HB 2771: Courts; special judges; increasing number in specific counties; effective date; emergency. - Oklahoma

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from a House Committee Substitute version to the Floor version for the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The substantive content of the bill remains unchanged, including provisions for increasing special judges in specific counties based on population thresholds and effective dates. The primary changes are formatting, page numbering, and header information rather than policy modifications.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; changes are limited to formatting and document metadata.

TECHNICAL

Header information was updated to reflect 'HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION' instead of 'COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE'

Page numbering and footer information were reorganized to match floor version formatting standards

Committee report section was updated with floor version date and approval language

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 2 → House Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to simplify the special judge appointment process by removing specific county-by-county allocations and replacing them with a general population-based formula. The amendment also updated the effective date to July 1, 2025, and streamlined the language regarding additional judge appointments. This change makes the special judge system more flexible and easier to administer across different judicial districts.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from specific county allocations to a general population-based formula for appointing special judges, making it applicable to all counties meeting the population thresholds rather than specific named counties.

TIMELINE

The effective date for special judge appointments was updated to July 1, 2025, replacing multiple earlier dates for specific counties.

REQUIREMENT

Specific county-by-county special judge allocations were removed and replaced with a general formula based on county population thresholds (24,000 minimum, plus one for each additional 50,000).

TECHNICAL

Formatting and structural changes were made to the bill text, including removing redundant committee amendment language and streamlining the act's title and sections.

ENFORCEMENT

The provision allowing the Chief Justice to authorize additional special judges was retained but simplified to remove specific county references.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was substantially rewritten to expand its scope from only special judges to also include amendments authorizing additional district judges in specific judicial districts. The original text focused solely on special judge appointments based on county population, while the new version adds provisions for increasing district judge counts in Districts 7, 26, and others, along with new effective dates and emergency declarations.

Scope change

The bill now covers both special judges and district judges across multiple judicial districts, expanding from a single focus on special judge appointments to include district court judicial staffing increases.

SCOPE

Added amendments to increase authorized district judges from 15 to 16 in District Court Judicial District 7, from 2 to 3 in District Court Judicial District 26, and added additional judge at large provisions.

TIMELINE

Changed effective dates for special judge appointments in some districts from 2024 to 2025 and adjusted the January 11, 1999 date to January 1, 2006 for certain districts.

REQUIREMENT

Reorganized the special judge appointment structure to clarify population thresholds and administrative district assignments.

ENFORCEMENT

Added emergency declaration language to allow immediate implementation of the expanded judicial staffing provisions.

Enrolled (final version) → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to replace the entire text with a committee substitute version that corrects formatting errors and resolves conflicting provisions about special judge appointments. The substantive policy content regarding special judge numbers, effective dates, and district allocations remains largely unchanged from the enrolled version.

TECHNICAL

Removed redundant header information and formatting inconsistencies between the enrolled and committee versions

Corrected line breaks and spacing throughout the document for proper legislative formatting

Resolved duplicate text sections and inconsistent numbering in the special judge appointment provisions

POLICY

Core provisions regarding special judge appointment numbers, effective dates, and district allocations remain the same

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 3 edits · May 22, 2025

MINOR

The bill was finalized from its engrossed version to enrolled version, adding standard signature blocks for the Governor and Secretary of State. The substantive legislative content regarding special judge appointments remained unchanged, with only minor formatting adjustments to the page layout and header information.

TECHNICAL

Added signature and approval sections for the Governor and Secretary of State, which are standard requirements for enrolled bills but were missing from the engrossed version.

Changed the bill title from 'ENGROSSED HOUSE' to 'ENROLLED HOUSE' to reflect its final status after passage by both legislative chambers and gubernatorial approval.

Adjusted page numbering and formatting throughout the document to match official enrolled bill standards.

Introduced → Engrossed · 5 edits · May 22, 2025

MODERATE

The bill text was completely replaced with a new version of HB 2771. The original bill text about public finance and the Budget and Finance Act of 2025 was removed and replaced with new text relating to courts and special judges. This represents a complete change in the bill's subject matter from budget matters to judicial staffing.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed entirely from public finance/budget legislation to judicial administration and special judge appointments.

SCOPE

Removed all text related to the Budget and Finance Act of 2025, including provisions about public finance, noncodification, and an effective date of November 1, 2025.

Added new text establishing HB 2771 as legislation relating to courts, specifically amending 20 O.S. 2021, Section 122 regarding special judges.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date from November 1, 2025 to July 1, 2025, and added specific effective dates for special judge appointments in various districts (ranging from 1999 to 2025).

REQUIREMENT

Added specific requirements for appointing special judges in various judicial administrative districts, including population-based formulas and fixed appointment numbers for specific counties.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill title from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' and updated sponsor information to include additional Senate sponsors (Hall and Haste).

Courts; special judges; increasing number in specific counties; effective date; emergency.

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