HB 3704 directs Oklahoma to participate in a federal income tax credit program allowing individuals to claim a credit for donations to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs). The bill requires the Governor to certify Oklahoma's participation to the U.S. Treasury and designates the Oklahoma Tax Commission to register SGOs, maintain their lists, and handle federal reporting. This enables Oklahoma taxpayers to claim the federal credit for qualifying donations, while coordinating with Oklahoma's existing state tax credit for SGO contributions. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and remains in place until changed by law or federal policy.
HB 3025 modifies Oklahoma school district funding rules for gift, grant, and donation monies. It requires schools to place funds received for building projects (capital expenditures) into a dedicated building fund, not the general fund. For noncapital funds (like operational costs), districts may retain them in the general fund but must wait one year before using them, preventing immediate spending. This affects all Oklahoma public school districts receiving external funds for school operations or construction. The bill clarifies how districts must categorize and manage these funds to ensure proper financial accountability.
SB 1262 provides a resident tuition waiver for Oklahoma students under 18 who were victims of human trafficking for commercial sex or labor, as defined in Oklahoma law. The waiver covers no resident tuition at Oklahoma public colleges and universities but is limited to five years from the date of eligibility. It requires rules to be established for implementation and takes effect immediately upon passage. The bill directly affects Oklahoma residents who were minors during specific trafficking offenses.
SB 1782 prohibits the governing boards of eight specific Oklahoma public higher education institutions (including the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, and community colleges) from creating new tenure systems for faculty hired after a certain date. The bill requires these institutions to electronically submit annual data on faculty numbers, tenure status, and graduate assistants to the Oklahoma State Regents by July 31 each year. The State Regents must then forward this data to state officials by September 1. This policy change directly affects faculty employment contracts and tenure eligibility at these institutions, with no new tenure plans permitted for hires after the effective date.
SB 2006 prohibits Oklahoma public universities from using state funds to provide scholarships, grants, tuition aid, or discounted tuition to foreign national students from countries designated as "countries of particular concern" by the U.S. Department of State. This applies starting with the 2026-2027 academic year and directly affects eligible international students from those specific countries. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education must create rules to implement the law, though private or non-state funding for such aid remains unaffected. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, and is classified as an emergency measure.
SB 1237 creates Oklahoma's "Teachers' Bill of Rights," granting specific protections to public school teachers, administrators, and support staff. It directly affords rights including free expression (like keeping religious materials in classrooms, wearing faith-based jewelry, and praying with students), protection from harassment or threats, classroom discipline authority (removing disruptive students), medical privacy (refusing vaccines/masks as employment condition), and guaranteed planning time (1 hour) and lunch (20 minutes). The bill also requires school districts to establish a due process plan for reporting rights violations, including anonymous reporting and timely investigations. It takes effect July 1, 2026, and declares an emergency.
SB 1342 increases the monthly cash payment for Oklahoma school district employees who opt out of the cafeteria health plan. Certified personnel (e.g., teachers) and support staff will receive $500 per month as taxable compensation instead of the previous $69.71 and $189.69, respectively. The change applies to all employees choosing not to participate in the school-district-sponsored cafeteria plan after November 1, 2026. This replaces the previous tiered benefit structure with a flat $500 amount for both employee categories. The bill updates statutory language and effective dates but does not alter the health plan options themselves.
This bill, titled "Mathematics instruction..." but actually amending the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, adjusts financial eligibility rules for students seeking higher education support. It raises income thresholds for program qualification (e.g., $80,000 annually for families with five+ children starting in 2025-2026) and adjusts age limits for participation (extending to age 18 for some applicants). Students must meet updated income requirements and comply with program terms like regular school attendance and avoiding substance abuse to maintain eligibility. The bill directly affects Oklahoma students in grades 5-11 seeking financial aid for post-secondary education through this state program.
HB 2766 is the Oklahoma state budget bill for fiscal year 2026, allocating over $1.65 billion from the General Revenue Fund to support public schools. It directs specific funding for teacher salaries, textbooks, health benefits for staff, school administration, and the School Consolidation Assistance Fund, drawing from multiple sources including the Education Lottery Trust Fund and Mineral Leasing Fund. The bill was enacted without the Governor's signature on May 29, 2025, and directly affects all Oklahoma public schools and their students through these state-funded resources.
HB 1086 updates Oklahoma's school funding rules by redefining how school districts manage their general funds. It requires districts to place capital project funds (like those for building repairs) into a separate building fund instead of the general fund, and eliminates the practice of carrying over general fund money to future years. The bill restricts general fund use for capital projects to only cases where a building is destroyed by disaster (fire, flood, etc.) and other funding sources (insurance, state aid) are insufficient. This directly affects all Oklahoma public school districts in how they track and spend state and local education funds.
