HB 1589 creates a voluntary Education Employee Assistance Program within Oklahoma's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. The program provides school employees and their families with confidential support for personal, mental health, or substance abuse issues - including emotional, financial, or family concerns - without impacting their employment status. Key provisions include keeping participation records separate from personnel files, prohibiting subpoenas for records unless a safety threat exists, and requiring school districts to follow Board-established rules for any existing or new employee assistance programs. The bill explicitly states that participation or nonparticipation does not affect disciplinary actions or employment terms.
HB 2256 creates a revolving fund in the Oklahoma State Treasury to support apprenticeship scholarships for high school graduates. The fund, financed by state appropriations and private donations, will provide grants covering tuition and fees for eligible students entering federally approved technical apprenticeship programs through Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committees. Applications for these grants will be reviewed competitively statewide by the Oklahoma State Board of Career and Technology Education. The program becomes effective November 1, 2025.
HB 2253 requires Oklahoma's State Department of Education to create a system for coding and reporting data on all teacher certification pathways, including emergency and full-time adjunct certification. It establishes the Data Governance Council, composed of 13 appointed members from education stakeholders (such as university programs, school administrators, and teachers), to monitor how certification pathways affect student outcomes, standardize data on teacher workforce quality, and set best practices for secure data management. The Council must begin meeting by February 2026, operate without member compensation, and comply with Oklahoma's open meeting and records laws. The bill takes effect on November 1, 2025.
HB 1482 adds car wash membership fees to Oklahoma's taxable sales list. Specifically, it requires sales tax on "dues or fees for car wash memberships, clubs, or any other type of periodic payment plans for the use of automatic tunnel car washes." This change affects car wash businesses offering recurring membership plans and their customers, who will now pay tax on these membership fees. The bill does not impact one-time car wash services or other types of memberships.
HB 1855 requires Oklahoma's Office of Emergency Management to contract for a statewide stormwater management predictive system by February 2026. The system must provide early flood warnings, real-time monitoring, data visualization, and improved forecasting to enhance flood preparedness. The Office must submit annual reports on system findings to the Governor and legislative leaders starting March 2026. This bill directly creates a new operational requirement for the Office of Emergency Management, aiming to improve the state's stormwater management capabilities.
HB 1482 proposes to amend Oklahoma's sales tax code to include "dues or fees for car wash memberships, clubs, or any other type of periodic payment plans for the use of automatic tunnel car washes" as taxable services. This would require car wash businesses offering recurring membership plans (e.g., monthly fees for automatic tunnel car wash access) to charge the state's 4.5% sales tax on those payments. The bill specifically targets periodic payment arrangements for automatic tunnel car washes, expanding the existing tax coverage beyond one-time service fees. If passed, it would generate new tax revenue for the state from this specific business model, affecting car wash operators with membership programs.
HB 2035 amends Oklahoma's Funeral Services Licensing Act by adding detailed definitions for key terms related to funeral services, embalming, and cremation. It clarifies terms like "funeral director," "embalmer," "funeral establishment," "apprentice," "alkaline hydrolysis," and "transportation protection agreement" (which exempts certain transportation coordination from standard regulations). The bill directly affects funeral professionals, embalmers, crematories, and the Oklahoma Funeral Board by standardizing terminology for licensing, oversight, and compliance. It takes effect November 1, 2025, and does not create new requirements - only defines existing regulatory terms.
HB 1589 creates a voluntary Education Employee Assistance Program within Oklahoma's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to support public school employees and their families facing personal challenges like mental health issues, substance abuse, or financial difficulties that affect work performance. The program requires school districts to keep participant records separate from regular personnel files, ensures confidentiality (with limited subpoena exceptions only for serious safety threats), and mandates that school districts follow Board-established rules if they operate their own employee assistance programs. Participation cannot excuse employees from disciplinary action or alter their employment terms, and the program does not replace existing district programs. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025.
HB 2253 creates a Data Governance Council to monitor teacher certification pathways in Oklahoma, including temporary licenses and part-time teaching roles. The bill requires the State Department of Education to develop a system for tracking certification data and mandates the Council to evaluate how these pathways impact student outcomes. The Council, composed of 13 education stakeholders (such as school administrators, teachers, university representatives, and state education officials), will standardize data collection and establish secure data management practices. Members serve without pay and the Council must follow open meeting and records laws. This bill directly affects teacher certification processes and data reporting for all public K-12 schools in Oklahoma.
SB 651, the Municipal Parking Benefit District Act, would allow Oklahoma cities and towns to create designated parking districts where revenue from on-street parking meters is kept locally to fund improvements within that specific area. Municipalities would need to hold public hearings and notify property owners before establishing a district, and could form unpaid advisory committees (requiring majority business owners) to recommend projects. The bill would restrict funds to parking-related maintenance and repairs within the district, not general city use. The bill failed committee review on February 11, 2025, and has not advanced further.
SB 121 transfers ownership of Hugo Lake Park to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department by January 1, 2026, including all property interests and responsibilities. The Department must establish dedicated funds for park operations and will not be liable for any claims or construction issues arising before that date. Existing management contracts and obligations for the park will automatically transfer to the Department, which may also enter new management agreements for up to 50 years. This bill directly affects the park's administration and financial operations, with no new public services or fees specified.
HB 1324 requires the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to obtain legislative approval via joint resolution before changing toll rates on state turnpikes. This directly affects the Authority and drivers using Oklahoma turnpikes, as it prevents unilateral toll adjustments. The bill amends existing law to mandate that any toll increase, decrease, or financial adjustment must be approved by the Oklahoma Legislature. It takes effect November 1, 2025, and does not change other existing tolling rules or authority provisions.
