Labor & Employment

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.

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.

HB 2159 prohibits the manufacture, sale, distribution, or installation of counterfeit or nonfunctional supplemental restraint system components (like fake airbags) in Oklahoma vehicles. It specifically bans devices that mimic genuine manufacturer parts without authorization, deployed/damaged airbags, or misleading objects posing as functional airbags. This law directly affects auto repair shops and parts sellers who might use or sell these unsafe replacements. The bill aligns with federal safety standards (49 U.S.C. § 301209(j)) to prevent vehicles from being equipped with parts that fail during crashes, ensuring occupant safety. The law took effect on November 1, 2025.