Sen. Kelly Hines

Maddy summarySB 450 repeals two specific sections (5301 and 5302) of Oklahoma Statutes that established the Oklahoma Military Base Closure Prevention Task Force. This bill formally dissolves the task force by removing its legal foundation, with the repeal taking effect on November 1, 2025. No new policies or direct impacts on residents are created by this repeal.

Maddy summaryHB 1088 allows students in school districts that do not offer their required grade level to automatically transfer to an adjacent district without facing capacity limits. This applies only to one transfer per student, bypassing standard capacity rules that normally restrict transfers. Subsequent transfers would follow existing rules under the Education Open Transfer Act. The bill directly affects students whose home districts lack their grade level, particularly those seeking adjacent district enrollment.

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 530 authorizes the Oklahoma Veterans Commission to create the ODVA Foundation, a private nonprofit organization designed to raise private funds for veterans' programs. The foundation will collect donations from individuals, businesses, and organizations to support educational, training, and empowerment initiatives for Oklahoma veterans, reservists, and their families - supplementing, not replacing, state funding for the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs. Key provisions include requiring the foundation to operate charitably, secure tax-exempt status, maintain auditable financial records (excluding donor names), and prohibit ODVA employees from voting on its board. This bill establishes a structured mechanism for private fundraising to enhance veteran services without altering existing state budget allocations.

Maddy summarySenate Bill 530 authorizes the Oklahoma Veterans Commission to establish the ODVA Foundation, a private, charitable, not-for-profit entity. This Foundation is intended to encourage financial contributions for the educational, training, and empowerment initiatives of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, directly benefiting Oklahoma's veterans, reservists, and their dependents. It can receive gifts and grants from various public and private sources to supplement state funding. The bill specifies that the Foundation must secure tax-exempt status and its financial records, excluding donor names, will be available for audit.

Maddy summaryHB 2247 requires Oklahoma's State Department of Education to develop specific standards implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act's (IDEA) "least restrictive environment" principle. This ensures students with disabilities are not unnecessarily excluded from regular classrooms in public schools. The bill mandates these standards be created by the Department and becomes effective November 1, 2025. It directly affects students with special needs and the State Department of Education, focusing solely on establishing procedural requirements for classroom inclusion under IDEA.

Maddy summaryHB 2247 requires the State Department of Education to develop new standards. These standards will implement the "least restrictive environment" requirements outlined in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The purpose is to ensure that students with special needs are not unnecessarily excluded from the general classroom setting. This bill is set to become effective on November 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 2390 modernizes Oklahoma's Self-Service Storage Facility Lien Act by allowing electronic rental agreements and clarifying lien rules. It requires storage facilities to provide written notice before disposing of abandoned property (after 30 days) and caps late fees at $20 or 20% of unpaid rent. The bill ensures facilities can place liens on stored items for unpaid rent, late fees, or preservation costs, with liens attaching when property is stored. These changes directly affect renters storing personal property and storage facility owners, effective November 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 1561, the "Foreign Adversary Divestment Act of 2025," requires Oklahoma's public pension systems, university endowments, and local government investment funds to sell all holdings in entities tied to countries designated as "foreign adversaries" by the U.S. State Department. The bill prohibits investments in companies owned by such countries, state-owned enterprises in those nations, or companies domiciled there, with full divestment mandated by January 1, 2028. Affected funds must identify and eliminate these holdings, reducing prohibited investments to less than 0.05% of total assets. The law applies specifically to state-managed funds, including public retirement systems and public university endowments, and defines "foreign adversaries" as U.S.-designated hostile nations.

Maddy summaryHB 2387 increases the size of Oklahoma's Commission for Rehabilitation Services from three to seven members by adding appointments: two additional members appointed by the Senate President Pro Tempore, two by the Governor, and one by the House Speaker. The bill specifies staggered terms for the new members, with appointments beginning July 1, 2025, and sets the effective date for November 1, 2025. This procedural change modifies the commission's membership structure without altering the agency's duties or programs.