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 749 By: Rader
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to higher education; providing
7 legislative findings; creating the Oklahoma Higher
8 Education Freedom of Expression and Transparency Act;
8 providing short title; defining terms; prohibiting an
9 institution of higher education from showing bias or
9 favoritism in approving or scheduling usage of
10 institution property; prohibiting an institution of
10 higher education from taking certain actions with
11 regard to student groups; allowing an institution to
11 restrict or deny use of property for certain reason;
12 requiring institutions to publish certain syllabus
12 beginning in certain academic year; requiring each
13 syllabus to include certain information; directing
13 the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to
14 promulgate certain rules requiring submission of
14 certain information, establishment of certain
15 processes, and reporting of certain information;
15 providing for noncodification; providing for
16 codification; providing an effective date; and
16 declaring an emergency.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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20 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
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21 codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
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22 The Legislature finds that:
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23 1. Freedom of expression and inquiry at institutions of higher
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24 education within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education are
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1 indispensable to the pursuit of educational excellence and the
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2 furtherance of the ordered individual liberty established in this
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3 nation's founding documents;
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4 2. Institutions of higher education within The Oklahoma State
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5 System of Higher Education have a duty to promote and defend freedom
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6 of expression and inquiry and the societal consensus on the ordered
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7 individual liberty established in this nation's founding documents
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8 that sustain it;
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9 3. Institutions of higher education within The Oklahoma State
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10 System of Higher Education should seek and foster intellectual
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11 diversity among administrators, faculty, students, and employees;
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12 4. Positively or negatively incentivizing, informally
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13 pressuring, or otherwise compelling students or employees of
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14 institutions of higher education within The Oklahoma State System of
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15 Higher Education to embrace divisive concepts is contrary to the
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16 mutual respect and collegial processes essential to the free
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17 exchange of ideas;
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18 5. Measures taken to ensure nondiscrimination cannot be allowed
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19 to undermine the principles of merit and excellence in the core
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20 activities of institutions of higher education within The Oklahoma
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21 State System of Higher Education; and
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22 6. Increased institutional transparency and oversight are
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23 needed to lessen the risk of diminished excellence resulting from
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24 the imposition or advocacy of divisive concepts.
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1 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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2 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3205.15 of Title 70, unless
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3 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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4 A. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Oklahoma
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5 Higher Education Freedom of Expression and Transparency Act".
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6 B. For the purposes of this section:
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7 1. "Divisive concept" means a concept that:
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8 a. one race or sex is inherently superior to another race
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9 or sex,
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10 b. an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is
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11 inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether
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12 consciously or unconsciously,
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13 c. an individual should be discriminated against or
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14 receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of
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15 his or her race or sex,
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16 d. members of one race or sex cannot and should not
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17 attempt to treat others without respect to race or
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18 sex,
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19 e. an individual's moral character is necessarily
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20 determined by his or her race or sex, and
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21 f. an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex,
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22 bears responsibility for actions committed in the past
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23 by other members of the same race or sex; and
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1 2. "Institution of higher education" means institutions of
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2 higher education within The Oklahoma State System of Higher
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3 Education.
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4 C. For purposes of approving or scheduling usage of an
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5 institution of higher education's property, an institution of higher
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6 education shall not show bias or favoritism:
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7 1. Based upon a guest speaker's or a guest speaker's student-
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8 sponsoring group's viewpoint, race, creed, color, religion,
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9 nonviolent political ideology, or nonviolent political party
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10 affiliation; or
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11 2. For a student group that, or a guest speaker who, intends to
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12 maintain a peaceful campus presence and peaceful use of the
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13 institution of higher education's property because the institution
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14 of higher education receives threatened simple breaches of the peace
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15 or nondestructive disruptions from groups or individuals who oppose
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16 the student group's or guest speaker's presence on campus.
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17 D. An institution of higher education shall not:
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18 1. Require a student group to pay fees or security deposits
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19 that are not charged to all other student groups; or
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20 2. Deny a student group access to the institution of higher
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21 education's property, if the property is routinely used by other
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22 student groups.
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23 E. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection C of this
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24 section, an institution of higher education may restrict or deny use
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1 of the institution of higher education's property for public
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2 displays, organized public gatherings, or public demonstrations if
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3 the display, gathering, or demonstration would violate Section 1021
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4 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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5 F. 1. To assess the extent to which a divisive concept may
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6 have been included or has otherwise affected curriculum, beginning
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7 with the 2025-2026 academic year, each institution of higher
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8 education shall publish a current syllabus for each course offered
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9 in the current semester on the institution of higher education's
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10 website no later than the seventh business day following the first
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11 day of class for the semester.
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12 2. Each syllabus published pursuant to paragraph 1 of this
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13 subsection shall include, but not be limited to:
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14 a. the title and catalog description of the course,
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15 b. the course instructor's name,
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16 c. the course's required or elective status for relevant
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17 majors or general education,
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18 d. a brief description of each assignment, examination,
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19 lecture, discussion, or other class activity,
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20 e. the title of each book that is assigned or recommended
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21 for the course including any textbook or workbook, and
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22 f. the final grades for the three (3) most recent
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23 semesters during which the course was offered.
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1 G. To assess the extent to which learning outcomes may have
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2 been affected by the inclusion of a divisive concept in the student
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3 learning experience, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
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4 shall promulgate rules to require institutions of higher education
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5 to submit data and information requested by the State Regents in a
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6 standardized format to allow the State Regents to provide an online
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7 organized data compilation that details the following:
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8 1. The number of students who completed a program at the
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9 institution of higher education for the three (3) most recent
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10 academic years, disaggregated by underserved minority students; and
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11 2. Results for students identified in paragraph 1 of this
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12 subsection on nationally recognized assessments that assess a
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13 student's readiness for postsecondary education, if available to the
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14 institution of higher education, and such students' final grade
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15 point average at the institution of higher education.
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16 H. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education shall
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17 promulgate rules to implement the provisions of this section. The
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18 rules shall:
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19 1. Establish a process by which a student enrolled in or an
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20 employee of an institution of higher education may submit a
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21 complaint of an alleged violation of the provisions of this section
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22 to the institution;
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1 2. Require each institution of higher education that receives a
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2 complaint pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection to investigate
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3 the report;
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4 3. Create a corrective action plan for an institution of higher
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5 education that is found to have violated the provisions of this
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6 section; and
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7 4. Create a reporting requirement for complaints filed, the
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8 findings of resulting investigations, and any corrective action
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9 plans developed pursuant to this subsection.
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10 SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
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11 SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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12 of the public peace, health, or safety, an emergency is hereby
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13 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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14 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 843 Page 7Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.