SB 158 Oklahoma Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Severe weather tracking creating the Oklahoma Emergency Weather Response and Tracking Regulatory Act of 2025. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 158 creates a licensing system for professional severe weather trackers working with Oklahoma media outlets or higher education institutions offering meteorology programs. It requires trackers to obtain licenses from "Service Oklahoma," pass background checks, maintain vehicle displays with license numbers, and provide insurance documentation. The bill establishes a $500 initial annual fee (renewing for $250) deposited into the Severe Weather Tracker Licensure Fund to cover administrative costs. This directly affects media outlets, universities with meteorology programs, and the weather tracking professionals they employ.

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2025 Last action Feb 19, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Committee Substitute · 8 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from an Introduced version to a Committee Substitute version, simplifying the regulatory framework by removing the state licensing requirement and replacing it with a credentialing system managed directly by media outlets and educational institutions. The changes also expanded the definition of qualified media outlets to include radio stations, updated the list of significant weather events to be more inclusive, and added new requirements for emergency driving courses and liability insurance for professional severe weather trackers.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from creating a state-administered licensing system to establishing a credentialing program where qualified entities manage their own professional severe weather trackers with fewer state regulatory burdens.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the requirement for professional severe weather trackers to obtain a state license from Service Oklahoma and replaced it with a credentialing system managed by the hiring media outlet or educational institution.

Added a requirement for professional severe weather trackers to complete an emergency driving course administered by a law enforcement entity.

Added a requirement for professional severe weather trackers to maintain liability insurance of at least $1,000,000.

Added a limit of five professional severe weather trackers per qualified media outlet or educational institution.

Added requirements for media outlets and institutions to publicly maintain a list of their hired professional severe weather trackers on a website.

DEFINITION

Expanded the definition of qualified media outlets to include radio broadcasting stations in addition to television stations.

Updated the definition of significant weather events to include more specific conditions and removed redundant language about chief meteorologists.

ENFORCEMENT

Simplified the vehicle marking requirements by removing the requirement to display the state license number and FCC license number on vehicles.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 19, 2025

Committee

Referred to Appropriations

upper

Feb 19, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Retirement and Government Resources committee; CR filed

upper

Feb 3, 2025

Introduced

First Reading

upper

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors