New laws include raising new teacher retirement age

July 29--As the months pass, more laws passed by the Oklahoma Legislature during the 2017 session will go into effect.

Many will be effective by Nov. 1.

State Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, said he was looking forward to some education legislation.

"There were a few bills I co-authored," Pemberton said. "One allowed special education teachers in elementary schools to have self-contained classes without specific certification. There were a couple of other bills relating to things of an education nature."

State Sen. Wayne Shaw, R-Grove, shared an anecdote from the spring session.

"There was a House bill [1811]," he said. "I was a little embarrassed because it was a bill concerning pornography and it had my name on it. State law called for any computer with child pornography be sent to the [Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation] to be immediately destroyed. This bill called for delaying the destruction until the district attorney gave permission, because there might be network information on the computer that could lead to more people. When that one was in committee, they about tore it apart, but when it got to the floor, there were no votes against it."

State Rep. Matt Meredith, D-Tahlequah, said recently that his office is getting questions about "which [laws] go into effect."

A list of some of the bills signed from the session includes:

HB 1162: The "Pension Protection Act" would increase the retirement age of prospective teachers by two years. Career educators could retire at 62. Normal retirement age would increase from 65 to 67.

HB 1006: Discontinues Task Force on Promotion of Children's Health, Task Force to Eliminate Health Disparities, Task Force on Nursing Home Insurance Access, and Advisory Council on Cord Blood Donations.

SB 688: Removes requirement that the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and the Department of Corrections jointly provide firefighting service to Northwest Center for Behavioral Health, William S. Key Correctional Center, and Fort Supply.

SB 682: Increases podiatric surgical residency requirement from one to three years.

SB 645: Matches the state's civil penalties for Medicaid fraud with federal law, excluding damages.

SB 508: Clarifies that a "home food establishment" with less than $20,000 in annual sales, under the Home Bakery Act of 2013, may sell "at farmers' markets, on site, at cooperatives, through membership-based buying clubs for for delivery...."

SB 411: Allows breweries to operate during the same hours as taverns and restaurants. Not effective until Oct. 1, 2018.

SB 358: Removes the requirement to meet "fieldwork and reporting standards in Government Audit Standards" in audits of trusts of at least $50,000. American Institute of CPA standards remain in place.

SB 354: Removes the requirement to meet "fieldwork and reporting standards in Government Audit Standards" in audits for towns with a population of less than 2,500 but a general fund income of at least $25,000. American Institute of CPA standards remain in place.

SB 322: Considers an Indian tribe notified, per the Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Act, if a tribal representative is present when the review hearing is scheduled and consents to the date.

SB 233: specifies state's leave of employment for Oklahoma National Guard or reserve service at 240 hours per year, and any federal activation.

SB 231: Establishes a school health coordinators pilot program.

SB 225: Adds publicly traded partnerships to oil and gas royalty interest owners that are not subject to withholding.

SB 180: Qualifies state-certified nurse's aides as home health aides pursuant to the Home Care Act.

SB 174: Amends the restriction of a person owning an interest in no more than two package liquor stores to allow said person's spouse to own an interest in up to two separate liquor stores.

SB 151: Amends restrictions against state officers or deputies holding other offices to allow Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation employees to serve on school boards.

SB 115: Transfers the online verification system for motor vehicle liability policies from the Department of Public Safety to the Oklahoma Insurance Department by Jan. 1, 2018.

SB 64: Increases the limit -- $50,000 -- that banks can transfer from the deposits of a deceased person who has named no beneficiary. Known heirs may present a sworn affidavit, and falsified affidavits can draw up to six months in jail and a $3,000 fine.

SB 59: Authorizes the Adjutant General of the Oklahoma Military Department to enter into agreements with counties or municipalities for fire protection.

SB 45: Authorizes the State Department of Education to contract with current or retired teachers for services that assist the department, "subject to the availability of funds."

SB 42: Updates law to match federal provisions concerning the Oklahoma National Guard.

SB 34: Claiming to not know a human trafficking victim's age is prohibited as a defense.

SB 33: Authorizes the director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs to approve change orders on certain construction contracts.

SB 23: Reduces seating capacity of for-hire vehicles that can be called "taxicabs" from 10 to eight.

SB 22: Legally defines "steerman" to include anyone steering a vehicle who is not behind the wheel, i.e. towing or remote control.

SB 12: Requires private schools to follow the Oklahoma Campus Security Act when employing campus police.

HB 1957: Removes the requirement that school instructors enrolled in an alternative placement certification program document two years of work experience in their fields.

HB 1949: The "Bond Transparency Act" requiring publication of information concerning bond projects.

HB 1790: Allows districts to create remediation courses for students who score low on the ACT or SAT exams.

HB 1789: Outlines further training for teachers of early childhood, elementary and special education.

Learn more

A list of all bills from the 2017 legislative session is at sos.ok.gov/gov/legislation.aspx.

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