HB 1458: Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System; death benefits; beneficiaries; transfer; disclaimer; time period; liability; effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from House floor version to Senate floor version, with substantive changes to death benefit amounts, probate waiver requirements, and new provisions for transferring death benefits to funeral directors.

Scope change

The bill now includes provisions for transferring death benefits to funeral directors or licensed funeral service businesses, which was not present in the original House version.

FISCAL

Death benefit amounts were clarified: $4,000 for members who died before July 1, 1999, and $5,000 for those who died on or after that date.

REQUIREMENT

New requirement added that the disclaimer of death benefits must be in writing and must be an irrevocable and unqualified refusal to accept all or a portion of the benefits.

Added provisions allowing beneficiaries to transfer death benefits to licensed funeral directors or lawfully recognized funeral service businesses.

Probate waiver requirements were expanded to include additional documentation such as current contact information for heirs, statements about pending probate applications, descriptions of personal property claimed, and affidavits from non-heirs familiar with the deceased's affairs.

Added requirement that all debts of the deceased member, including medical, funeral, and burial expenses, must be paid or provided for before probate can be waived.

Enrolled (final version) → Floor (House) · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reformatted from an enrolled version to a floor version, with minor text adjustments and formatting changes throughout. The substantive policy content regarding death benefits, probate waivers, and disclaimer procedures remains unchanged. The primary differences are formatting, page numbering, and the addition of committee amendment markers.

Scope change

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

TECHNICAL

Header formatting changed from 'ENROLLED HOUSE' to 'HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION' with updated bill number placement

Act title text adjusted with line breaks and spacing changes but no substantive policy differences

Added page numbers and committee amendment markers (BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments) indicating this is a floor version

Minor text spacing and indentation adjustments throughout the statutory sections without changing legal meaning

Removed enrolled version signatures and dates from House and Senate passages

Added floor version header information including bill number RBH No. 11377 and session information

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 5 edits · May 12, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was finalized and enrolled for signature, with minor formatting and organizational changes to the header and page numbering. The substantive policy content regarding death benefits, probate waivers, and disclaimer procedures remains unchanged from the engrossed version.

TECHNICAL

Header changed from 'ENGROSSED HOUSE' to 'ENROLLED HOUSE' indicating final version ready for governor's signature

Page numbering and bill reference numbers were adjusted to reflect enrolled status

Added 'SUBJECT' line for Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System

Minor reformatting of line breaks and spacing in the text body

Removed blank lines and formatting artifacts from the engrossed version

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · May 1, 2025

MODERATE

This bill updates the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System death benefit procedures, clarifying transfer requirements and disclaimer processes. The changes refine how death benefits are transferred to funeral directors or licensed entities and establish clearer rules for beneficiaries disclaiming benefits, including age-based transfer provisions.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on death benefit administration but clarifies procedural requirements for benefit transfers and disclaimers.

REQUIREMENT

Updated disclaimer procedures to specify that disclaimers must be in writing and irrevocable, with benefits transferring to funeral directors or licensed funeral service businesses.

Clarified that death benefits transfer to a disclaiming person's estate when they reach age 21, without requiring direction from the disclaiming person.

Adjusted language regarding System liability release and removed requirement for the System to inquire into truth of matters related to benefit transfers.

TECHNICAL

Corrected formatting and section numbering throughout the document to reflect engrossed status.

Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System; death benefits; beneficiaries; transfer; disclaimer; time period; liability; effective date.

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