HB 1120: Elections; prohibiting implementation; federal election guidance; legislative approval; notice; State Election Board; effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 6 edits

MODERATE

The Senate amended HB 1120 to expand notice requirements for election officials, clarify what constitutes 'new federal election funds,' and adjust reporting deadlines. The bill now requires broader notification to state officials when federal election guidance is received and adds specific exceptions for classified information and litigation threats.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include the director of any state agency receiving federal election directives, not just election board officials. The definition of 'new federal election funds' was narrowed to exclude Help America Vote Act funding and certain homeland security grants.

REQUIREMENT

Expanded written notice requirements to include the Attorney General when federal election directives are received, and added a 10-day deadline for providing notice.

Added new exception allowing election officials to withhold notice about classified, confidential, or sensitive information, or if providing notice would violate federal or state law.

Added requirement that if new federal election funds become available while the Legislature is not in session, approval must come from the Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Senate Appropriations Committee Chair, and House Appropriations and Budget Committee Chair.

Added requirement that the Secretary of the State Election Board must publish federal fund balances on the State Election Board's website by January 15, 2026, and annually thereafter, with a provision for publishing on the next business day if January 15 falls on a weekend or state holiday.

FISCAL

Narrowed the definition of 'new federal election funds' to exclude Help America Vote Act grants and Cybersecurity or Physical Security subgrants from the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security.

ENFORCEMENT

Expanded the notice requirement to include notification of litigation filed against or official threats of litigation against the State Election Board or county election boards by federal agencies.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove the 'Proposed Policy Committee' designation, update the title to reflect new provisions about amending existing statutes, and add a new section that amends 26 O.S. 2021 Section 16-114 to extend penalties to the State Election Board for failure to perform duties. The amendment also clarifies the definition of 'new federal election funds' and adjusts publication requirements for fund disclosures.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include amendments to existing state law regarding penalties for election officials, and the definition of federal election funds was broadened to include Cybersecurity or Physical Security subgrants.

TECHNICAL

Removed 'Proposed Policy' designation from the bill title and committee substitute header, changing it to standard 'Committee Substitute'.

Updated bill tracking numbers from Req. No. 12519 to Req. No. 13281 throughout the document.

ENFORCEMENT

Added new Section 3 amending 26 O.S. 2021 Section 16-114 to extend misdemeanor penalties for failure to perform lawful duties to the State Election Board itself, not just individual officials.

DEFINITION

Clarified that 'new federal election funds' excludes funding under the Help America Vote Act, Cybersecurity or Physical Security subgrants from the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, and any other federal funding authorized by state law.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that fund disclosure publication must occur on the next business day if January 15 falls on a weekend or state holiday.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from a 'Proposed Oversight Committee Substitute' to a 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' with minor formatting adjustments. The substantive policy content remains largely the same, though some line numbers and page references were updated during the committee review process.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are primarily procedural and formatting-related.

TECHNICAL

Bill title changed from 'Proposed Oversight Committee Substitute' to 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute'

Committee amendment header updated from 'FULLPCS1' to 'POLPCS1' with revised timestamp

Page reference numbers and request numbers updated during committee processing

Minor formatting adjustments to section headers and line breaks

Engrossed → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was completely rewritten in committee, replacing the original text with a new version that maintains the core purpose of requiring legislative approval before implementing federal election directives and publishing federal election fund balances. The substantive policy provisions remain largely the same, with minor formatting and structural adjustments.

TECHNICAL

The entire bill text was replaced with a committee substitute version that retains the same substantive provisions but uses different formatting and page numbering.

Header information changed from 'ENGROSSED HOUSE' to 'PROPOSED OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' indicating this is a revised version after committee review.

Page numbering and formatting were reorganized to reflect the committee's markup process, though the actual legal content remains substantively unchanged.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 17, 2025

MINOR

The bill was updated from its original introduced version to an engrossed version with minor formatting adjustments and a change in the effective date. The core policy content regarding election guidance and federal funds remains substantially the same, though the effective date was moved from July 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are primarily formatting and the effective date.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the act was changed from July 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was updated from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' and the bill title was slightly reworded for clarity.

Minor formatting changes to line numbers and spacing throughout the document.

Elections; prohibiting implementation; federal election guidance; legislative approval; notice; State Election Board; effective date.

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors