HB 1430 creates a revolving fund in the Oklahoma State Treasury called the "Tinnitus Research Grant Program Revolving Fund" to support research on tinnitus. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education will administer the fund, using state appropriations and private donations to award annual competitive grants to Oklahoma public and private universities. These grants will specifically fund research aimed at finding treatments or cures for tinnitus. The program becomes effective November 1, 2025.
HB 2841 amends Oklahoma's management rules for the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund, directly affecting the fund and its Board of Investors. It requires the Board to invest fund assets using "prudent person" standards, diversify investments to minimize risk, and hire investment managers through competitive bidding. The bill mandates that at least 2% of the fund's principal balance or $40 million (whichever is greater) must be spent annually on grant and incentive programs. The changes take effect July 1, 2025.
HB 1280 (2025) requires Oklahoma school districts to spend at least 50% of their annual budget on classroom instruction starting in 2025-2026. If a district falls below this threshold, it must increase instructional spending by 2% annually until reaching 50%, or face a written warning and, after four years of non-compliance, a permanent 2% annual teacher pay raise for each year missed. The bill defines "annual budget" to exclude bond sales, fundraisers, and non-educational grants, and "instructional expenditures" per federal standards. The bill failed to pass (36-57) on March 27, 2025, so it is not law.
SB 155 appropriates $1.1 million to Oklahoma's State Department of Health for a public information campaign about diabetes care and free/reduced-price diabetes supplies, directly affecting Oklahomans managing diabetes. It also allocates $340,222 to federally qualified community health centers serving underserved populations. The funds are designated for the 2023 fiscal year and take effect July 1, 2025. The bill establishes specific funding mechanisms without altering existing laws or creating new requirements.
HB 1123 deletes Oklahoma's State Broadband Grant Program Revolving Fund, which previously provided dedicated funding for broadband expansion grants. The bill eliminates this special fund in the state treasury, redirecting how grant programs are financed. This change directly affects the Oklahoma Broadband Office and future grant recipients by removing a specific funding source for expanding high-speed internet access in unserved and underserved areas. The bill also modifies the Broadband Governing Board's structure but focuses primarily on ending the revolving fund mechanism. It becomes effective November 1, 2025.
SB 43 removes a limitation on deducting gambling losses for Oklahoma taxpayers who itemize deductions. It amends Section 2358 of Oklahoma's tax code to eliminate the previous cap on deducting wagering losses, directly affecting individual taxpayers with significant gambling losses who file itemized returns. The bill updates statutory language to allow full deduction of these losses without the prior restriction for certain tax years. This change aligns Oklahoma's tax treatment of wagering losses more closely with federal tax rules.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to Oklahoma's Section 8C, modifying the income threshold for seniors aged 65+ to qualify for a homestead property tax benefit. Currently, eligibility is based on HUD's county-specific median income; the bill would change this to triple the state's median income (using a single statewide figure instead of county-by-county). This change would allow more seniors to maintain their frozen property tax valuation after turning 65, provided their household income stays below the new threshold. The amendment requires voter approval via ballot referendum.
HB 2952 changes how Oklahoma calculates the tax on new vehicle purchases by requiring the motor vehicle excise tax to be based on the sales price minus any trade-in value. This directly affects vehicle buyers who use trade-ins, as the adjusted price (after subtracting trade-in credits) must now appear on the bill of sale. The bill mandates that sellers document this reduced value on the bill of sale or a prescribed form, rather than using the full sales price. It takes effect on July 1, 2026.
This bill allocates $200,000 from Oklahoma's General Revenue Fund to the Office of the Attorney General for the National Child Identification Program. The funds specifically support the Human Trafficking Response Unit's efforts to implement this program for kindergarten students during the 2025-2026 school year. The appropriation is intended to facilitate the program's operation and is effective July 1, 2025. This is a funding measure directly affecting kindergarten students in Oklahoma through the Attorney General's office.
HB 2267 creates the "Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety Fund" to finance transportation infrastructure projects. It increases annual funding to $575 million for fiscal year 2021 and $650 million starting July 1, 2025, with $80 million allocated annually first to cover transportation debt payments before funding roads, bridges, and highways. The bill specifies that funds cannot replace existing state transportation budgets and requires annual audits to ensure money enhances (rather than supplants) current state funding. It also allocates $2 million yearly for the Heartland Flyer rail project and $3 million for public transit.
