Oklahoma Open Meeting Act; authorizing executive session for discussion of certain sale, lease, or acquisition; limiting parties allowed to participate in executive session for certain purposes. Effective date.
SB 491 amends the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, which dictates how public bodies conduct their meetings. The bill expands the circumstances under which public bodies can hold closed-door executive sessions to include discussions about certain sales, leases, or acquisitions of property. It also places new limitations on who is permitted to participate in executive sessions for specific purposes. These changes affect the operational transparency of public bodies in Oklahoma.
Bill status
passed both
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Governor
Introduced Feb 3, 2025
Last action May 19, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
Floor (House)
→
Floor (Senate)
·
3 edits
MINOR
This bill version transitioned from the House floor to the Senate floor, with the Senate adding a new public body (Oklahoma Health Research Committee) to the list of entities authorized to hold executive sessions. The Senate also added formatting changes including a date and adjusted line spacing throughout the document.
Scope change
Expanded the list of public bodies authorized to hold executive sessions by adding the Oklahoma Health Research Committee as a new eligible entity.
ELIGIBILITY
Added the Oklahoma Health Research Committee to the list of public bodies permitted to hold executive sessions for research and development matters.
TECHNICAL
Added February 25, 2025 date to the Senate floor version header.
Adjusted formatting and line spacing throughout the document to match Senate floor version standards.
Floor votes
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
23
Key actions
6
Committee
6
May 8, 2025
Committee
Referred for enrollment
upper
May 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 89 Nays: 2
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
CR; Do Pass Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee
lower
Apr 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass Civil Judiciary
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Committee
Referred to Civil Judiciary
lower
Mar 31, 2025
Introduced
First Reading
lower
Mar 31, 2025
Upper · Passed
Engrossed to House
upper
Mar 27, 2025
Committee
Referred for engrossment
upper
Mar 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Measure passed: Ayes: 36 Nays: 7
upper
Feb 25, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported Do Pass Judiciary committee; CR filed
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
First Reading
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Ask Maddy
·
AI policy assistant
Ask Maddy about SB 491
Scope: OK
Hi! I can help you understand SB 491. What would you like to know?
Try one of these
i
Maddy answers using official bill text and legislative records. Always verify before sharing.
Sources cited inline