SB 1670: Higher education; directing certain model policy established by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to include certain tiered system of ownership. Effective date. Emergency. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from the House version to the Senate floor version, resulting in significant substantive changes to how research and development are managed. The Senate version replaces the House's single policy model with a tiered ownership system and expands the scope of research activities to explicitly include profit-driven commercialization. It also broadens the list of encouraged technologies to include industrial and aerospace sectors, and adds requirements to track financial relationships and equity interests with private businesses.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a general research policy to a specific framework for commercializing technology for profit, including new categories of technology and financial tracking requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced the requirement for a single adaptable model policy with a mandatory tiered ownership system based on revenue generated from new technology.

Added a requirement to ensure inventors and discoverers receive competitive compensation compared to similarly situated institutions.

Added new mandates to track expenses, financial relationships, equity interests, and royalty income related to private business entities.

SCOPE

Expanded the list of encouraged technologies to include industrial technology, aerospace, and autonomous systems.

DEFINITION

Broadened the definition of research to explicitly include activities aimed at developing products or ideas for profit in cooperation with private businesses.

SB1670 (3-11-26) (REINHARDT) FA1.PDF → Floor (House) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was moved from the Senate chamber to the House floor for final passage, retaining its core purpose of updating Oklahoma's higher education research policies. The text includes specific additions to encourage development in aerospace and defense technologies and establishes a tiered ownership system based on revenue generation.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, specifically regarding research partnerships with private businesses and intellectual property rights.

REQUIREMENT

Added a specific category to encourage the development of aerospace and defense technologies alongside medical, biotech, and energy sectors.

Mandated a tiered system of ownership for technology developed at universities, where ownership shares are determined by the amount of revenue generated.

Required policies to ensure inventors and discoverers receive competitive compensation compared to similar institutions.

TECHNICAL

Changed the document header from a Senate committee amendment to a House floor version, indicating the bill has passed the Senate and is now being acted upon by the House of Representatives.

Enrolled (final version) → SB1670 (3-11-26) (REINHARDT) FA1.PDF · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted to remove the 'Enrolled' status and add standard Senate chamber headers, but the substantive policy content remains unchanged. A floor amendment was submitted to modify the bill by deleting the phrase 'autonomous systems' and replacing it with 'defense' in the list of encouraged technology areas. This change broadens the scope of the bill to explicitly include defense technology alongside other fields like medical and energy technology.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to explicitly include 'defense' technology as an area of encouragement, replacing the narrower term 'autonomous systems'.

SCOPE

The list of encouraged technology areas was updated to replace 'autonomous systems' with 'defense', ensuring defense technology is explicitly covered under the bill's provisions.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'Enrolled' and 'Senate' headers, reverting the document to a standard amendment format.

Added standard Senate chamber disposition headers and floor amendment metadata.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 3 edits · May 13, 2026

MINOR

The bill was converted from an 'Engrossed' version to the final 'Enrolled' version, adding new co-sponsors and updating the bill title to include a review frequency requirement. The core statutory text regarding research policies and technology ownership remains substantively identical, though the final version adds a new clause requiring the Regents to review these policies every seven years to ensure competitiveness.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's applicability remains the same, covering the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education and its research activities.

REQUIREMENT

Added a mandatory requirement that the Regents review the established research and technology policies every seven years to ensure they remain competitive with other institutions.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header to reflect the final enrolled status and added four new co-sponsors (Archer, Blancett, and Deck) to the House side.

Reorganized the list of encouraged technology areas in the summary section, moving 'aerospace and defense' to the end and adding a specific reference to resources available through faculty and students.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 16, 2026

MINOR

The bill was updated from its introduced version to the engrossed version, incorporating amendments passed by the House of Representatives. The primary substantive change is the modification of the list of encouraged technology areas, specifically replacing 'autonomous systems' with 'defense' to broaden the scope of supported research. The text also includes formatting updates to reflect the final legislative text.

Scope change

The scope of encouraged technologies was expanded by changing 'aerospace and autonomous systems' to 'aerospace and defense', altering the specific areas the state regents are directed to prioritize.

SCOPE

The list of encouraged technology areas was changed from 'aerospace and autonomous systems' to 'aerospace and defense', expanding the focus to include defense-related technologies.

TECHNICAL

The document was updated from 'AS INTRODUCED' to 'ENGROSSED SENATE' and included the name of the House sponsor, Moore, indicating the bill has passed both chambers.

Formatting and page numbering were adjusted to reflect the final engrossed version of the bill.

Higher education; directing certain model policy established by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to include certain tiered system of ownership. Effective date. Emergency.

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