SB 1337 adds 90 days of unpaid paternity leave for full-time education employees (like teachers and school staff) in Oklahoma during their child's first year. It allows these employees to take leave without pay for childcare while still receiving full credit toward salary increases and retirement service time. The bill also updates existing leave-sharing programs to include paternity leave eligibility and modifies related revolving funds. This directly affects education employees seeking parental leave, with specific provisions for both maternity and paternity leave under updated statutes. The policy change takes effect immediately due to an emergency declaration.
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.
HB 2778 creates the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Program (expiring November 1, 2028) to support child care workers at licensed facilities. It directly affects child care employees who work at least 20 hours weekly and meet income limits: $120,000 annual household income for two-parent households or $60,000 for single-parent households. Key provisions waive co-payments for eligible employees and exempt their income from subsidy program cost-sharing calculations, while requiring providers to notify the Department of Human Services if an employee leaves. The program operates under Oklahoma’s Child Care Subsidy Program rules, with all other eligibility conditions remaining unchanged.
HB 1138 creates a State Employee Dispute Resolution Program for Oklahoma state employees, requiring the Human Capital Management and Civil Service Divisions to handle complaints about disciplinary actions like terminations, suspensions, or written reprimands. It mandates mediation for most disputes before hearings, establishes an Office of Veterans Placement, and creates a confidential whistleblower program for reporting mismanagement or fraud involving state funds. The bill sets strict timelines (10 days to file complaints, 30 days for hearings) and requires quarterly reports on case volumes to state leadership. It directly affects most state employees but excludes elected officials, judges, certain political appointees, and employees in specific categories like temporary or seasonal roles. The law also shifts all state employee positions to be administered by the Human Capital Management Division without prior classified/unclassified distinctions.
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.
SB 688 grants a 5-year property tax exemption for qualifying manufacturing facilities in Oklahoma, directly affecting manufacturers that meet specific investment, wage, and sales criteria. The bill exempts new or expanded facilities (including research labs) from ad valorem taxes if they invest at least $500,000 (adjusted annually for inflation) in qualifying assets, pay new jobs at or above Oklahoma Quality Jobs Program wage standards, and meet sales requirements (e.g., 50% revenue from out-of-state buyers for tech facilities). Facilities must annually file affidavits with the Oklahoma Tax Commission to verify eligibility. This law, enacted May 28, 2025, modifies existing tax exemptions to streamline eligibility for manufacturers expanding operations.
SB 663 transfers management of the Workforce Coordination Revolving Fund from its previous administrator to the Oklahoma Workforce Commission. It specifies that all funds remaining in the account as of July 1, 2024, must be used for workforce development programs. The bill amends existing law to remove references to fund transfers and sets an effective date of July 1, 2025. The legislature declared an emergency to expedite the law's implementation.
SB 642 expands workers' compensation rights for injured employees in Oklahoma by clarifying when they can pursue legal action against employers. It directly affects injured workers, their families, and contractors (both general and subcontractors) who must now ensure workers' compensation insurance is made available to subcontractors. Key provisions include: allowing lawsuits if employers fail to secure required insurance or commit intentional torts (with strict proof requirements), defining "provides workers' compensation insurance" as making coverage available (not requiring it to cover specific incidents), and clarifying that immunity from lawsuits does not apply in these cases. The bill also updates definitions for contractors and ensures insurance requirements apply consistently across construction projects.
HB 2011, titled "Fighting Chance for Firefighters Act," actually expands health insurance benefits for firefighters rather than providing tax credits, as the title incorrectly states. The bill amends Oklahoma Statutes Section 1315 to explicitly include municipal fire departments (organized under 11 O.S. § 29-101) and county fire departments (under 19 O.S. § 351) in the Oklahoma Employees Insurance and Benefits Plans. This allows firefighters employed by these departments to access the same health insurance coverage available to state employees, including continuation of coverage after retirement or termination with eight years of service. The law, enacted without the Governor’s signature on May 27, 2025, directly affects firefighters in local fire departments by improving their access to health insurance benefits.
