HB 3976 establishes a grant program under Oklahoma's State Department of Health to help rural and small hospitals open new facilities or keep existing ones open by funding infrastructure, equipment, or technology needs. Hospitals applying must contribute at least 20% of project costs through cash or in-kind donations. The program will be funded through a new revolving fund in the state treasury, which replenishes itself and can be used continuously without annual budget limits.
SB 1658, the Informed Consent and Medical Transparency Act, requires drug manufacturers to create plain-language summaries of serious side effects for all drugs distributed in Oklahoma and provide these summaries to the State Board of Pharmacy, hospitals, and healthcare providers. Hospitals and providers must give patients these summaries before prescribing or administering drugs, document adverse events in medical records, and report them to the State Board within 10 business days. The bill also establishes civil liability for negligence in compliance, allowing patients to sue for damages and requiring discovery to prioritize transparency. It becomes effective November 1, 2026, and explicitly states it does not override federal drug approval requirements.
HB 4329 modifies Oklahoma law to clarify dental insurance claim processes. It defines "covered services" as those reimbursable under a subscriber agreement, regardless of deductibles or waiting periods. The bill requires dental plans to establish appeal procedures for denied claims based on medical necessity and mandates that written denial notices include the reviewing dentist's license details and contact information. This directly affects dentists and dental insurance plans in Oklahoma by standardizing claim denial processes and improving transparency. The law takes effect November 1, 2026.
SB 2141 creates Oklahoma's "PFAS-Safe Biosolids and Farmland Protection Act" to regulate the land application of biosolids (treated sewage sludge) and septage on farmland. It requires mandatory PFAS testing before application using EPA Method 1633, establishes four tiered concentration limits (from unrestricted use at <20μg/kg to prohibition at >100μg/kg), and mandates that generators share test results and tier information with landowners before application. The bill directly affects wastewater treatment facilities (generators), farmers receiving land application, and the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (enforcement). Landowners must provide written consent acknowledging PFAS data, and records must be kept for 10 years, with additional safeguards for food crops and sensitive areas.
HB 3485 expands health benefit coverage under Oklahoma's Larry Dickerson Education Flexible Benefits Allowance Act to include more dependents of school district employees, such as unmarried children under 25 (regardless of residence) or dependents with pre-25 disabilities. It links the flexible benefit allowance amounts to the state employee benefit rates and updates funding mechanisms to ensure school districts receive state funds based on employee and dependent counts. The bill requires school districts to offer cafeteria plans covering health insurance options, with allowances credited directly to employees for purchasing coverage or received as taxable pay. This affects certified and support personnel (e.g., teachers, bus drivers, janitors) and their eligible dependents across Oklahoma public and technology school districts.
SB 2165, the "Child Support Upon Conception Act," would allow mothers to seek court-ordered child support based on verified pregnancy, requiring medical proof of gestation and paternity testing before any support is awarded. It establishes temporary pre-birth support for pregnancy-related medical expenses, prenatal care, and living costs necessary for maternal and fetal health, continuing until birth when standard post-birth support begins. The bill treats the unborn child as having legal standing under Oklahoma's Children's Code, granting rights to protective orders and custody proceedings while requiring paternity verification. The bill is pending in the Oklahoma Senate Judiciary Committee after its introduction on February 2, 2026.
HB 3387 would amend Oklahoma's sales tax code to add prescription eyeglasses and contact lenses to the list of items exempt from sales tax. This change specifically affects consumers purchasing these items with a valid prescription, expanding an existing exemption for prescription drugs (covered under Section 1357, paragraph 9). The bill modifies the tax code to explicitly include these vision care products under the same exemption as prescription medications. It does not alter tax rates or create new administrative requirements, simply extending the current exemption to cover these items.
SB 2044 amends Oklahoma's chiropractic practice law to expand educational requirements for chiropractors and establish new standards for injectable procedures. It requires chiropractors performing injections to complete specific training and certification, modifying existing penalty grounds for violations. The bill also clarifies rules for animal chiropractic care, defining it as spinal manipulation for nonhuman vertebrates while prohibiting x-rays, surgery, or medication administration. These changes directly affect licensed chiropractors in Oklahoma, particularly those seeking to offer injectable treatments or provide animal care services.
HB 3127 protects Oklahoma medical marijuana patients and caregivers from discrimination in employment, public assistance, and firearm ownership. It prohibits employers from refusing to hire, firing, or penalizing individuals solely for being a licensed medical marijuana user, and bars denial of Medicaid, SNAP, or firearm rights based on that status. However, the bill mandates a "zero-tolerance" policy for safety-sensitive jobs (like operating vehicles, handling hazardous materials, or direct patient care), allowing employers to enforce drug testing and discipline for marijuana use at work. Employers may still maintain written drug testing policies under state standards, but cannot deny employment based solely on medical marijuana license status or a positive test if the user is licensed and not impaired at work.
HB 3901 establishes a pilot program for psychological autopsies in Oklahoma, which investigate ambiguous deaths (like suicides) to reconstruct a deceased person's mental state and influences. The Commissioner of Health must appoint a full-time psychological autopsy examiner who will submit annual progress reports and coordinate with mental health and medical examiner offices. The pilot runs until November 1, 2031, with a recommendation for permanency or termination. Its goal is to use data from these reviews to inform suicide prevention efforts, without changing existing laws or creating new obligations for individuals.
