HB 4159: Education; dyslexia screenings; increasing when screenings are given for certain students; requiring the Department of Education to notify parents of the option to request dyslexia screening; effective date. - Oklahoma

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was renumbered and reformatted to reflect its status as a floor version after committee amendments. The substantive policy content regarding dyslexia screening requirements, reporting deadlines, and effective dates remains unchanged from the committee substitute version.

TECHNICAL

The header was updated to identify the document as the 'House of Representatives - Floor Version' instead of the 'Committee Substitute'.

The bill title and sponsor information were reformatted to include the Senate co-author (Alvord) and adjusted line spacing.

Page footers and headers were updated to reflect the floor version numbering and added a note indicating that bold face text denotes committee amendments.

POLICY

The core legislative text regarding dyslexia screening mandates, data reporting requirements, and the effective date of November 1, 2026, was not substantively altered.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 2 edits

MINOR

The House Committee Substitute removed the 'Proposed Policy' designation, indicating the bill has moved past the initial policy review stage. The effective date was changed from July 1, 2026, to November 1, 2026, delaying the implementation of dyslexia screening requirements. Additionally, the document tracking numbers were updated to reflect the new committee version.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on dyslexia screening and reporting, but the timeline for implementation has been extended.

TIMELINE

The effective date for the act was delayed from July 1, 2026, to November 1, 2026.

TECHNICAL

The document header was updated from 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' to 'Committee Substitute', and the tracking number changed from 16194 to 17020.

Engrossed → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to replace the entire text with a new version that clarifies the Department of Education's role in notifying parents about dyslexia screenings and adds an emergency clause to allow immediate implementation. The effective date was moved from November 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026, and the document was reclassified as a Proposed Policy Committee Substitute.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on dyslexia screening for students in grades K-3, but the procedural requirements for notification and the timeline for enforcement were modified.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the notification requirement to specify that the Department of Education must notify parents of the option to request screenings, removing references to legal guardians and other school staff.

TIMELINE

Advanced the effective date of the act from November 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026.

ENFORCEMENT

Added an emergency clause declaring that the act is immediately necessary for public safety, allowing it to take effect immediately upon passage rather than waiting for a standard effective date.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 23, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to replace a placeholder title with a specific description of its purpose: improving dyslexia screenings for K-3 students. The substantive policy content regarding screening requirements, data reporting, and effective dates remains unchanged, though the effective date was updated to November 1, 2026, to align with the new legislative session.

Scope change

The bill's scope is now explicitly defined as relating to education and dyslexia screenings, replacing a generic 'Education Reform Act' title.

TECHNICAL

The bill title was changed from a generic 'Education Reform Act of 2026' to a specific description detailing the amendment of 70 O.S. 2021, Section 1210.520 regarding dyslexia screenings.

Added sponsor information (Hasenbeck of the House and Alvord of the Senate) and formatted the bill as an 'Engrossed House Bill' rather than an 'Introduced' bill.

TIMELINE

The effective date was updated from November 1, 2026 (in the original draft) to November 1, 2026 (in the engrossed version), reflecting the new legislative session year.

Education; dyslexia screenings; increasing when screenings are given for certain students; requiring the Department of Education to notify parents of the option to request dyslexia screening; effective date.

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