporary contracts explicit rights: written terms, service credit, and exemption from semester limits, strengthening employment protections for educators.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Oklahoma · House May 6, 2025

HB 1256: Professions and occupations; construction skilled trade education; modifying contract terms; effective date.

HB 1256 creates a Skilled Trade Education and Workforce Development Fund using fines from license violations in electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and roofing trades. The fund finances contracts between the Construction Industries Board and career tech schools to develop trade-specific curriculum and promote skilled trade careers through public campaigns. It directs fines from four licensing revolving funds into this new account, requiring grantees to report on fund usage and program success. The bill directly affects trade workers, vocational schools receiving contracts, and the Construction Industries Board, which manages the fund and oversees program implementation.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationCreates Skilled Trade Education Fund to finance career tech curriculum development and promote skilled trade careers, directly funding educational programs at career tech schools.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentCreates Skilled Trade Education Fund using license violation fines to develop curriculum and promote careers in construction trades, directly advancing workforce development and employment standards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 139: Schools; requiring school district boards of education to adopt certain cell phone policy.

SB 139 requires Oklahoma public school district boards of education to adopt cell phone policies by the 2025-2026 school year. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, boards may choose to implement policies prohibiting students from using cell phones or personal electronic devices on school campuses "from bell to bell" during school hours. The bill directly affects school districts by setting a timeline for policy adoption and defining the scope of device restrictions during instructional time. This legislation, approved by the governor on May 3, 2025, provides a framework for district-level decisions without mandating specific enforcement.

Topics ✓ EducationSupports EducationRequires school districts to implement cell phone restrictions during instructional time to minimize distractions, supporting classroom focus and learning environment.85% confidence ✗ TechnologyOpposes TechnologyRestricts student cell phone use during school hours, limiting technology access in educational settings per bill's 'from bell to bell' device prohibition requirement.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Education