More than 300 new laws take effect starting this month. Here …
11.2.19 – Tulsa World
More than 300 new laws are now in effect as of Friday, Nov. 1. Here are some … take effect starting this month. Here are 23 interesting ones
More than 300 new laws are now in effect as of Friday, Nov. 1. Here are some highlights of measures signed into law by the governor amid the 2019 legislative session.
The new law creates another mechanism to declare a burn ban. If the forecast predicts three consecutive days of temperatures at 100 degrees, county commissioners can issue a burn ban.IAN MAULE/Tulsa World file
House Bill 1292
The state now has an official astronomical object: the Rosette Nebula.Andreas Fink/Wikimedia Commons
House Bill 1259
The new law prohibits a person in an election enclosure from verbally disclosing to any other person how he or she voted. It allows a voter to take a digital image or photograph of his or her marked ballot and share the image.John Clanton/Tulsa World file
House Bill 1269
The State Question 780 retroactivity legislation, which takes effect Nov. 1, establishes an expedited commutation process for people who are serving felony prison sentences for offenses that are now misdemeanors. It also provides a simplified path to expungement for people with old drug possession and low-level property convictions.Click here to read more.
Matt Barnard/Tulsa World file
House Bill 2010
Under a measure signed April 30, people will be able to carry concealed weapons but not carry them openly in locations such as Gathering Place and the Tulsa Zoo. Facilities under a public trust, such as Gathering Place and the Tulsa and Oklahoma City zoos, can prohibit open carry at their facilities. However, people can bring in concealed weapons.Click here to read more about the measure
MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
House Bill 2253
The measure clarifies that a person convicted of a felony has their voting rights restored after the completion of their sentence.MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
House Bill 2325
Minors may be inside liquor stores if accompanied by adults. Parents and others argued for some time that leaving unaccompanied children in cars outside the stores is riskier than taking them inside despite the dangers of being exposed to alcohol.STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World file
House Bill 2339
A new law prohibits a student from being vaccinated at school or on school grounds or receive a vaccine as a part of the mobile vaccination effort without prior written authorization, including the signature of the parent or legal guardian of the student for each vaccine group of vaccines to be administered during a single visit.Paul Vernon/AP file
House Bill 2380
It is now a crime in Oklahoma to use or possess a scanning or skimming device to get at information encoded on a credit card or debit card without the permission of the authorized user and with the intent to defraud.Mark Lennihan/AP file
The law named for missing Tulsan Francine Frost requires law enforcement agencies across the state to enter all missing persons and unidentified bodies into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System within 30 days. Those under the age of 18 or missing under suspicious circumstances must be entered into the system immediately. Five other states have a similar law. Here, Sheriff Vic Regalado discusses missing persons cold cases in Tulsa.Click here to read more about the measure signed by Gov. Stitt
STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World file
House Bill 2769
Language that requires the Legislature fund common education by April 1 of each year has been repealed.NATE BILLINGS/The Oklahoman file
Upon approaching a stationary vehicle with flashing lights, drivers must proceed with caution and change lanes — if possible and with due regard to the road, weather and traffic conditions — into a lane that is not adjacent to the stopped vehicle. The bill requires the driver to reduce speed if unable to change lanes or if to do so would be unsafe.MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
Senate Bill 100
An optometrist may rent separate area or room and practice optometry within or adjacent to a retail store, regardless of whether the retail store derives income from the sale of prescription optical goods and materials.Click here to read more.
STEPHEN PINGRY/Tulsa World file
Senate Bill 238
Signed May 13, this law requires products containing cannabidiol (CBD, the nonpsychoactive component of cannabis) be labeled with the country of origin and whether the product is synthetic or natural, unless the product is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It also allows for industrial hemp and hemp retail sales without a license if the product was grown and produced legally. Hemp and hemp-derived cannabidiol may be added without a license to cosmetics, personal care products and products intended for human and animal consumption, subject to the state’s health code.ANNA CODUTTI/Tulsa World
Senate Bill 614
A temporarily blocked law requires those who perform medication abortions using Mifepristone to tell the patient in writing that it may be possible to reverse the effects of the drug. The measure requires those who perform medication abortions to post a sign indicating the drug is not always effective in terminating a pregnancy and that it may be possible to reverse the effects of the drug if the second dose is not taken.Click here to read more about the measure and the lawsuit contesting it
NATE BILLINGS/The Oklahoman
Senate Bill 882
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Waste Act, signed May 9 by Gov. Kevin Stitt, mandates the use of a licensed medical marijuana waste disposal company. Businesses across the state will be limited to contracting with one of only 10 businesses that will be granted $5,000 licenses to handle marijuana waste. The bill notes additional licenses may be added if OMMA determines a need after the first year.Ian Maule/Tulsa World file
Senate Bill 1003
Called an incentive for regulated businesses to monitor themselves and self-report environmental and safety infractions to the state, the measure allows companies to enter into agreements to conduct their own audits of their regulatory compliance. Those audits would be submitted to state agencies but in most cases would be exempt from open records laws.Click here to read more
MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
House Bill 1050
Effective Nov. 1, 2019, substitute teachers may be employed for a maximum of 135-145 school days (depending on certification/education) instead of 90 days. Here, substitute Katie Taylor talks with fourth-grader Kendall Burch at Rosa Parks Elementary School in 2016.MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
Senate Bill 4
Effective Nov. 1, 2019, the second Saturday of December is designated “A Day of Remembrance” honoring soldiers buried at the Fort Gibson National Cemetery and the Fort Sill National Cemetery. On or before the second Saturday in December, holiday wreaths will be placed on the graves of those soldiers in remembrance of their service and to show respect during the holiday season.MIKE SIMONS/Tulsa World file
House Bill 2373
Effective Nov. 1, 2019, some damages in nuisance lawsuits against farmers and ranchers in Oklahoma will be capped. Noneconomic damages, also called “pain and suffering” damages, would be limited to $250,000 or three times the amount awarded for compensatory damages, or whichever is greater.
After earning a master’s in news editing from the University of Missouri, she joined the Tulsa World copy desk in 2010. Send news tips to news@tulsaworld.com.
