HB 4153: Driver licenses; eighth grade reading level for minors to obtain a driver license; reading proficiency tests; documentation requirements; requirement for school enrollment, completion, or lawful excuse for minors to obtain a driver license; violations; alternate route to obtain driver license for certain employed persons under eighteen; employer fines for falsification; attendance officers; Service Oklahoma; license cancellation; definitions; exceptions; forms; effective date; emergency. - Oklahoma

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill text was reformatted from a 'Committee Substitute' draft to the official 'Floor Version' for the House. While the layout and page numbering were updated, the substantive policy language regarding reading proficiency requirements for minors remains identical to the previous version.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability has not changed; it still applies to minors under eighteen seeking driver licenses in Oklahoma.

TECHNICAL

The header was updated to reflect the 'Floor Version' status, and page footers were changed to match the House's official formatting style.

The list of sponsors was updated to include 'Pugh of the Senate' alongside 'Hasenbeck of the House' in the new version.

The internal reference number 'Req. No. 17064' was removed from the page headers as it is no longer needed for the final floor version.

The text was reorganized to remove indentation artifacts and ensure consistent spacing, but the actual legal text of the act remains unchanged.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 4 edits

MODERATE

The House Committee Substitute replaced the original 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' text, which was entirely deleted. The new version updates the bill's title to reflect the changes and reorganizes the content into a standard statutory format. Substantively, the bill retains its core requirement that minors must demonstrate eighth-grade reading proficiency to obtain a driver license, but it adds specific provisions for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and expands the role of attendance officers in notifying the state of student withdrawals.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on driver licensing requirements for minors, but the applicability is now more explicitly defined for students with disabilities through new IEP-related documentation options.

TECHNICAL

The original 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' header and formatting were removed and replaced with a standard 'Committee Substitute' title.

REQUIREMENT

The bill text was restructured to include specific criteria for public school students, including the option to take alternative reading proficiency tests if the initial assessment is unsuccessful.

The bill now explicitly requires attendance officers to notify the Service Oklahoma of certain student withdrawals, adding a new administrative step to the process.

ELIGIBILITY

New provisions were added allowing students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) related to reading to satisfy the reading proficiency requirement through alternative documentation.

Engrossed → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was amended to replace the entire text with a revised version that clarifies the requirement for minors to demonstrate eighth-grade reading proficiency to obtain a driver license. The changes primarily involve renumbering and reformatting the legal sections to conform to the new committee substitute, ensuring the reading test requirements, alternative testing options, and documentation rules are clearly stated in the updated statutory language.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on driver license requirements for minors, but the text has been completely rewritten to reflect the committee's preferred version of the law, which may include subtle clarifications or structural improvements to the existing requirements.

TECHNICAL

The entire text of the bill was replaced with a new version (Proposed Policy Committee Substitute) that renumbers sections and updates formatting, while maintaining the core policy of requiring an eighth-grade reading level for minors seeking a driver license.

Introduced → Engrossed · 2 edits · Mar 24, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to update internal references from 'Section 6' to 'Section 2' to align with the new numbering structure. Additionally, the requirement for attendance officers to notify the Department of Public Safety was changed to notify 'Service Oklahoma,' likely reflecting a reorganization of state services.

Scope change

The bill's substantive scope regarding reading proficiency requirements for driver's licenses remains unchanged, but the administrative body responsible for receiving withdrawal notifications was updated.

TECHNICAL

Updated internal cross-references within the text to change citations from 'Section 6' to 'Section 2' to match the bill's new structure.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the recipient of student withdrawal notifications from the 'Department of Public Safety' to 'Service Oklahoma.'

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