HB 2166: Definitions and general provisions; newspapers; notices; publications; effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to transition from a House floor version to a Senate floor version, incorporating specific changes to the requirements for newspapers to qualify as 'legal newspapers' for publishing official notices. The most significant change is the introduction of a new category for 'nonperiodical permit newspapers,' which allows publications that do not issue daily editions to qualify if they meet strict criteria regarding subscription counts, news content, and independent audits. Additionally, the requirements for nonperiodical newspapers were expanded to include a petition process with the district court and a ban on prohibited advertisements.

Scope change

The scope of the bill was expanded to explicitly include 'nonperiodical permit newspapers' as a distinct legal category, whereas the original House version primarily focused on standard periodical newspapers.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new eligibility category for 'nonperiodical permit newspapers' that allows publications with less frequent issues to qualify for legal notice publication if they meet specific circulation and content standards.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for nonperiodical newspapers to undergo an independent industry audit to verify circulation and content accuracy before and annually after qualifying.

Mandated that nonperiodical newspapers petition the district court for authorization to carry legal notices and publish a notice of intent in a local newspaper before filing.

Prohibited nonperiodical newspapers from knowingly carrying advertisements that are prohibited by state or federal law.

Updated the definition of news content requirements for nonperiodical newspapers to specify that content must include general local news, reports of local events, and government proceedings.

DEFINITION

Added a requirement for nonperiodical newspapers to publish an annual statement of ownership, management, and circulation in an issue dated near October 1st.

HB2166 (4-29-25) (COLEMAN) WDFA2.PDF → Floor (House) · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill transforms the definition of a 'legal newspaper' in Oklahoma by adding a new category for 'nonperiodical permit newspapers' alongside existing periodical newspapers. It establishes strict eligibility criteria for nonperiodicals, including a mandatory 104-week publication history, a minimum of 25% news content, and a requirement for an independent circulation audit. Crucially, it introduces a judicial oversight mechanism where nonperiodical newspapers must petition a district court for authorization to publish legal notices, with the court retaining the power to revoke that authority if standards are not maintained.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of entities eligible to publish legal notices to include nonperiodical publications, provided they meet rigorous new standards and obtain court approval.

ELIGIBILITY

Created a new eligibility category for 'nonperiodical permit newspapers' that must meet specific criteria to publish legal notices.

REQUIREMENT

Mandated that nonperiodical newspapers must publish at least once per week for 104 consecutive weeks prior to qualification.

Required nonperiodical newspapers to maintain a minimum of 25% news content and conduct an independent audit of their circulation and content.

Mandated that nonperiodical newspapers publish an annual ownership and circulation statement and display specific identification details on every issue.

ENFORCEMENT

Established a requirement for nonperiodical newspapers to petition a district court for authorization to publish legal notices, with the court empowered to revoke this authority.

HB2166 (4-29-25) (COLEMAN) FA2.PDF → HB2166 (4-29-25) (COLEMAN) WDFA2.PDF · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill version was updated from a draft to a final version, indicated by the change in the filename suffix and the timestamp. The only substantive change is the date, which was updated from April 29, 2025, to April 29, 2026, likely reflecting a revision in the legislative timeline or a clerical correction for the final filing.

Scope change

No change to the bill's scope or applicability.

TIMELINE

The document timestamp was updated from April 29, 2025, to April 29, 2026, indicating a revision in the filing date or version control.

HB2166 (4-28-25) (COLEMAN) WDFA1.PDF → HB2166 (4-29-25) (COLEMAN) FA2.PDF · 2 edits

MINOR

The amendment corrects the text of the bill to strike language through Line 17 instead of Line 18, ensuring the deletion aligns with the intended scope. Additionally, the document metadata was updated to reflect a revised version number (FA2) and a slightly later timestamp, indicating a technical correction to the legislative record.

Scope change

The amendment clarifies the specific lines to be deleted, ensuring the bill's text is amended precisely as intended without over-deleting or under-deleting content.

TECHNICAL

The amendment text was adjusted to strike language through Line 17 rather than Line 18, correcting the scope of the deletion to match the legislative intent.

The document version identifier was updated from 'CAD-FA' to 'CAD-FA2', and the timestamp was updated to 2:31 PM, reflecting a revised version of the bill.

HB2166 (4-28-25) (COLEMAN) FA1.PDF → HB2166 (4-28-25) (COLEMAN) WDFA1.PDF · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill's metadata was updated to reflect a new version date and time, likely indicating a revision or resubmission of the document. No substantive policy changes were made to the bill's scope, funding, or requirements.

TECHNICAL

The document timestamp was changed from April 28, 2025, at 1:55 PM to April 29, 2025, at 2:30 PM, indicating a version update.

House Committee Substitute → HB2166 (4-28-25) (COLEMAN) FA1.PDF · 1 edit

MINOR

The document provided is a legislative amendment record rather than a comparison of the bill's text itself. It shows that Senator Coleman submitted a floor amendment to House Bill 2166, proposing to delete specific language regarding the required content of the newspaper's identification box on the front page. No substantive policy changes, such as new definitions, funding, or eligibility criteria, were added or removed in this specific amendment.

REQUIREMENT

Proposed deletion of requirements for specific details (like email addresses and subscription info) to be included in the newspaper's front-page identification box.

Enrolled (final version) → House Committee Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to clarify that it modifies existing publication provisions rather than creating new ones, and to replace references to 'excusable failure' with 'excusable failure with respect to continuity of publication.' Additionally, the effective date provision was added to the title. These changes refine the bill's language for clarity and precision without altering the core requirements for newspapers to publish legal notices.

Scope change

The scope remains focused on defining legal newspapers and their requirements for publishing legal notices in Oklahoma, with no change in applicability.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was updated to replace 'providing publication provisions' with 'modifying certain publication provisions' and 'relating to the continuity of publication and the failure to maintain continuous and consecutive publication' with 'modifying provisions related to excusable failure with respect to continuity of publication.'

An effective date provision was added to the bill title.

Minor formatting and spacing adjustments were made throughout the text, including the removal of redundant capitalization in the requirements list.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 1 edit · Mar 26, 2025

MINOR

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, confirming its passage into law. The text was cleaned up to remove draft markers and page numbers, while the substantive legal requirements for newspapers remained consistent with the previous engrossed version.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains unchanged; it continues to regulate which newspapers can publish legal notices in Oklahoma.

TECHNICAL

Removed draft-specific formatting, such as 'ENGROSSED' headers, page numbers, and bracketed line numbers, to produce the final clean text of the law.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 25, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to update terminology from 'periodical' to 'nonperiodical' and to clarify the requirements for newspapers publishing legal notices. The changes ensure consistent language throughout the statute and refine the definition of 'news content' to explicitly include local events, government proceedings, and feature stories. Additionally, the bill now specifies that audits verifying a newspaper's status must be available to the public at no cost within five business days or continuously on the newspaper's website.

Scope change

The scope of applicability remains focused on newspapers publishing legal notices in Oklahoma, but the definitions and operational requirements for qualifying as a 'legal newspaper' were refined to ensure clarity and public accessibility of audit data.

DEFINITION

Terminology was updated to change 'periodical' to 'nonperiodical' in multiple sections to ensure consistent language across the statute.

The definition of 'news content' was expanded to explicitly list local events, government proceedings, feature stories, graphics, photographs, and letters to the editor.

REQUIREMENT

Requirements for audit availability were clarified to mandate that audit results be provided to the public at no cost within five business days or made continuously available on the newspaper's website.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting and punctuation adjustments were made to improve readability and consistency in the text.

Definitions and general provisions; newspapers; notices; publications; effective date.

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