This bill approves specific rule changes proposed by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority regarding the state's medical cannabis program. By passing this resolution, the legislature officially adopts these new regulations, which will guide how medical marijuana is distributed and managed. The Oklahoma Secretary of State is tasked with sending a copy of the approved rules to the Governor and the official state register. This action formalizes the authority's operational guidelines without altering the underlying laws governing medical marijuana use.
HB 3934 creates two new "extended care permits" for dental hygienists in Oklahoma to expand access to preventive dental care for underserved populations. Permit I allows hygienists to provide services in schools, foster care, youth programs, and clinics for children (birth to grade 12) with specific experience requirements (1,200 hours or teaching). Permit II allows similar services for seniors (65+) and people with developmental disabilities in residential facilities, requiring 1,600 hours and special training. Both permits require supervision by a licensed dentist, restrict services to preventive care (like cleanings and fluoride), and mandate reporting to the supervising dentist. The bill directly affects dental hygienists seeking expanded practice and the vulnerable groups they serve in community settings.
SB 1447 prohibits the Oklahoma Employees Insurance Plan from awarding contracts to pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) that have settled lawsuits, been fined, or faced judgments exceeding $4 million in the past five years. The bill requires that state contract evaluations must favor PBMs headquartered in Oklahoma for at least one year and disfavor PBMs with corporate ties to health insurers, retail pharmacies, specialty pharmacies, mail-order pharmacies, or drug manufacturers. Contracted PBMs must also certify compliance with Oklahoma’s health information laws and maintain SOC 2 Type 2 security certification. The law takes effect November 1, 2026.
SB 1484 requires Oklahoma medical examiners to conduct standardized investigations for sudden infant or young deaths (including SIDS, SUID, SDY, and SADS), mandating autopsies when needed, review of medical records, and documentation of recent immunizations. It requires medical examiners to notify parents or legal guardians before investigations begin and grants them the right to refuse parts of the process unless a crime is suspected. The bill expands mandatory investigations to cover all sudden unexplained deaths in children under 20, requiring reporting to a national CDC/NIH registry and sharing findings with the State Department of Health. This directly affects medical examiners, parents/guardians of deceased children, and state health authorities through new procedural requirements.
SB 1567 modifies Oklahoma's rules for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) by allowing supervising physicians to charge reasonable fees for oversight services, requiring these fees to be disclosed in written agreements and based on fair market value. The bill prohibits the Oklahoma Board of Nursing from imposing fees for maintaining supervision agreements or related administrative tasks. It also mandates that supervision agreements include specific details like fee structures, scope of practice, emergency plans, and alternate physician designations. This directly affects APRNs who rely on physician supervision and supervising physicians, streamlining oversight requirements while ensuring transparency in fee arrangements.
SB 1428 creates the Office of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia Service Coordination within Oklahoma’s State Department of Health, effective November 1, 2026. The office will coordinate statewide dementia services, eliminate duplicated efforts, collect data, support staff training, and identify grant opportunities to improve care for individuals with Alzheimer’s or related dementias and their caregivers. It requires the office to maintain a full-time dementia services coordinator position to manage operations. The bill repeals two outdated sections of Oklahoma law (63 O.S. 2021, Sections 1-879.2 and 1-879.3) related to dementia services.
SB 1565 requires Oklahoma's Medicaid program to include nutrition support services for pregnant and postpartum women with diet-related conditions or high-risk pregnancy factors. It mandates medically tailored home-delivered meals designed by dietitians to meet specific medical needs, along with optional nutritional counseling, to improve maternal health outcomes. The bill authorizes Oklahoma Health Care Authority to use federal funds from the CMS Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model exclusively for these services. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and is designated as an emergency measure.
SB 1644 would require Oklahoma's health department to add alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) to the official list of reportable diseases, meaning doctors, nurses, and clinical laboratories must report diagnosed cases to the state health department. AGS is a condition causing allergic reactions to red meat and other animal products, which currently lacks formal tracking in Oklahoma. The bill updates existing health reporting laws to include AGS and makes the language gender-neutral. It would take effect on November 1, 2026.
SB 444 updates Oklahoma's rules for disposing of expired, unused, or abandoned controlled substances (like prescription medications). It allows regular people (ultimate users) to safely dispose of their own medications without registration, permits hospice programs to handle medications from deceased patients under federal rules, and removes previous restrictions on disposal methods. All disposal must follow federal guidelines (21 C.F.R. Part 1317), require specific forms for hospice cases, and be documented for state/federal review. The law takes effect November 1, 2025.
SB 933 requires Oklahoma hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to adopt policies using surgical smoke evacuation systems during procedures likely to generate surgical smoke. These systems must capture smoke at the source before it reaches staff or patients' eyes or lungs. The bill defines "surgical smoke" as gaseous by-products like plume or bio-aerosols produced during energy-based surgical procedures. The policy must be implemented by November 1, 2025, to prevent exposure to this airborne hazard.
