TULSA, Okla. — A new year means a new batch of laws in Oklahoma.
As of Jan. 1, there are a wide array of bills enacted now impacting areas ranging from dead voters and medical marijuana.
Here’s an outline of some new state laws on the books:
- House Bill 1029 creates a family caregiver tax credit. This covers eligible expenses related to caring for an eligible loved one, according to criteria that the law specifies.
- Senate Bill 513 requires any health benefit plan offered, issued, or renewed in Oklahoma on or after New Year’s Day to provide coverage for biomarker testing. That includes the Oklahoma Employees Insurance Plan. Biomarker testing is a way of looking for genes, proteins, and other substances that provide information about potential cancer.
- House Bill 1008 gives an additional homestead exemption of $1,000 for qualifying residents whose gross household income last year was no more than $30,000.
- House Bill 1950 deals with voter registration and death records, which came after fraud claims arose surrounding the 2020 presidential election.
It orders the state Department of Health to amass a list of all deaths across the state, and the DOH must then send those numbers in each month to the Secretary of the State Election Board.
A new swath of laws also cover medical marijuana.