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Bill > SB639
OK SB639
OK SB639Administrative Procedures Act; establishing guidelines for interpretation of statutes or administrative rules. Effective date.
summary
Introduced
02/03/2025
02/03/2025
In Committee
02/04/2025
02/04/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2025 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An Act relating to the Administrative Procedures Act; requiring a court or an administrative hearing officer to provide de novo interpretation of statute, rule, or other document; establishing guidelines for court interpretation of statute, rule, or other document in certain actions; providing for codification; and providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill establishes new guidelines for how courts and administrative hearing officers should interpret state statutes, administrative rules, and other regulatory documents in Oklahoma. Specifically, the bill requires that when interpreting such documents, courts and hearing officers must not defer to the interpretation provided by state agencies, but instead must conduct a "de novo" review, which means they must interpret the meaning independently and from scratch. Furthermore, in any legal action involving a state agency, after applying standard interpretation methods, the court or hearing officer is instructed to resolve any remaining ambiguities in a way that limits agency power and maximizes individual liberty. The bill will become effective on November 1, 2025, and will be codified as Section 318.1 of Title 75 in the Oklahoma Statutes. This legislation appears aimed at reducing administrative agencies' interpretive power and providing more judicial discretion in understanding the scope and meaning of laws and regulations.
Committee Categories
Justice
Sponsors (2)
Last Action
Coauthored by Representative Kendrix (principal House author) (on 02/13/2025)
Official Document
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