SB 2112: Open pasture roads; modifying designation of open pasture roads. Effective date. - Oklahoma

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

MODERATE

The bill was revised to shift from a House version to a Senate version, incorporating specific amendments to the definition and designation of 'open pasture roads.' The most significant change is the addition of a liability exemption for drivers who collide with livestock on these roads, shifting financial responsibility to the motorist. Additionally, the bill now explicitly grants county commissioners the authority to designate these roads retroactively if conditions are met by November 1, 2025, and establishes a requirement for annual renewal notices to maintain the designation.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include a specific liability exemption for motor vehicle drivers and clarified the authority of county commissioners to designate roads based on a specific future date.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a provision stating that drivers are liable for damages if they collide with livestock on an open pasture road, removing liability from property owners.

ELIGIBILITY

Added authority for county commissioners to designate open pasture roads if the property meets specific conditions by November 1, 2025.

DEFINITION

Modified the definition of 'open pasture road' to include the new eligibility criteria and the specific deadline for designation.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for property owners to provide annual notice to the county to maintain the open pasture road designation.

TECHNICAL

Removed the original House version header and committee report from the Judiciary Committee, replacing them with Senate floor version headers and a new Committee on Agriculture and Wildlife report.

House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was updated from a House Committee Substitute version to the final Floor version, incorporating specific formatting changes and a committee report. The substantive policy language regarding open pasture road definitions, eligibility criteria, and effective dates remains unchanged between these two versions.

TECHNICAL

Header text was updated to reflect the 'Floor Version' and added a committee report indicating the bill passed as amended.

Page footers were updated to reflect the new version identifier (SB2112 HFLR) and include a note about bold face amendments.

Minor whitespace and indentation adjustments were made throughout the text, but no substantive policy language was added, removed, or altered.

Enrolled (final version) → House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was converted from an enrolled final version to a House Committee Substitute, which involved significant reformatting of the page layout and line numbering. Substantively, the core legislative text regarding open pasture road definitions, eligibility criteria, and liability protections remains unchanged, though minor grammatical corrections were applied to fix awkward phrasing in the original draft.

Scope change

The scope and applicability of the bill remain unchanged; it still governs the designation and management of open pasture roads in Oklahoma.

TECHNICAL

The document structure was altered from a standard enrolled format to a committee substitute format, including the addition of page headers, request numbers, and new line numbering.

Minor grammatical edits were made to correct awkward phrasing in the original text, such as changing 'a such roadway' to 'such roadway' and 'the owner no longer desire desires' to 'the owner no longer desires'.

Formatting inconsistencies in the original text were corrected, such as removing stray line breaks within sentences and standardizing the spacing around legal clauses.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 3 edits · Apr 28, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized as an enrolled version, adding signatures from the Governor and Secretary of State to confirm its passage. Substantively, the text was cleaned up to fix grammatical errors and improve clarity, such as removing redundant phrases and correcting a confusing sentence about liability. The core policy requirements for designating open pasture roads, including the November 2025 deadline and cattle guard installation, remain unchanged.

TECHNICAL

Fixed grammatical errors and awkward phrasing in the liability section to improve readability.

Corrected a sentence structure in the eligibility section that previously merged two distinct ideas into one confusing statement.

Added standard enrolled bill signatures and dates from the Senate, House, Governor, and Secretary of State to finalize the document.

Amended And Engrossed → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 30, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove the requirement that cattle guards must be installed at road access points for a road to qualify as an 'open pasture road.' This change expands eligibility by allowing roads to be designated without these specific safety barriers, while retaining the requirement that the land on both sides of the road must be owned by a single party and remain unfenced. The amendment also updates the bill's title and authorship information to reflect the House's final approval.

Scope change

The scope of roads eligible for 'open pasture' designation was expanded by removing the mandatory installation of cattle guards at access points.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the condition requiring cattle guards to be installed at access points for a road to qualify as an open pasture road.

DEFINITION

Modified the definition of 'open pasture road' to no longer include the cattle guard requirement, allowing roads to meet the designation criteria based solely on single-party land ownership and lack of fencing.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill header and authorship lines to reflect the transition from an amended House amendment to the final engrossed Senate bill.

Introduced → Amended And Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 30, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove a strict November 1, 2025 deadline for designating open pasture roads, replacing it with an ongoing annual review process. Additionally, the definition of an open pasture road was expanded to include land that is leased, not just owned, and the House authorship was updated to reflect new leadership.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from a one-time designation deadline to a continuous, annual eligibility review system.

TIMELINE

Removed the requirement that roads must meet all criteria by November 1, 2025, to be designated.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for property owners to submit annual notice to the county board confirming the property still meets eligibility criteria.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the definition of an open pasture road to include land that is leased by the same party, in addition to land owned by the same party.

TECHNICAL

Updated the House authorship to substitute Representative Newton with Representative Worthen and add Newton as a co-author.

Open pasture roads; modifying designation of open pasture roads. Effective date.

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