Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 1498 By: Nice
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to hiring practices; defining terms;
7 prohibiting employers from certain practices before
8 making a conditional offer of employment to an
8 applicant; allowing employers to employ certain
9 policies during the hiring process; authorizing
9 employers to consider certain information during the
10 employment process; construing provisions; excluding
10 certain applications from the provisions of this act;
11 providing exceptions to applicability of provisions;
11 providing for codification; and providing an
12 effective date.
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15 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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16 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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17 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1001 of Title 40, unless there
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18 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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19 As used in this act:
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20 1. "Criminal record history information" means records related
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21 to a past criminal conviction, arrest, deferred adjudication, or
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22 juvenile adjudication;
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23 2. "Private employer" means a business entity in the private
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24 sector of this state with one or more employees;
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Req. No. 3118 Page 1
1 3. "Public employer" means the State of Oklahoma or any
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2 political subdivision thereof, including any department, agency,
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3 board, commission, institution, authority, public trust,
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4 municipality, county, district, or instrumentality thereof; and
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5 4. "Sensitive position" means any position:
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6 a. at a school district as defined in Section 1-108 of
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7 Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes,
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8 b. at a state educational institution as defined in
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9 Section 3102 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes,
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10 c. with a law enforcement agency requiring Council on Law
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11 Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET)
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12 certification,
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13 d. as a jailer or correctional officer,
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14 e that works with or includes access to children or
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15 vulnerable adults, and
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16 f. with a public employer whose primary purpose is to
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17 perform financial or fiduciary functions.
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18 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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19 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1003 of Title 40, unless there
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20 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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21 A. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, before
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22 making a conditional offer of employment to an applicant, a public
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23 or private employer may not:
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1 1. Obtain criminal history record information relating to the
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2 applicant; or
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3 2. Ask an applicant for employment to disclose, orally or in
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4 writing, information concerning the applicant's criminal history.
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5 B. Before making a conditional offer of employment to an
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6 applicant, a public or private employer may:
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7 1. Notify an applicant that under federal, state, or local law,
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8 certain criminal convictions disqualify the applicant from
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9 consideration for the position; and
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10 2. Include a question in an initial employment application form
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11 regarding whether the applicant has a prior criminal conviction that
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12 would disqualify the applicant from employment under federal, state,
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13 or local law. Such questions shall be limited to offenses that
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14 result in disqualification under federal, state, or local law.
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15 C. This section shall not be construed to prohibit an employer
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16 from:
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17 1. Asking an applicant for information about an applicant's
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18 criminal record history information after the public employer has
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19 made a conditional offer of employment;
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20 2. Obtaining criminal record history information after a
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21 conditional offer of employment; or
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22 3. Considering the criminal record history information when
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23 making final hiring decisions.
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Req. No. 3118 Page 3
1 D. The provisions of this act shall only apply to employment
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2 applications submitted on or after the effective date of this act.
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3 E. This act shall not apply to:
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4 1. Sensitive positions; or
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5 2. Positions under which federal, state, or local law requires
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6 the consideration of an applicant's criminal record history
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7 information.
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8 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
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10 60-2-3118 BRC 1/9/2026 2:22:22 PM
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Req. No. 3118 Page 4Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.