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Bill > HB1979
OK HB1979
OK HB1979Children; Early Childhood Task Force; membership; election; reports; compensation or reimbursement; expenses; Open Records Act; Open Meeting Act; advice; vision statement; mission; principles; codification; effective date.
summary
Introduced
02/03/2025
02/03/2025
In Committee
04/20/2026
04/20/2026
Crossed Over
03/24/2026
03/24/2026
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2025 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An Act relating to children; creating the Early Childhood Task Force; providing for task force membership; providing for election of chair and vice- chair; permitting the selection of honorary chair; directing task force to provide reports; disallowing certain members from receiving compensation or reimbursement; permitting certain members to claim certain expenses; requiring task force to be subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act and Oklahoma Open Meeting Act; providing that task force documents and recommendations shall only be considered advice; providing a vision statement; providing a mission; providing principles the task force is to be guided by; providing tasks for the task force; providing for codification; and providing an effective date. AUTHOR: Add the following House Coauthors: Munson and Dollens AMENDMENT NO. 1. , strike the title, enacting clause and entire bill and insert “An Act relating to children; creating the Early Childhood Task Force; providing for task force membership; providing for election of chair and vice chair; permitting the selection of honorary chair; directing task force to provide reports; disallowing certain members from receiving compensation or reimbursement; permitting certain members to claim certain expenses; requiring task force to be subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act and the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act; providing that task force documents and recommendations shall only be considered advice; providing a vision statement; providing a mission; providing principles the task force is to be guided by; providing tasks for the task force; providing for codification; and providing an effective date.
AI Summary
This bill establishes the Early Childhood Task Force, comprised of eighteen members representing various state agencies, child care providers, parents, educators, and healthcare professionals, to study and recommend improvements to early childhood services in Oklahoma. The task force will elect a chair and vice-chair, and may select an honorary chair for ceremonial purposes, with all meetings and documents subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act and Oklahoma Open Meeting Act, ensuring transparency. While task force recommendations are considered advisory and do not bind state agencies, the task force is guided by a vision of healthy childhoods supported by a robust, equitable, and accessible early childhood system, with a mission to create a more efficient governance structure for these programs. Its work will focus on analyzing current systems, gathering stakeholder feedback, and developing a transition plan and proposed legislation for a new governance structure, with a vision statement, mission, and specific principles emphasizing child and family well-being, efficiency, equity, and data-informed approaches, and will submit initial and final reports by November 2027 and November 2028, respectively. Members will serve voluntarily without compensation or reimbursement, though state agency employees may claim expenses related to their official duties.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services
Sponsors (11)
Chuck Hall (R)*,
Trish Ranson (D)*,
Nick Archer (R),
Mickey Dollens (D),
Ellyn Hefner (D),
Mark Lawson (R),
Cyndi Munson (D),
Daniel Pae (R),
Melissa Provenzano (D),
Suzanne Schreiber (D),
John Waldron (D),
Last Action
SA's received (on 04/28/2026)
Official Document
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