Oklahoma education

The fact measures diploma-or-higher attainment among adults age 25 and older. Completion and equivalency programs address a component of attainment; rules for current students concern a potential future component of the adult population. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Oklahoma evidence context: Adults with at least a high school diploma. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

D. Subject to the provisions of subsection E of this section, in order to graduate from a public high school accredited by the State Board of Education with a standard college-ready and career- ready diploma, students enrolled in grades eight through twelve in the 2024-2025 school year shall complete the curriculum units or sets of competencies listed in paragraphs 1 through 8 of this subsection at the secondary level . This subsection shall be unavailable as a diploma pathway to students not enrolled in a public high school accredited by the State Board of Education prior to the 2025-2026 school year for the completion of their diploma, and who have not previously started the pathway provided in this subsection. The State Department of Education shall develop and distribute to school districts a notice suitable for the purposes of notifying parents and legal guardians that this degree pathway is being terminated in the 2029-2030 school year, and students who were not already on the pathway prior to the 2025-2026 school year shall not be eligible for this pathway, and shall be subject to the requirements in subsection C of this section. 1. Four units or sets of competencies of English to include Grammar, Composition, Literature, an Advanced Placement English Seminar, or any English course approved for college admission requirements;

The fact measures diploma-or-higher attainment among adults age 25 and older. Completion and equivalency programs address a component of attainment; rules for current students concern a potential future component of the adult population. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Oklahoma evidence context: Adults with at least a high school diploma. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

D. Subject to the provisions of subsection E of this section, in order to graduate from a public high school accredited by the State Board of Education with a standard college-ready and career- ready diploma, students enrolled in grades eight through twelve in the 2024-2025 school year shall complete the curriculum units or sets of competencies listed in paragraphs 1 through 8 of this subsection at the secondary level . This subsection shall be unavailable as a diploma pathway to students not enrolled in a public high school accredited by the State Board of Education prior to the 2025-2026 school year for the completion of their diploma, and who have not previously started the pathway provided in this subsection. The State Department of Education shall develop and distribute to school districts a notice suitable for the purposes of notifying parents and legal guardians that this degree pathway is being terminated in the 2029-2030 school year, and students who were not already on the pathway prior to the 2025-2026 school year shall not be eligible for this pathway, and shall be subject to the requirements in subsection C of this section. 1. Four units or sets of competencies of English to include Grammar, Composition, Literature, an Advanced Placement English Seminar, or any English course approved for college admission requirements;

Homicide is included in the referenced violent-crime statute. The law creates an investigation-review process for qualifying unresolved cases; it is not a new mortality-reporting system or proof of prevention. This connection does not establish causation or a change in the earlier measured value.

Retained Oklahoma evidence context: Homicide deaths · Reported violent-crime rate. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 146 of Title 21, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. For the purposes of this section: 1. “Case file review” means a review of all information, evidence, records, testimonies, and other pertinent information regarding a cold case; 2. “Cold case” means a case of violent crime, as provided for in Section 571 of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes, for which all probative investigative leads have been exhausted and for which no likely perpetrator has been identified; 3. “Designated person” means an immediate family member or similar individual as determined by the law enforcement agency reviewing a case file; 4. “Immediate family member” means the spouse, a child by birth or adoption, a stepchild, a parent by birth or adoption, a stepparent, a grandparent, a grandchild, a sibling, or a stepsibling of a victim; 5. “Law enforcement agency” means any department or agency of the state, a county, a municipality, or a political subdivision thereof, with the duties to maintain public order, make arrests, and enforce the criminal laws of this state or municipal ordinances and that employs personnel certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training; and 6. “Victim” means the victim of a violent crime. B. 1. A law enforcement agency shall review the case file regarding a cold case upon written application by a designated person to determine if further investigation would result in probative investigative leads. 2. The case file review shall include, but not be limited to: a. an analysis of the investigative steps or follow-up steps that may contribute to the initial investigation, b. an assessment of whether witnesses should be interviewed or reinterviewed, c. a review of physical evidence to determine if all appropriate forensic testing and analyses were performed in the first instance or if additional testing might produce information relevant to the investigation, and d. a modernization of the file to raise it to current investigative standards to the extent that it would develop probative leads. 3. The person or persons employed by a law enforcement agency and performing the case file review shall not have previously investigated the cold case being reviewed. 4. The law enforcement agency shall confirm receipt of the request for a case file review in writing within thirty (30) days of receipt of the application pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection. 5. Only one case file review shall be undertaken at a time with respect to the same victim. 6. a. The law enforcement agency reviewing a cold case shall, within six (6) months of receiving an application for a case file review, reach a conclusion about whether further investigation is warranted pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection. b. The law enforcement agency shall be authorized to extend the time requirement pursuant to subparagraph a of this paragraph for a period of up to six (6) months at a time if the law enforcement agency determines that the number of case files to be reviewed would make it impracticable to comply with the provisions of this subsection. The law enforcement agency shall provide written notice and an explanation of the reasoning for extending the time frame for conclusion of a case file review to the designated person who made the written application pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection. C. If there is more than one law enforcement agency that would be subject to reviewing the same cold case, the law enforcement agencies shall jointly coordinate the case file review. D. 1. The law enforcement agency shall consult with the designated person who filed a written application pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection B of this section and provide the designated person with periodic updates during the case file review. 2. The law enforcement agency shall meet with the designated person and discuss the findings to explain the decision whether to engage in further investigation. E. 1. If a case file review is completed and the law enforcement agency concludes that further investigation is not warranted, no additional review shall be taken for the same cold case for at least five (5) years, unless new evidence that is materially significant is discovered. 2. If a suspect is not identified after further investigation, no additional case file review or further investigation shall be undertaken for the same cold case for at least five (5) years. F. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to interfere with the ability of law enforcement to conduct further investigation. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.

