Community health workers; creating the Oklahoma Community Health Workers Act; definitions; establishment of certificate; voluntary certification; powers; rules; fees; effective date.

Changed the definition of 'Core competencies' from referring to skills 'a certified community health worker is expected to demonstrate' to 'are defined as the knowledge and skills a certified community health worker is expected to demonstrate' for grammatical clarity.

Changed 'community health workers' to 'community health care workers' in several partnership and outreach provisions to ensure consistent terminology throughout the bill.

Updated the list of powers for certified community health workers to include 'listing powers of community health worker' in the summary description, though the specific authorized functions remain largely the same.

Added language affirming private employer discretion in community health worker hiring to clarify that the certification does not mandate employer participation.

Modified the rule-making authority section to allow the Commissioner to establish partnerships with faith-based organizations through the Department or one or more designees, adding flexibility in implementation.

Added specific eligibility requirements including minimum of 1,000 practical hours and recommendation from a supervising provider for the work experience pathway to certification.

Added definition of 'Core competencies' to clarify the knowledge and skills expected of certified community health workers.

Added new provision requiring certified community health workers to serve as liaisons including faith-based organizations to improve access to services and cultural competence.

Added new Section 4 subsection B requiring the Commissioner to promulgate rules establishing partnerships with faith-based organizations for training, certification, and outreach programs.

Modified certification criteria language to include 'renewing' certificates and added 'uphold health standards and safety' language in the revocation criteria.

Changed bill title from 'AS INTRODUCED' to 'ENGROSSED HOUSE' and updated sponsor list to include additional representatives.

Added new effective date section (Section 5) specifying November 1, 2025 as the effective date, replacing the original Section 5.

Bill title changed from 'PROPOSED POLICY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' to 'COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' to reflect the final committee version before House consideration.

Section numbers were renumbered throughout the document (e.g., Section 2 became Section 3, Section 3 became Section 4) to align with the committee's final version numbering.

Request number updated from 12494 to 13185 and date changed from 02/14/25 to 03/05/25, indicating the committee's final processing date.

Minor formatting adjustments including spacing and line breaks were made throughout the document for consistency with committee standards.

Changed committee designation from 'Proposed Oversight Committee Substitute' to 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' throughout the document

Updated bill sponsor attribution from 'Ellyn Hefner' to 'Cynthia Roe' in the amendment section header

Changed document reference numbers from 'Req. No. 12989' to 'Req. No. 12494' to match the new policy committee version

Updated bill header date from 3/3/2025 to 2/17/2025 reflecting the policy committee processing date