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 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 724 By: Frix
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to labor; creating the Expanding
7 Public Sector Career Opportunities Act; providing
8 short title; defining terms; prohibiting public
8 employers from rejecting certain applicants;
9 requiring public employers to establish certain
9 requirements; exempting educational requirements;
10 establishing experience maximums for certain degrees;
10 exempting provisions of this act for certain
11 appointments and employees; allowing for certain
11 notice and appeals during hiring process; authorizing
12 the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to
12 manage appeal process; providing for promulgation of
13 rules; providing for codification; and providing an
13 effective date.
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16 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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17 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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18 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 910 of Title 40, unless there is
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19 created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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20 This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Expanding
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21 Public Sector Career Opportunities Act".
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22 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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23 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 910.1 of Title 40, unless there
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24 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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Req. No. 447 Page 1
1 A. As used in this act:
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2 1. "Applicant" means any individual seeking gainful employment
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3 from a public employer;
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4 2. "Baseline requirement" means the minimum skills, prior
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5 training, or prior experience necessary to perform the primary
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6 duties of a position;
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7 3. "Postsecondary degree" means an associate's, bachelor's, or
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8 postgraduate degree from an accredited institution;
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9 4. "Direct experience" means any verifiable, previous work
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10 experience during which:
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11 a. the applicant's primary duties were consistent with
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12 the primary duties of the position currently sought,
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13 or
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14 b. the skills necessary to perform the applicant's
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15 primary duties are transferable to the position
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16 currently sought;
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17 5. "Hiring consideration" means:
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18 a. a decision to move an applicant to a subsequent round
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19 in the hiring process,
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20 b. a decision to include the applicant on a list of
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21 applicants for consideration by another member of the
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22 employer's team,
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23 c. a decision to offer an applicant an interview,
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Req. No. 447 Page 2
1 d. a decision to promote, retain, increase compensation,
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2 or provide some other benefit to a current employee of
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3 a public employer,
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4 e. an interview held in good faith between the employer
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5 and the applicant, or
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6 f. a final offer of employment; and
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7 6. "Public employer" means any public municipal, county, or
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8 state agency, or division.
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9 B. 1. For all hiring considerations, public employers may not
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10 reject an applicant solely on the basis of the applicant lacking a
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11 postsecondary degree.
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12 2. Public employers shall determine baseline requirements for
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13 applicants for each job posting. Public employers may include:
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14 a. prior direct experience as a baseline requirement, or
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15 b. particular certificates and courses as a baseline
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16 requirement; provided, that a postsecondary degree
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17 shall not be included as a baseline requirement.
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18 3. For hiring considerations, public employers shall follow the
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19 baseline requirements.
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20 C. Public employers are only permitted to require a minimum
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21 educational attainment for a position if the public employer
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22 demonstrates that such educational attainment is necessary for the
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23 position based on specified skills required for the position that
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24 can only be obtained through a certain degree.
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Req. No. 447 Page 3
1 D. 1. As a prerequisite to being exempt under this section,
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2 public employers shall dedicate a portion of the job posting to
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3 substantiating the necessity of a specific postsecondary degree, on
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4 the basis that:
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5 a. the postsecondary degree is the only possible measure
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6 to determine if an applicant possesses specific
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7 skills, or
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8 b. the position requires advanced accreditation or
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9 licensure that is only available to holders of a
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10 specific postsecondary degree.
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11 2. Public employers shall include in their job postings any
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12 tests, training, apprenticeship, or other forms of assessment that
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13 may validate the competencies of a candidate for a position.
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14 3. Public employers substituting experience for a postsecondary
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15 degree may not exceed:
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16 a. two (2) years of direct experience for an associate's
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17 degree,
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18 b. four (4) years of direct experience for a bachelor's
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19 degree,
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20 c. six (6) years of direct experience for a master's
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21 degree,
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22 d. seven (7) years of direct experience for a
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23 professional degree, or
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Req. No. 447 Page 4
1 e. nine (9) years of direct experience for a doctoral
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2 degree.
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3 E. Nothing in this act shall apply to appointments pursuant to
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4 Section 10 of Title 51 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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5 F. A solicitation of a public employer for any good or service
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6 may not set forth any minimum experience or educational requirement
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7 for proposed contractor personnel in order for a bidder to be
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8 eligible for award of a contract unless the contracting officer
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9 includes in the solicitation a written justification that explains
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10 why the needs of the executive agency cannot be met without any such
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11 requirement and clarifies how the requirement ensures the needs are
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12 met.
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13 G. 1. Public employers shall provide written notice to each
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14 applicant eliminated from hiring consideration that identifies the
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15 reason the applicant did not meet the baseline requirements for the
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16 job posting.
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17 2. Applicants eliminated from hiring consideration who
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18 reasonably believe the decision was based on the applicant's lack of
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19 a postsecondary degree may appeal this decision to the Office of
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20 Management and Enterprise Services.
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21 3. Any person may report open positions with public employers
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22 in this state that require a postsecondary degree and fail to
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23 include an explanation required in this act.
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1 4. If the appeal or report is substantial, the Office of
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2 Management and Enterprise Services may require the public employer
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3 to reopen the hiring process, require the public employer to modify
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4 the job posting, and take other actions as necessary to comply with
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5 this act.
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6 H. The Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall
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7 promulgate the rules necessary for the implementation of this act.
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8 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
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10 60-1-447 MR 1/19/2025 5:42:03 AM
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Req. No. 447 Page 6Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.