HB 1042 extends the expiration date of Oklahoma's Opioid Overdose Fatality Review Board from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2026, under the state's Sunset Law. The board, created within the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, reviews opioid overdose deaths (for individuals 18+) to analyze causes, coordinate prevention efforts, and make system improvement recommendations to medical and law enforcement agencies. This procedural bill does not alter the board's existing duties - such as data collection, confidential case reviews, or annual reporting - but ensures its continued operation for one additional year.
SB 496 amends Oklahoma's Governmental Tort Claims Act by clarifying key definitions in Section 152. It specifically defines "charitable health care provider" as entities offering free care to medically indigent patients and expands "community health care provider" to include those working with federally qualified health centers or pending applications. The bill also broadens "employee" to explicitly include certain healthcare professionals (like administrative physicians, resident doctors, and mental health staff) under state contracts. These changes directly affect healthcare providers, state agencies, and individuals filing tort claims against the state or political subdivisions. The amendment aims to clarify eligibility under the tort claims process without altering core legal procedures.
HB 2049 requires Oklahoma's Medicaid managed care plans to comply with federal parity laws for mental health and substance use disorder coverage. It mandates regular compliance checks on nonquantitative treatment limitations (like prior authorization), creates a standardized process for handling parity complaints, and requires the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to publicly report on compliance. The law directly affects Medicaid managed care plans, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, and Medicaid beneficiaries seeking mental health or substance use services. Key provisions include contract requirements for parity analysis, public disclosure of compliance reports, and a 30-day deadline for publishing federal reports. The bill became effective November 1, 2025.
SB 1036, the "Oklahoma Triage, Treat, and Transport to Alternative Destination Act," requires health insurers in Oklahoma to cover specific ambulance services starting January 1, 2026. It mandates coverage for ambulance providers treating patients in place, triaging/treating/transporting to lower-acuity facilities (like urgent care or mental health centers), or for encounters resulting in no transport. This affects insurers, ambulance services, and people covered by health insurance plans. The law excludes hospitals, dialysis centers, and residential settings from "alternative destinations" and sets minimum reimbursement rates for ambulance services. It applies to all new or renewed health insurance contracts on or after the effective date.
HB 1397 requires written parental or guardian consent for most medical treatments, including prescriptions and surgeries, for minors under Oklahoma law. It specifically allows schools to use school-year consent for telemedicine mental health services at school sites without requiring parents to be present during the session. The bill exempts emergency care and abortions (which follow separate abortion laws), and violations carry misdemeanor penalties. This directly affects minors, parents/guardians, schools, and healthcare providers offering telemedicine services.
SB 691 requires Oklahoma's Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to create a voluntary program offering specialized training for law enforcement officers to handle mental health crisis calls. Officers who complete the training will be designated as "law enforcement mental health specialists." The bill mandates these agencies to develop the program and establish rules for its implementation, effective November 1, 2025. This directly affects participating officers and aims to improve responses to mental health emergencies involving law enforcement.
SB 1058 requires healthcare providers to screen mothers for perinatal depression and anxiety during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum. It directs Oklahoma's State Department of Health to create a public website and mobile app offering maternal/infant health resources, collect health outcome data through provider reports and surveys, and publish an annual report on depression/anxiety rates by demographics. The bill affects mothers receiving care during the perinatal period and aims to improve access to mental health services and maternal/infant health outcomes through data-driven resource coordination.
SB 187 requires Oklahoma's Department of Human Services to provide foster parents and children living in foster homes (excluding the foster child themselves) with access to six hours annually of free counseling from licensed mental health providers. The counseling services, funded by the state, are optional for participants and cannot be used to penalize or discriminate against foster parents who use them. Providers must meet specific qualifications, including training in the Flash Technique, and the department must inform foster parents about these services before a child is placed in their home. The bill aims to support foster home stability by addressing mental health needs for foster families.
HB 1523 would create a pilot program allowing Oklahoma public schools to offer virtual mental health services through telehealth. The State Department of Education must develop this program, with schools able to opt in by applying. Key provisions include requiring parental consent before services, limiting initial funding to $25,000, and defining "health benefit plan" per existing state law. The pilot aims to improve student mental health access without mandating participation. (Note: The bill was withdrawn from committee on February 19, 2025.)
HB 2371 proposes funding pilot programs for school districts to use AI software on school-issued devices as a safety tool, without direct student surveillance. The bill requires the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the State Department of Education to fund AI programs that analyze device activity (via existing web filtering systems) to assess student safety, readiness to learn, and well-being, using data already collected for compliance. It creates a dedicated revolving fund in the state treasury to cover costs like software, equipment, and personnel for these voluntary pilot programs, which can be implemented at the district or school level. The bill would take effect November 1, 2025, if passed.
