OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Brent Howard (R-Altus), approved four tort reform measures last week in hopes of strengthening legal protections for businesses and ensuring fairness in civil litigation.
Three of the bills were authored by Howard and one was authored by Majority Floor Leader Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville), are now headed to the full Senate for consideration.
Authored by Daniels, Senate Bill 1115 pertains to nuisances and specifically ensures that the manufacturing, marketing and selling of lawful products cannot be deemed a public nuisance. The bill also clarifies that a defendant in a public nuisance case must have had control over the conditions leading to the alleged harm at the time of injury to be held liable.
Authored by Howard, SB 453 pertains to civil procedure and specifically seeks to reform the process of offers of judgment. According to the legislative press release that explained all four proposed bills, this measure will allow a defending party to propose settlement terms at least seven days before trial, with the opposing party having five days to accept. If rejected, the prevailing party may recover attorney fees, court costs and expert witness fees.
Howard also authored 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 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.
“These reform bills are important in creating a fair legal landscape and are a step toward ensuring our legal system is not exploited for financial gain by third parties, who use it as a tool to target businesses unfairly,” Howard said in a press release. “This slate of legislation will provide a fair legal system that protects legitimate claims while preventing unnecessary litigation that drives up costs for everyone.
Three other nonrelated bills authored by Howard also are ready to be heard on the Senate floor.
SB 536 pertains to county election boards and would authorize certain actions by an assistant secretary under specified circumstances. It would amend state law that pertains to secretary and assistant secretary’s duties and clarify their roles and responsibilities.
For example, the bill would allow the assistant secretary to execute the secretary’s duties during absences due to illness, disqualification, recusal or other approved reasons and provides a formal process for the temporary replacement.
SB 607, which pertains to the Oklahoma Evidence Code and would provide for admissibility of certain statements in certain proceedings involving allegations of domestic abuse. In part, the bill text explains this measure is in regards to statements made by the victim of domestic abuse to a law enforcement officer within one week of the incident or on an application for a protective order within one week of the incident.
SB 978, which pertains to recordable instruments filed with county clerks and would modify state statutes for document margin specifications. The measure would require the top margin of the first page of all documents to be at least two inches and other page margins can be set at one inch.
In addition, two of Howard’s bills are scheduled for hearings on Monday, Feb. 17. They are: SB 83, which pertains to prisons and reformatories and would specifically modify elements of exemption to certain accounts, including inmate trust funds. In part, the measure also seeks to update language and clarify provisions related to inmate wages, savings and financial management. The proposal will be heard in the Public Safety Committee.
SB 221, which pertains to income tax credit and the Oklahoma Rural Jobs Act. It would specifically expand the annual credit limitations for certified rural funds. In part, the measure would raise the maximum amount of state tax credits that can be claimed from $15 million to $30 million per calendar year. The proposal will be heard in the Revenue and Taxation Committee.
Sen. Spencer Kern (R-Duncan) has two bills set for hearings.
SB 722, which pertains to agriculture and would specifically, in part, prohibit electronic monitoring of certain animals. The proposal, which is set to be heard Feb. 17, in the Agriculture and Wildlife Committee would add language to current statutes that restricts the use of official animal identification methods from tracking or monitoring livestock electronically. It would maintain the existing goals of the Animal Identification Program, which includes disease preparedness and protecting herd health.
SB 634, which pertains to adding certain members to the Impaired Driving Prevention Advisory Committee. The measure is co-sponsored by Senate President Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle). Nineteen members are outlined in the bill text as eligible members of the committee, which meets up to four times per year. New members would include the State Commissioner of Health, the Director of the Department of Transportation, the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority and the Executive Director of the State Board of Pharmacy. A hearing in the Public Safety Committee is scheduled for Feb. 18.
In addition to the hearing on SB 634 co-sponsored with Kern, Paxton has five other bills scheduled for hearings this week. They include: HB 1512, which pertains to the Insurance Act of 2025 and is co-sponsored with Rep. Mark Tedford (R-Tulsa). This is a procedural piece of legislation which would establish a new set of insurance regulations. The bill text does not provide any specific detail of provisions at this time. A hearing will be held on Feb. 17 in the House Appropriations and Budget General Government Subcommittee.
Four other of Paxton’s bills he either authored or co-sponsored are scheduled for hearings on Feb. 18. They are: SB 653, allowing for electronic distribution of Oklahoma Today Magazine. The hearing is slated for the Economic Development, Workforce and Tourism Committee.
SB 715, which pertains to increasing the employer contribution to the Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System. It will be heard in the Retirement and Government Resources Committee, which will also hear two additional of Paxton’s bills.
SB 716, which pertains to increasing the employer contribution to the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System.
SB 676, which pertains to repealing certain boards and commissions. The measure intends to take away legal authority from nine separate entities, including the Advisory Committee of the South Central Interstate Forest Fire Protection Compact, The Oklahoma Suicide Prevention Council, the Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Advisory Council, the Oklahoma Tourism Promotion Advisory Committee, the Oklahoma School for the Visual and Performing Arts, the permanent legislative liaison committee, the Staff Review Committee of the Senate, the Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission and the Southern States Energy Compact.
Sen. Kendal Sacchieri (R-Blanchard) secured approval from the Retirement and Government Resources Committee for her proposed measure, SB 97, which aims to prohibit state agencies from hiring lobbyists. It is now available to be heard on the full Senate floor.
The bill would also prohibit state agencies from hiring a legislative liaison without prior written approval from the cabinet secretary who oversees the agency, according to a legislative press release.
“I thank the committee for advancing this policy, which ensures taxpayer dollars are not spent on lobbying or special interests,” Sacchieri said. “Over the last six years, millions in taxpayer funds have been saved under this executive order. This measure will guarantee that these savings continue long beyond this administration, protecting the interests of Oklahoma taxpayers and safeguarding their hard-earned dollars from being used to serve special interests.”
The freshman senator also has four bills headed for hearings this week. On Feb. 17, the House Elections and Ethics Committee will hear House Bill 1448, which Sacchieri co-sponsored with Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader (R-Piedmont). The measure pertains to elections and specifically addresses campaign or election material.
In part, it specifies that any material that is not an official government document from a county election board, the State Election Board or a subdivision of this state sent via mail to voters must include a disclaimer. The type size must be in 14-point and state, “This piece of mail is not an official government document from the State of Oklahoma or any subdivision of this state.” A fine will be assessed if violated, once the proposal is signed into law.
Also on Feb. 17, SB 1124, which is authored by Sacchieri and pertains to school district sinking funds and bond issuance will be heard in the Revenue and Taxation Committee. In part, the measure would require a levy sufficient to fully redeem the bond within the original declared timeframe. If the bond is redeemed below its face value before maturity, then the proposed measure mandates that the tax levy be reduced to zero for at least one full tax year. The district would be prohibited from issuing a new bond for the same purpose for at least one year.
On Feb. 18, a bill Sacchieri co-sponsored with Paxton, SB 716, which pertains to increasing the employer contribution to the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System will be heard in the Retirement and Government Resources Committee.
Also that day, Sacchieri’s bill, SB 84, pertaining to firearms, will be heard by the Public Safety Committee. It recommends modifying provisions related to storage of a firearm on certain property. The measure addresses the legality of possessing firearms or weapons on any public or private school property, including buses and other vehicles used by any school for transportation of students or teachers. It also details what would be considered legal exceptions.
Results of this week’s committee hearings were not known as of press time.