SB 378: Bail bondsman; allowing Insurance Commissioner to approve certain bondsman to write bonds over certain deposit amount. Effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to shift focus from 'multicounty agent bondsmen' to general 'bail bondsmen,' significantly narrowing its scope to address only the requirement for written receipts for collateral. The detailed financial reporting, deposit requirements, and liability ratios found in the House version were removed, while the Senate version introduces a new monthly reviewal fee of 0.0015% and sets an effective date of November 1, 2025.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed from regulating multicounty agent bondsmen and their specific financial deposits to applying only to all bail bondsmen regarding the issuance of written receipts for collateral.

SCOPE

Changed the subject of the act from 'multicounty agent bondsmen' to 'bail bondsman,' removing specific provisions related to multicounty licensing applications and financial deposit requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced complex financial reporting and deposit rules with a single requirement: bail bondsmen must provide a detailed written receipt for any collateral accepted.

FISCAL

Added a new monthly reviewal fee of 0.0015% (0.15 of one percent) payable to the Insurance Commissioner.

TIMELINE

Established a specific effective date of November 1, 2025, replacing the previous legislative session dates.

SB378 (3-17-26) (GOLLIHARE) FS FA1.PDF → Floor (House) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill text was reformatted from a 'Floor Substitute' version to an 'Engrossed Senate' version, incorporating House amendments. Substantively, the core policy regarding bail bondsman licensing remains unchanged, but the formatting now clearly distinguishes between original Senate language and House committee amendments, which may affect how the final text is interpreted or voted on.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; the text now reflects a House floor version with explicit markers for committee amendments.

TECHNICAL

The document header and title were updated to reflect the 'Engrossed Senate' status and House floor version, replacing the 'Floor Substitute' designation.

The bill's descriptive summary was restructured to align with the new formatting style, though the substantive list of actions (amending 59 O.S. 2021, Section 1306.1) remains identical.

Page numbers and formatting were adjusted to match the House floor version, including the addition of a legend indicating that bold face text denotes committee amendments.

The layout of the statutory text was altered to interleave original language with inserted House amendments, using specific markup to show where changes occur within the existing law.

Enrolled (final version) → SB378 (3-17-26) (GOLLIHARE) FS FA1.PDF · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill text was reformatted from a standard enrolled format to a floor substitute version, which includes new page numbers and a specific request number (3641) for the Oklahoma Legislature. The substantive legal content regarding bail bondsman licensing, deposit requirements, and liability ratios remains identical to the original version.

TECHNICAL

The document structure was changed from a final enrolled bill to a floor substitute version, adding page headers and a legislative request number while keeping the legal text unchanged.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 3 edits · Apr 30, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized and renamed from 'Engrossed' to 'Enrolled,' indicating it is ready for the Governor's signature. The substantive text of the law regarding bail bondsman deposits and licensing requirements remains unchanged, with only minor formatting adjustments and the addition of a new subsection allowing license transfer upon the bondsman's death or incapacity.

Scope change

The bill's scope and applicability remain unchanged; no new exemptions or expanded definitions were added.

TECHNICAL

The document title was updated from 'Engrossed' to 'Enrolled,' signifying the final version of the bill before becoming law.

A new subsection (C) was added to Section 1306.1, allowing a multicounty agent bondsman's license to be transferred to a spouse or designated transferee if the bondsman dies or becomes physically or legally incapacitated, provided the transferee holds a valid license and meets asset requirements.

Minor formatting and spacing adjustments were made throughout the text to align with the final enrolled format.

Introduced → Engrossed · 7 edits · Mar 30, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was updated from its original introduction to its final engrossed version, changing the sponsor from a single senator to a joint Senate and House effort. The core policy shift involves replacing the previous section on written receipts for collateral with a comprehensive new section on multicounty agent bondsman licensing. This new version establishes stricter financial requirements, including a $250,000 net worth and a $100,000 deposit, and grants the Insurance Commissioner authority to limit bond writing capacity and control deposit releases.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a narrow focus on receipt documentation for all bondsmen to a detailed regulatory framework specifically for multicounty agent bondsmen, including new financial thresholds and administrative oversight.

ELIGIBILITY

Replaced the original text regarding written receipts for collateral with entirely new provisions governing multicounty agent bondsman applications.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for applicants to submit annual audited financial statements proving a net worth of at least $250,000.

Established a mandatory deposit of $100,000 for multicounty agent bondsmen, which may be satisfied via cash, annuity, or existing deposits.

Added restrictions on releasing deposits, prohibiting release for at least two years after capacity increases and allowing the Commissioner to deny applications based on recent administrative actions.

Removed the original provision requiring a monthly reviewal fee of 0.0015% of new liability.

ENFORCEMENT

Granted the Insurance Commissioner authority to approve bond amounts up to 15 times the deposit (instead of a fixed 12 times) and to reduce writing capacity or suspend licenses if limits are exceeded.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill title and sponsor information to reflect joint sponsorship by the Senate and House.

Bail bondsman; allowing Insurance Commissioner to approve certain bondsman to write bonds over certain deposit amount. Effective date.

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