OKLAHOMA CITY - With the deadline looming last week to move bills out of their house of origin, legislators put in extra hours to hear as many measures as possible. Proposals not passing off their respective floors are now considered dead for the session.
Establishing specialized business court divisions in the state was one of 21 bills authored or co-sponsored by President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) to receive recent legislative action. Senate Bill 632 aims to focus on complex commercial litigation and would be established in the state’s most populous counties, which are Oklahoma and Tulsa counties.
These courts would be presided over by judges appointed by the governor who have at least 10 years of experience in civil litigation or business law. The proposed bill received a first hearing in the House of Representatives last week, after passing off the Senate floor.
In addition, seven other bills authored by Paxton received a first hearing in the House last week. They are:
• SB 652, which is a measure to enhance election consistency and voter turnout by rolling out a targeted election schedule.
“This measure is about making elections more predictable and voter-friendly,” Paxton said in a press release. “By consolidating election dates, we reduce voter confusion, increase participation and allow for more efficient election administration across our counties. Too often, voter turnout suffers because elections are scattered throughout the year. With a more structured election schedule, we provide consistency and give voters greater opportunity to plan ahead and participate in the democratic process.”
In part, the goal is to improve voter engagement by aligning elections with timeframes when turnout has historically been stronger and minimizing the number of low turnout special elections, the release said.
• SB 1027, which seeks to amend state statutes pertaining to initiative and referendum measures by increasing the requirements for petition circulation, collecting signatures and language put on the ballot.
• SB 642 pertains to workers’ compensation and would expand rights and remedies granted to certain persons. In addition it would authorize an agreement between contractors and subcontractors to provide certain insurance coverage.
• SB 646 pertains to judicial and federal official security and privacy and would create the Oklahoma Federal Official and Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2025. The measure seeks to modify existing law and, in part, broaden the scope of confidential information that must be protected.
Types of information that would be included in the Privacy Act include phone numbers, Social Security numbers, property records, home addresses, bank account details, email addresses, vehicle registration information and other personal identifiers for judges and federal officials and their immediate family members.
An emergency tag is attached, which would allow the measure to go into effect once approved by the governor.
• SB 640, which seeks to expand the setback requirement for medical marijuana facilities. The measure, if approved, will increase the required distance between medical marijuana dispensaries from school entrances and places of worship from 1,000 feet to 3,000 feet. The proposed legislation is not retroactive and will not impact existing businesses.
• SB 650 addresses sanitary sewer systems. The measure relates to public utilities and would require the governing body to adopt a comprehensive plan for maintenance and operation of their sewer systems.
If passed, the public utilities’ plan must include detailed mapping and recordkeeping, policies for sewer line inspections, cleaning, root control and procedures for responding to sewer overflows. In part, the goal of the bill seeks to improve infrastructure maintenance, prevent sewer overflows and provide clear guidelines for utilities and potential damage claims.
• SB 680, which relates to heated tobacco products, specifically seeks to modify the state’s tobacco tax laws and focuses on heated tobacco products. The definition of “cigarette” encompasses products that are intended to be heated rather than burned and will bring the newer tobacco products under tax regulations that are already in place.
Exemptions in the bill would apply to federally recognized Native American tribes with existing compacts, the U.S. government and veterans’ hospitals. This measure is co-sponsored by Rep. Trey Caldwell (R-Lawton).
Sen. Brent Howard (R-Altus) authored or co-sponsored 14 bills that received legislative action last week, including one measure that failed after a Senate floor vote. SB 1118, which would mandate retirement for certain judicial officers in the state when they reach the age of 75. This measure would specifically affect Justices of the Supreme Court, Judges of the Court of Criminal Appeals and the Court of Civil Appeals, along with district or associate district court judges.
Four bills authored by Howard received a first hearing in the House. They are:
• SB 1065, which pertains to damages and would reinstate the cap on noneconomic damages that a prior Supreme Court held invalid. The goal of the bill is to ensure that runaway juries cannot impose unreasonable judgments against people who are economic drivers in Oklahoma.
A runaway jury is commonly known to be made up of jurors who disregard court instructions and the prosecutor and make their own decisions independently.
According to uslegal. com, it is believed that juries can issue verdicts wildly above the true value of a case.
• SB 1020, which pertains to the Office of the State Treasurer and would amend state statutes to provide special exemptions related to property purchasing and leasing requirements.
• SB 625, which pertains to the Oklahoma Discovery Code and would require disclosure of commercial litigation funding agreements upon request in discovery. This would also include an affidavit certifying whether funds originate from a foreign state or entity. In addition, the proposed bill would enhance transparency in civil litigation involving foreign-backed financing.
• SB 546, which would establish comprehensive data privacy protections for consumers and create a framework to define consumer rights and controller/processor responsibilities for handling personal data.