HB 2917 Oklahoma House · 2025 Regular Session

Agricultural education; Ag in the Classroom Education Revolving Fund; Agricultural Awareness license plates; funding; program expansion; effective date.

HB 2917 establishes Oklahoma's "Ag in the Classroom Program" under the State Department of Agriculture to educate students from pre-K through 12th grade about agriculture. It directs $24 of the $27 fee for Agricultural Awareness license plates into a dedicated revolving fund, with any excess funds specifically allocated to expand the program into urban schools. The bill gives the Department exclusive control over the program, requiring it to develop curricula, train teachers, and collaborate with education partners using these funds. The program will operate as a continuing fund without annual budget restrictions, effective November 1, 2025. This directly affects Oklahoma public schools, teachers, and students through enhanced agricultural education resources.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2025 Last action Feb 17, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Proposed Committee Substitute (sub committee) 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended by the subcommittee to replace the entire original text with a new version that clarifies the State Department of Agriculture's exclusive control over the Ag in the Classroom Program, updates the program's purpose and duties, and reorganizes the effective date and codification sections. The substantive policy content regarding fees, fund creation, and program operations remains largely unchanged but is now presented with clearer structure and authority language.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on agricultural education through the Ag in the Classroom Program, but the amendment clarifies that the State Department of Agriculture has exclusive control over the program and no other state entity may have authority over it.

REQUIREMENT

Added explicit language stating the State Department of Agriculture has exclusive control and authority over the Ag in the Classroom Program, with no other state agency having authority over it.

Reorganized the bill's structure to include a new Section 1 establishing the program's purpose and Department duties, followed by Section 2 amending the existing statute.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill's title and summary to better reflect the program's purpose and the Department's responsibilities.

Changed the bill's reference number from 60-1-11313 to 60-1-12474 to reflect the subcommittee amendment.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 17, 2025

Lower · Passed

Recommendation to the full committee; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Appropriations and Budget Natural Resources Subcommittee

lower

Feb 4, 2025

Committee

Referred to Appropriations and Budget Natural Resources Subcommittee

lower

Feb 3, 2025

Introduced

First Reading

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors