Open Meeting Act; violations; allowing the Attorney General to enter into a consent order or issue a finding of violation to a public body, agency, or officer; effective date.
HB 3278 amends Oklahoma's Open Meeting Act to give the Attorney General new enforcement powers over public bodies, agencies, or officers that violate the law. The bill allows the Attorney General to enter consent orders requiring compliance training for first-time violations or impose civil penalties up to $150 per violation, and issue findings of violation requiring compliance, training, or penalties up to $300 per violation. Public bodies must provide proof of compliance, and the Attorney General can seek court enforcement if violations continue. The law, effective January 1, 2027, creates a structured process for resolving violations without requiring criminal charges or civil lawsuits.
Bill status
vetoed
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Vetoed
May 2026
Introduced Feb 2, 2026
Vetoed May 4, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
Floor (House)
→
Floor (Senate)
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was converted from the House version to the Senate floor version, resulting in significant formatting changes, updated page headers, and a new section (Section J) regarding service procedures for findings of violation. The core policy language regarding penalties and enforcement remains largely consistent, though minor phrasing adjustments were made to clarify attorney fee requirements and court jurisdiction.
Scope change
The bill's substantive scope and applicability remain unchanged; the primary differences are procedural formatting and the addition of a specific service procedure clause.
TECHNICAL
Added a new Section J requiring that findings of violation be served on the public body, agency, or officer.
Updated page headers and document titles to reflect the Senate floor version instead of the House floor version.
Corrected minor grammatical phrasing in the description of the Attorney General's discretion regarding consent orders.
REQUIREMENT
Adjusted phrasing in the attorney fee section to clarify that fees are required for bad-faith violations and to specify that fees are paid to the court rather than directly to the Attorney General.
Floor votes · Senate Apr 28, 2026 · House Mar 10, 2026
How they voted
47–0
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 50
Apr 28, 2026
D
Democratic9
77% Yea
R
Republican41
97% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
24
Key actions
7
Committee
6
May 4, 2026
Vetoed
Vetoed 05/01/2026
lower
Apr 28, 2026
Committee
Referred for enrollment
lower
Apr 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Engrossed measure signed, returned to House
upper
Apr 28, 2026
Upper · Passed
Measure passed: Ayes: 45 Nays: 0
upper
Apr 14, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported Do Pass Judiciary committee; CR filed
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Introduced
First Reading
upper
Mar 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Engrossed, signed, to Senate
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Committee
Referred for engrossment
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 82 Nays: 4
lower
Feb 24, 2026
Lower · Passed
CR; Do Pass Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee
lower
Feb 5, 2026
Lower · Passed
Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass Civil Judiciary
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Committee
Referred to Civil Judiciary
lower
Feb 2, 2026
Introduced
First Reading
lower
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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