An act relating to schools, the official text

1                            STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2   2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)

3 HOUSE BILL 3016            By: Dobrinski

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6                            AS INTRODUCED

7   An Act relating to schools; creating the Binocular

    Vision Screening Program to identify certain eye

8   disorders of students in kindergarten, first, or

    third grades; directing State Department of Education

9   to administer program in consultation with the State

    Department of Health; defining term; requiring

10  schools to provide comprehensive binocular vision

    screenings to students; requiring screenings to be

11  conducted by trained personnel; clarifying the

    binocular screenings are in addition to others

12  required; creating the Binocular Screening Revolving

    Fund; designating a department to administer fund;

13  specifying source of funds and expenditures from

    fund; providing procedures for payment of

14  expenditures; providing for codification; providing

    an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

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18 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

19  SECTION 1.      NEW LAW  A new section of law to be codified

20 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1210.286 of Title 70, unless

21 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

22  A. The State Department of Education, in consultation with the

23 State Department of Health, shall establish a two-year pilot program

24 known as the Binocular Vision Screening Program, for schools to

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1 offer vision screenings to students in kindergarten, first, and

2 third grades that are designed to identify convergence insufficiency

3 disorders. "Convergence insufficiency" means a vision disorder

4 characterized by a decreased ability to converge the eyes and

5 maintain binocular fusion while focusing on a near target.

6   B. Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, the program shall

7 require schools to provide all students in kindergarten, first, and

8 third grades with a comprehensive binocular vision screening within

9 thirty (30) days of the start of the school year.

10  C. The screening required in subsection B of this section shall

11 be performed by school nurses, vision therapists, or optometric

12 technicians who are specifically trained to administer and interpret

13 results of a comprehensive binocular screening.

14  D. The screenings required by this section shall be in addition

15 to the screenings required in Section 5-148.2 of Title 70 of the

16 Oklahoma Statutes.

17  SECTION 2.         NEW LAW  A new section of law to be codified

18 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1210.287 of Title 70, unless

19 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

20  A. There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving

21 fund for the State Department of Education to be designated the

22 "Binocular Screening Revolving Fund". The fund shall be a

23 continuing fund, not subject to fiscal year limitations, and shall

24 consist of all monies received by the State Department of Education

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1 from monies appropriated or apportioned by the Legislature. All

2 monies accruing to the credit of said fund are hereby appropriated

3 and may be budgeted and expended by the State Department of

4 Education for the purpose of establishing and maintaining the

5 program created in Section 1 of this act. Monies in the Binocular

6 Screening Revolving Fund shall supplement and not supplant existing

7 school vision screening funding.

8   B. Expenditures from said fund shall be made upon warrants

9 issued by the State Treasurer against claims filed as prescribed by

10 law with the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise

11 Services for approval and payment.

12  SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.

13  SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation

14 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby

15 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and

16 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.

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18  60-2-15093      SW  01/08/26

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    Req. No. 15093                                                Page 3