SB 2157 Oklahoma Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Scenic rivers; creating the Southeast Scenic Rivers Act; authorizing the Legislature to designate certain rivers as scenic rivers. Effective date.

SB 2157 designates four specific rivers in southeastern Oklahoma as scenic rivers: the Glover River (McCurtain County), Kiamichi River (Choctaw, Pushmataha, Le Flore Counties), Little River (McCurtain, Pushmataha, Le Flore Counties), and Mountain Fork River (Le Flore, McCurtain Counties). It creates the Southeast Scenic Rivers Commission, composed of 11 members including local residents, tribal representatives, and state appointees, to manage these areas. The Commission must establish minimum standards protecting the rivers' natural beauty, wildlife, and recreational value while allowing compatible uses. These standards will guide counties and municipalities in planning and development within designated river corridors. The bill requires the Commission to operate under Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records Acts.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 2, 2026 Last action Mar 4, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Floor (Senate) → SB2157 (3-11-26) (BULLARD) FS FA1.PDF · 11 edits

MAJOR

The bill text was completely replaced with a new version that appears to be a floor substitute version from a different legislative session. The original bill focused on creating a Southeast Scenic Rivers Commission and designating specific rivers, while the new version contains extensive amendments to existing wildlife conservation laws (29 O.S. 2021, Section 3-103) including provisions for affirmative action hiring plans, employee compensation raises, and expanded Commission powers over wildlife management facilities.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from creating a new scenic rivers commission to amending existing wildlife conservation commission laws with new operational requirements and expanded authority over wildlife management.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for Commission to institute an affirmative action plan for hiring women and minorities throughout the agency

Added provision for step raises for Commission employees to eliminate pay level discrepancies within pay grades

Expanded Commission powers to include supervision of wildlife refuges, propagation areas, hunting areas, fishing areas, game management areas, and fish hatcheries

Added requirement for Commission to prescribe rules on use of Department-owned vehicles by Director and essential employees

Added requirement for Commission to authorize all claims or expenditures prior to incurring payment

Added requirement for Commission to annually report electronically to Governor and Legislature on complete operation, activities, and plans

Added requirement for Commission to provide annual inventory of all property and equipment

Added requirement for Commission to prepare a report for Legislature with proposed licensing fees based on Consumer Price Index and county wage data every five years

Added requirement for Commission to prescribe rules to sell fishing and hunting licenses via the Internet

Added requirement for Commission to prescribe rules for sale of all regular or special licenses

SCOPE

Removed original provisions designating specific scenic rivers (Glover, Kiamichi, Little, and Mountain Fork Rivers) and creating a separate Southeast Scenic Rivers Commission

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 23, 2026

Committee

Referred to Appropriations

upper

Feb 23, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported Do Pass as amended Agriculture and Wildlife committee; CR filed

upper

Feb 2, 2026

Introduced

First Reading

upper

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors