Sen. Casey Murdock

Maddy summaryHB 4413 requires facilities burning hospital, medical, or infectious waste to comply with existing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air emission standards. It prohibits any facility not meeting current EPA standards, monitoring, reporting, and permitting requirements from burning such waste in Oklahoma. The bill directly affects municipal solid waste incinerators that handle medical waste, mandating they align with federal rules or cease this activity. The law takes effect November 1, 2026, and codifies EPA definitions for medical waste as used in 40 C.F.R. §60.51c.

Maddy summarySB 1863 designates a specific segment of State Highway 325 in Boise City, Oklahoma - stretching from Ellis Avenue northwesterly to the Oklahoma-New Mexico border - as the "John Skelley Memorial Highway." The bill requires the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to install permanent markers bearing this name on the bridge along this route. It takes effect on November 1, 2026. This is a procedural memorial designation with no substantive policy changes or funding impacts.

Maddy summaryOklahoma Senate Bill 1074 creates a new "commercial harvesting facility license" for businesses operating hunting facilities that profit from legally acquired cervidae (like deer, elk, and exotic species), turkey, or hybrids. It requires these facilities to obtain a $300 annual license from the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, prove animals were not sourced from wild populations, and undergo inspections. The bill updates existing laws by replacing "commercial hunting area" licenses with this new license structure, effective July 2025, and mandates facilities to maintain inventories of animals. It directly affects commercial hunting operations seeking to sell or barter hunted animals for profit.

Maddy summarySB 2138 creates the "Oklahoma Controlled Prescribed Burn Indemnity Fund" to reimburse landowners for damages when prescribed burns escape beyond their property, excluding insurance-covered losses or damage to the landowner's own property. It requires landowners to develop detailed burn plans (including weather conditions, firebreaks, and smoke management), notify adjacent landowners 60 days in advance, and alert fire departments 48 hours before burns. Landowners must pay a $100-$250 fee to file plans and can receive up to $1 million per incident, with payments made pro-rata if funds are insufficient. The bill directly affects landowners conducting prescribed burns, local fire departments, and the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, which administers the fund and verifies claims.

Maddy summaryHB 1064 defines a "hedge fund" as an investment entity focused on high-return equity investments (excluding pension funds, banks, and other financial institutions whose main business isn't equity investing). The bill prohibits hedge funds and their subsidiaries from acquiring single-family residential properties in Oklahoma. It also requires hedge funds already owning such properties as of November 1, 2025, to sell them within 10 years - without selling to another hedge fund or subsidiary. The law aims to limit hedge fund ownership of residential housing by restricting new acquisitions and mandating divestment of existing holdings.

Maddy summarySB 1925 amends Oklahoma's penalties for violating protective orders in domestic abuse cases. It increases fines and jail terms for repeat violations and for violations causing physical injury, with mandatory 52-week domestic abuse treatment programs for offenders. First-time violations without injury carry up to 1 year in jail or $1,000 fines, while second-time violations become Class D1 felonies with 1-3 years in prison. Violations causing injury now trigger misdemeanor Class D1 felony charges with 20 days to 3 years in prison, plus mandatory counseling. The bill directly affects individuals convicted of breaching domestic abuse protective orders.

Maddy summarySB 1935, the Commercial Solar Facility Setback Act, requires utility-scale solar facilities (over 1 megawatt) to maintain a minimum 125-foot distance from residences, unless the resident owner waives this requirement in writing. It preserves the original setback rules for repowering projects (replacing components without expanding the facility), ensuring existing setbacks apply rather than new rules. The bill excludes residential solar panels and specifies that overhead infrastructure must stay 50 feet from public roads (except for necessary interconnection lines). This Act takes effect November 1, 2026, and applies only to commercial solar projects, not home installations.

Maddy summarySB 1887 modifies Oklahoma school training requirements for staff handling allergies, anaphylaxis, and concussions. It updates the law to require school employees to complete annual training on food allergies, recognizing anaphylaxis, and administering epinephrine **only once every other academic year** (instead of annually), starting before the school year begins or upon hiring. This change applies directly to teachers, school nurses, and other staff responsible for student health emergencies. The bill also updates related policies for concussion management and medication storage but focuses the key change on reducing the training frequency. The training must still be documented in staff files and can be delivered online or in person.

Maddy summarySB 1973 amends Oklahoma's Crime Victims Compensation Act to expand the definition of "allowable expense" to include educational costs. Specifically, it adds reimbursement for tuition and fees at private schools, career and technology programs, public or private colleges, and academic tutoring services. This change directly affects crime victims or their dependents applying for compensation under the Act, allowing them to claim these new educational expenses as part of their reimbursement. The bill modifies Section 142.3 of the Act to include these provisions, effective upon passage.

Maddy summarySB 1922 requires Oklahoma's Department of Corrections to publicly share two specific types of inmate information: (1) programs inmates participated in (such as work or education), and (2) any disciplinary actions taken against them. This applies directly to the public, who will gain access to these records through the Department's website or other public channels. The bill mandates the Department to create rules for implementing this transparency measure and takes effect on November 1, 2026. It does not change sentencing, prison conditions, or other operational aspects of corrections.