Administrative Workers' Compensation Act; modifying definition. Effective date.
SB 1944 amends Oklahoma's workers' compensation law by updating key definitions in the Administrative Workers' Compensation Act. It clarifies who qualifies as an "actually dependent" for benefits, specifies requirements for certified "case managers" (including nursing licenses and specific certifications), and refines the definition of "compensable injury" to exclude injuries caused by alcohol/drug use, natural aging, or preexisting conditions without proven aggravation from work. These changes directly affect injured workers seeking benefits, employers, insurance carriers, and healthcare providers involved in workers' compensation claims. The bill aims to standardize eligibility and claim processing without creating new benefits or altering benefit amounts.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
May 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
May 2026
Signed into Law
May 2026
Introduced Feb 2, 2026
Signed May 13, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
Floor (House)
→
Floor (Senate)
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended to update the legislative session dates and sponsor information to reflect the Senate floor version. The substantive definitions within the Administrative Workers' Compensation Act were retained from the House version, though the formatting of the definitions list was adjusted during the Senate floor process.
TECHNICAL
Updated the header to reflect the Senate Floor Version, February 12, 2026, and corrected the legislative session year from 2025 to 2026.
Added a new sponsor, Newton of the House, to the bill's authorship list.
Adjusted the chapter reference in the amendment section from Chapter 67 to Chapter 135 of the 2025 O.S.L.
Reformatted the list of definitions (e.g., 'Case manager', 'Child') to use a numbered list structure instead of the previous format.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 26, 2026 · House May 6, 2026
How they voted
40–2
Passed · 8 other
Total votes 50
Mar 26, 2026
D
Democratic9
77% Yea
R
Republican41
80% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
26
Key actions
7
Committee
6
Amendments
1
May 13, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor 05/12/2026
upper
May 6, 2026
Committee
Referred for enrollment
upper
May 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Third Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 87 Nays: 1
lower
Apr 16, 2026
Lower · Passed
CR; Do Pass Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee
lower
Apr 6, 2026
Lower · Passed
Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass Civil Judiciary
lower
Mar 31, 2026
Committee
Referred to Civil Judiciary
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Introduced
First Reading
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Upper · Passed
Engrossed to House
upper
Mar 26, 2026
Committee
Referred for engrossment
upper
Mar 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
Measure passed: Ayes: 39 Nays: 2
upper
Mar 26, 2026
Introduced
General Order, Amended by Floor Substitute
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Upper · Passed
Reported Do Pass as amended Business and Insurance committee; CR filed
upper
Feb 2, 2026
Introduced
First Reading
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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