Sen. Dave Rader

Maddy summarySB 594 modifies Oklahoma's child abuse laws by expanding the types of statements children and incapacitated persons can provide as evidence in court. It updates rules to allow statements describing physical abuse, neglect, sexual contact, domestic abuse, or acts causing great bodily injury to be admissible in trials involving child abuse or witnessing abuse, regardless of whether the child testifies. The bill also reclassifies child abuse as a Class A3 felony (Section 843.5) and includes specific offenses like "enabling failure to protect from child abuse" under this classification. These changes directly affect child abuse victims, their abusers, and legal proceedings involving minors or incapacitated individuals.

Maddy summarySB 81 modifies Oklahoma statutes related to background checks for firefighters, handgun license renewals, and criminal history records. It requires municipal fire departments to conduct national criminal history checks using FBI fingerprint processing (with fees paid to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation), updates handgun license renewal procedures to include a 30-day grace period after expiration and allow digital applications with a $85 fee (double for 10-year licenses), and revises fee structures for criminal history record checks. The bill also removes outdated provisions about petty cash funds in criminal history records statutes. These changes directly affect firefighters applying for municipal positions, handgun license holders, and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation in processing applications.

Maddy summarySB 144 creates Oklahoma's Reentry and Housing Pilot Program within the Department of Corrections, directly affecting inmates transitioning from prison. The program establishes affordable housing developments in rural and urban areas, identifies high-risk individuals for homelessness upon release, and modifies existing reentry services - including parenting, employment skills, and substance abuse treatment - to provide stable housing and support. It authorizes the Department to partner with community entities, requires annual reports on recidivism reduction, and creates a revolving fund (funded by state appropriations, grants, and donations) to cover program costs, with up to 5% allowed for administrative expenses. The five-year pilot program aims to reduce homelessness and housing instability among formerly incarcerated individuals through evidence-based reentry services.

Maddy summarySB 102 amends Oklahoma's income tax code to exclude certain short-term nonresident compensation from taxation. It specifically exempts nonresidents who work in Oklahoma for less than 30 days in a tax year and earn under $20,000 total from Oklahoma taxable income. This change affects temporary workers or contractors with brief Oklahoma assignments, removing their income from state tax calculations. The provision applies to tax years beginning in 2026 and later, effective November 1, 2025. The bill modifies Section 2362 of Oklahoma's tax code to clarify this exemption for nonresident individuals.

Maddy summarySB 307 creates the Oklahoma Teachers Legacy Fund in the state treasury using $563 million from the 2023 fiscal surplus and $759 million from the 2024 surplus. The fund's investments must follow state retirement fund guidelines, with income accruing to the fund itself. When the fund grows by $100 million or more in a fiscal year, the State Treasurer must transfer the full $100 million increment to the General Revenue Fund on January 1 each year. These transfers are specifically designated to increase school teacher wages in Oklahoma, with the fund becoming effective July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 476 clarifies Oklahoma's process for reinstating limited liability companies (LLCs) that lost good standing due to missed annual filings or fees. It ensures that once reinstated, an LLC's legal status is treated as if it never ceased operating, preserving all existing contracts, property rights, and legal defenses. This directly affects LLCs (including foreign entities) that need to regain good standing after administrative withdrawal. The bill specifically updates statutes to make reinstatement retroactive, so the LLC’s rights and obligations remain fully intact as if no lapse occurred.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands a sales tax exemption to cover entities that have signed public contracts with the Oklahoma State University Medical Authority, the OSU Medical Authority Trust, the OSU Veterinary Medicine Authority, and the OSU Veterinary Medicine Trust. Previously, these university authorities were exempt from sales tax, but their vendors were not; now, any person or business that has formally entered into a public contract with these specific OSU entities will also be exempt from paying sales tax on purchases. The legislation amends existing state tax laws to include this new category of exempt buyers and includes an emergency clause to allow the changes to take effect immediately.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends a previous law regarding fees on heavy equipment rentals by adding a specific provision for handling excess tax collections. If the total fees collected from rental businesses exceed the amount of sales taxes they paid to the state, the surplus money must be distributed to county treasurers. The distribution is calculated proportionally based on how much personal property tax each business paid to its respective county in the prior year. No business is allowed to keep any of this excess amount.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Oklahoma school districts to create policies allowing students to be excused from regular classes to attend religious or moral instruction courses taught by outside groups off school property. The policy limits participation to a maximum of three class periods per week and mandates that parents provide written consent while ensuring no school funds, personnel, or resources are used for the instruction. Additionally, the bill grants immunity from liability to school districts for incidents occurring during these off-site courses and exempts the instructors from standard teacher licensure requirements. Students attending these courses will still be counted as present for attendance purposes and can earn elective credit based on a neutral evaluation of the course materials and instructor qualifications.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new classification system for felony offenses in Oklahoma, creating specific categories ranging from Class Y to Class D3 based on the severity of the crime. It designates Class Y exclusively for first-degree murder and assigns other violent and nonviolent felonies to the remaining classes, such as Class A1 for serious crimes like domestic abuse against pregnant women and sexual abuse of young children. The legislation requires courts to apply these new classifications to all felony offenses by a specified effective date, replacing the previous structure with a more granular list of crimes for each class.