Sen. Brent Howard

Maddy summarySB 2182 creates a civil cause of action for Oklahomans whose intimate images (showing uncovered genitals, pubic area, anus, female nipples, or sexual conduct) are shared without consent. It allows victims to sue for damages - up to $10,000 per violation - or emotional distress if the disclosure was intentional and the victim had a reasonable expectation of privacy. The law includes exceptions for disclosures in law enforcement, medical treatment, or public interest, but bars these if the disclosure was for sexual gratification, humiliation, or profit. It also protects victims’ privacy by permitting courts to redact identifying information in legal documents.

Maddy summarySB 259 requires groundwater permit holders to submit annual usage reports, with specific additions for swine operations using liquid waste systems that must indicate if they are licensed under Oklahoma's Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Act. It updates waste prevention rules to prohibit inefficient use, pollution, and unauthorized drilling, while expanding the Oklahoma Water Resources Board's authority to investigate complaints, implement metering schedules, and enforce penalties. The bill directs the Board to monitor groundwater use, notify agriculture officials about unlicensed operations, and require landowner notice before inspections. An appropriation funds the Board's new monitoring and enforcement responsibilities under this legislation.

Maddy summarySB 893, the Military Installation and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2025, prohibits foreign entities from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea (designated as "foreign adversaries") from purchasing, holding, renting, or acquiring agricultural land or critical infrastructure in Oklahoma. It defines "critical infrastructure" to include energy systems, water supplies, telecommunications, transportation networks (like airports and highways), and cybersecurity systems. The bill requires foreign principals to register ownership, mandates the sale or divestiture of existing holdings within specific timeframes, and grants the Attorney General authority to enforce these rules and pursue legal action. This directly affects foreign-owned businesses or governments seeking to invest in Oklahoma's agricultural or infrastructure sectors.

Maddy summaryHB 3996 is a procedural bill that names the "Criminal Procedure Act of 2026" and sets its effective date as November 1, 2026. It does not create new legal requirements or affect any specific groups or individuals. The bill solely establishes the act's official title and implementation timeline without altering existing criminal procedure laws. This is a routine naming and scheduling measure, not a substantive policy change.

Maddy summaryThis Oklahoma Senate Bill 2104 updates trust law to clarify court procedures, strengthen beneficiary protections, and modernize dispute resolution. It specifies that trust disputes must be filed in the county where the trustee resides (amending Section 175.23), prevents trustees from using distribution powers to weaken beneficiary rights or reduce their own fiduciary duties (amending Section 175.717), and expands when trustees and beneficiaries can reach binding nonjudicial settlements without court approval (amending Section 1402). The bill directly affects trustees managing trusts, beneficiaries receiving trust assets, and courts handling trust administration cases. These changes aim to streamline trust disputes while ensuring trustees uphold their duties to beneficiaries.

Maddy summarySB 1827 modifies definitions within Oklahoma's Governmental Tort Claims Act to clarify which entities and individuals qualify under the law. It specifically refines terms like "charitable health care provider" (for providers serving indigent patients without charge) and "community health care provider" (including federally qualified health centers). The bill also updates the definition of "employee" to explicitly include certain medical staff, such as physicians under specific contracts with state health agencies or correctional facilities. These changes primarily affect state agencies, political subdivisions, and health care providers interacting with the tort claims process, without altering substantive liability rules.

Maddy summaryHB 2894 amends Oklahoma's Tourism Development Act to adjust sales tax credit rules for tourism projects. It provides up to 10% tax credits for projects costing $500,000-$1 million and up to 25% for projects over $1 million, but credits cannot exceed the state's potential sales tax revenue from the project. The bill allows tourism developers in Entertainment Districts to pass credits to tenants or receive incentive payments based on tenant sales tax collections, subject to a $30 million annual cap on all inducements. Developers must verify expenditures with independent audits, and credits cannot be transferred except as specified for Entertainment District tenants.

Maddy summaryHB 3500 removes a nine-month deadline for beneficiaries to accept property through a transfer-on-death deed after the owner's death, effective November 1, 2026. It directly affects property owners who create such deeds and their designated beneficiaries, who must now submit an affidavit with the owner's death certificate to claim the property within nine months (for deaths after November 1, 2011). Key provisions include requiring beneficiaries to verify the owner's death, marital status at death, and property details via affidavit, and clarifying that partial acceptance by one beneficiary is valid. Property not accepted within the timeframe reverts to the deceased owner's estate. The bill simplifies the process by allowing notarized affidavits to be recorded without formal acknowledgment.

Maddy summaryHB 4322 amends Oklahoma's Funeral Services Licensing Act to require that individuals designated as "funeral director in charge" of a funeral establishment, commercial embalming establishment, or crematory must hold dual licenses as both a funeral director and an embalmer. This change directly affects managers of these facilities, mandating they meet qualifications for both roles instead of only one. The bill updates licensing requirements in Section 396.3, specifying that dual licensure is now necessary for the "in charge" position, while still allowing separate licenses for funeral directors who do not perform embalming. The policy focuses on standardizing qualifications for leadership roles in the funeral services industry.

Maddy summaryHB 4316 removes a barrier preventing certain pre-1988 corporations from organizing as rural water districts under Oklahoma's Rural Water, Sewer, Gas and Solid Waste Management Districts Act. Specifically, it amends Section 1324.31 to allow corporations formed before December 1, 1988, to establish districts while still complying with the Act's requirements. The bill declares an emergency to take immediate effect upon passage, bypassing standard waiting periods. This change directly affects existing pre-1988 corporations seeking to form water districts, enabling them to operate under the same statutory framework as newer entities.