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 The bill repeals two outdated sections of Oklahoma law (63 O.S. 2021, Sections 1-879.2 and 1-879.3) related to dementia services.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.
HB 1168 makes it a felony to knowingly deliver or possess abortion-inducing drugs (like misoprostol or methotrexate) with the intent of causing an abortion, punishable by up to $100,000 in fines or 10 years in prison. It directly affects individuals who provide such drugs for non-exceptional purposes, including off-label use for abortion. Key exceptions include pharmacists, manufacturers, and distributors acting within lawful medical practices, as well as preventive contraception used as directed by manufacturers. The law does not restrict treatment for ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, or medical uses of drugs like chemotherapy.
SB 1255 requires Oklahoma's Department of Corrections medical director to certify qualifying medical conditions and request the Pardon and Parole Board to place eligible inmates on a special docket for compassionate parole consideration. It directly affects inmates with specific terminal or debilitating conditions like dementia, cancer, HIV/AIDS, or conditions causing near-death (six-month life expectancy), or those unable to perform basic self-care. The bill bypasses the standard two-step parole hearing process for these inmates and mandates that at least three Board members must concur to consider medical parole. The Board must document concurrence in meeting minutes, and parolees may face revocation if their medical condition poses public safety risks.
HB 3143 extends Oklahoma's moratorium on new medical marijuana business licenses (dispensaries, processors, growers) from August 1, 2026, to August 1, 2028. It requires existing license holders to get written approval from the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority before transferring ownership, including submitting documentation to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics. Transfers must follow a 15-business-day timeline for license and registration changes, and applicants cannot submit transfer requests if disciplinary actions are pending. The bill also mandates that businesses provide a full inventory of all medical marijuana products during ownership changes and prohibits transfers without approval, with a 30-day window for pending applications to comply with new rules.
This bill requires Oklahoma hospitals to provide patients experiencing fetal death or miscarriage with a form explaining how to request official certificates (fetal death or stillbirth birth certificates) before discharge. Hospitals must also verbally inform patients about these certificate options. The State Department of Health must create and publish this standardized form online, including clear instructions and contact details for vital records. The law takes effect November 1, 2026, directly affecting hospitals and patients in Oklahoma facing these medical circumstances.
SB 1645 establishes new rules for auditing long-term care providers (like nursing homes and Medicaid home-care agencies) under Oklahoma's Medicaid program. It requires the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to give providers 1 week's notice before audits, limits audits to 50 claims or 0.25% of annual claims, and prohibits holding providers liable for simple clerical errors (like typos) as fraud. Providers must be allowed 60 days to correct claims after an audit, and recoupments (recovery of overpaid funds) can only apply to corrected claims, not original billing errors. The bill also creates a two-step appeals process, allowing providers to challenge audit results through the Authority and then to an administrative law judge.
