Rep. Dick Lowe

Maddy summaryHB 1088 allows students in Oklahoma school districts that do not offer their grade level to automatically transfer to an adjacent district without capacity restrictions. This directly affects students whose current district lacks their required grade, granting them one automatic transfer to a nearby district. The bill modifies existing rules by removing capacity limits for these adjacent transfers (while non-adjacent transfers still require standard approval), and requires districts to publicly post transfer capacity policies online. It also clarifies that students choosing non-adjacent districts must follow standard transfer procedures under the Education Open Transfer Act.

Maddy summarySB 410 requires Oklahoma public high school students in grades 8-12 to complete a computer science unit to earn a standard diploma starting with the 2024-2025 school year. This replaces the previous requirement for two world language units with a new computer technology course requirement covering programming, hardware, and business applications like spreadsheets. The bill mandates that this unit must be approved for college admission and excludes basic keyboarding or typing courses. It directly affects all students pursuing standard diplomas in Oklahoma public high schools under the updated graduation requirements.

Maddy summarySB 410 requires Oklahoma public high school students in grades 8-12 to complete a computer science course as part of their graduation requirements for a standard diploma, starting with the 2024-2025 school year. The bill amends existing curriculum standards to add computer science as an approved option to fulfill the science requirement, alongside traditional science courses. This change applies to all students enrolled in Oklahoma public high schools beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year. The law takes effect immediately as an emergency measure.

Maddy summarySB 706 removes limits on how much money Oklahoma school districts can carry over from one fiscal year to the next in their general funds and eliminates penalties for exceeding previous carryover thresholds. It directly affects school districts by providing greater flexibility in managing annual budget balances. The bill updates funding calculation rules in Oklahoma statutes (amending Sections 1-117 and 18-200.1 of Title 70) to remove outdated restrictions and streamline how general fund balances are calculated. This change applies to all school districts receiving state or county funding, removing prior limitations on accumulated general fund reserves.

Maddy summaryHB 2603 transfers enforcement authority for Oklahoma's motor carrier safety regulations - from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to the Department of Public Safety - effective July 2026. This change affects commercial trucking companies and drivers by shifting oversight of safety rules, weigh station inspections, and permit enforcement to the Department of Public Safety. The bill creates a 12-month transition period (July 2026-June 2027) with a task force to coordinate the transfer of personnel, property, and responsibilities. Key provisions include requiring the Department of Public Safety to assume full enforcement authority over specific statutes related to motor carrier operations, permits, and safety compliance. The goal is to create a more unified enforcement approach for public safety in the commercial transportation sector.

Maddy summaryHB 2603 transfers enforcement authority for Oklahoma's motor carrier regulations from the Corporation Commission to the Department of Public Safety. It affects commercial trucking companies, enforcement officers, and state agencies by shifting responsibility for roadside inspections, weigh stations, and compliance checks under specific statutes (including the Weigh Station Act and Trucking One-Stop Shop Act) to the Department of Public Safety by June 2027. The bill creates a transitional task force to oversee the shift, requiring cooperation between agencies and setting a two-year transition period from July 2026 to June 2027. Key provisions include mandating the Department of Public Safety assume full enforcement authority, requiring interagency agreements during transition, and modifying rules for vehicle seizures and permit compliance.

Maddy summaryHB 1522 requires Oklahoma school districts to create and publicly post policies by January 1, 2022, defining how many transfer students they can accept per grade level at each school site. It limits students to two inter-district transfers per school year (except for those returning to their home district), allows automatic approval if a student’s home district doesn’t offer their grade level, and prohibits transfers based on unexcused absences (ten or more in a semester). Parents can appeal denials first to the district board and then to the State Board of Education if policies weren’t followed. The bill directly affects students seeking to transfer schools, their families, and school districts managing enrollment capacity.

Maddy summaryHB 1522 would require Oklahoma school districts to establish and publicly post annual capacity limits for student transfers by grade level and school site. It specifies that transfers may be denied only for excessive unexcused absences (10+ in a semester) or violations listed in Section 24-101.3, and mandates a two-step appeal process for denied requests. The bill directly affects students seeking to transfer between districts, particularly those with attendance issues or attempting multiple transfers, while requiring districts to report transfer data to the state education department. It does not address the "state student record system" mentioned in its title, focusing solely on transfer policies and appeals.

Maddy summarySB 141 requires Oklahoma's State Board of Education to issue a request for proposals by November 2025 for a statewide student information system that school districts must use by July 2027. The bill mandates the system include specific technical standards like XML data formats, interoperability protocols, and federal reporting capabilities to ensure consistent data sharing for state aid calculations, testing programs, and student mobility tracking. School districts must comply with these requirements or risk forfeiting state aid payments under amended funding rules. The system is designed to streamline data collection for state and federal education reporting, with the State Department of Education responsible for implementation by July 2027.

Maddy summaryHB 1304 requires Oklahoma public high schools to offer a dedicated one-year computer science curriculum as part of graduation requirements for students in grades 8-12. It mandates that schools include computer science courses (covering programming, hardware, and business applications) as an approved option to fulfill the "two units of world language or computer technology" requirement for graduation. The bill specifies these courses must be approved for college admission and exclude basic keyboarding or typing courses. This directly affects all Oklahoma public high school students meeting graduation standards under the 2024-2025 school year curriculum rules. The policy change updates existing graduation requirements to explicitly include computer science as a valid pathway.