Homicide is included in the referenced violent-crime statute. The law creates an investigation-review process for qualifying unresolved cases; it is not a new mortality-reporting system or proof of prevention. This connection does not establish causation or a change in the earlier measured value.

Retained Oklahoma evidence context: Homicide deaths · Reported violent-crime rate. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 146 of Title 21, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. For the purposes of this section: 1. “Case file review” means a review of all information, evidence, records, testimonies, and other pertinent information regarding a cold case; 2. “Cold case” means a case of violent crime, as provided for in Section 571 of Title 57 of the Oklahoma Statutes, for which all probative investigative leads have been exhausted and for which no likely perpetrator has been identified; 3. “Designated person” means an immediate family member or similar individual as determined by the law enforcement agency reviewing a case file; 4. “Immediate family member” means the spouse, a child by birth or adoption, a stepchild, a parent by birth or adoption, a stepparent, a grandparent, a grandchild, a sibling, or a stepsibling of a victim; 5. “Law enforcement agency” means any department or agency of the state, a county, a municipality, or a political subdivision thereof, with the duties to maintain public order, make arrests, and enforce the criminal laws of this state or municipal ordinances and that employs personnel certified by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training; and 6. “Victim” means the victim of a violent crime. B. 1. A law enforcement agency shall review the case file regarding a cold case upon written application by a designated person to determine if further investigation would result in probative investigative leads. 2. The case file review shall include, but not be limited to: a. an analysis of the investigative steps or follow-up steps that may contribute to the initial investigation, b. an assessment of whether witnesses should be interviewed or reinterviewed, c. a review of physical evidence to determine if all appropriate forensic testing and analyses were performed in the first instance or if additional testing might produce information relevant to the investigation, and d. a modernization of the file to raise it to current investigative standards to the extent that it would develop probative leads. 3. The person or persons employed by a law enforcement agency and performing the case file review shall not have previously investigated the cold case being reviewed. 4. The law enforcement agency shall confirm receipt of the request for a case file review in writing within thirty (30) days of receipt of the application pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection. 5. Only one case file review shall be undertaken at a time with respect to the same victim. 6. a. The law enforcement agency reviewing a cold case shall, within six (6) months of receiving an application for a case file review, reach a conclusion about whether further investigation is warranted pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection. b. The law enforcement agency shall be authorized to extend the time requirement pursuant to subparagraph a of this paragraph for a period of up to six (6) months at a time if the law enforcement agency determines that the number of case files to be reviewed would make it impracticable to comply with the provisions of this subsection. The law enforcement agency shall provide written notice and an explanation of the reasoning for extending the time frame for conclusion of a case file review to the designated person who made the written application pursuant to paragraph 1 of this subsection. C. If there is more than one law enforcement agency that would be subject to reviewing the same cold case, the law enforcement agencies shall jointly coordinate the case file review. D. 1. The law enforcement agency shall consult with the designated person who filed a written application pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection B of this section and provide the designated person with periodic updates during the case file review. 2. The law enforcement agency shall meet with the designated person and discuss the findings to explain the decision whether to engage in further investigation. E. 1. If a case file review is completed and the law enforcement agency concludes that further investigation is not warranted, no additional review shall be taken for the same cold case for at least five (5) years, unless new evidence that is materially significant is discovered. 2. If a suspect is not identified after further investigation, no additional case file review or further investigation shall be undertaken for the same cold case for at least five (5) years. F. The provisions of this section shall not be construed to interfere with the ability of law enforcement to conduct further investigation. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.

Firearm mortality includes suicide, homicide, and other intents. The provision concerns firearm access, safety, or prevention of firearm injury and may address only part of the death count. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Oklahoma evidence context: Firearm deaths. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

Section 129. A. A judge of the district court, municipal judge, or retired judge of the district court who receives a statement from the appropriate retirement system verifying the status of the person as a retired judge of the district court may carry a firearm on his or her person throughout the state to use only for personal protection if the person has successfully completed a handgun qualification course for court officials developed by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training. The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training may provide for an identification card to be issued to the judge of the district court, retired judge of the district court, or municipal judge and may provide application forms. If the person issued an identification card is no longer eligible, that person shall immediately return the identification card to the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training. B. In addition to the requirements provided for in subsection A of this section, a retired municipal judge, having served as a municipal judge for twenty (20) cumulative years, as certified by the Oklahoma Municipal Judges Association, and who is qualified to serve as a municipal judge, may carry a firearm on his or her person throughout the state to use only for personal protection; provided, however, the retired municipal judge shall not be authorized to carry the firearm into any district court of this state. Retired district judges, district attorneys or assistant district attorneys who are currently authorized to carry firearms throughout the state pursuant to state law shall be exempt from the provisions of this subsection. C. The chief judge of the district court may issue a written order allowing a municipal judge to carry a firearm within the district court during the time period in which he or she serves as the chief judge. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.

Firearm mortality includes suicide, homicide, and other intents. The provision concerns firearm access, safety, or prevention of firearm injury and may address only part of the death count. This connection does not establish causation. Actions after the measurement period cannot explain the earlier observed value.

Retained Oklahoma evidence context: Firearm deaths. This record’s connection to the topic does not establish an effect on the measured result.

Section 129. A. A judge of the district court, municipal judge, or retired judge of the district court who receives a statement from the appropriate retirement system verifying the status of the person as a retired judge of the district court may carry a firearm on his or her person throughout the state to use only for personal protection if the person has successfully completed a handgun qualification course for court officials developed by the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training. The Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training may provide for an identification card to be issued to the judge of the district court, retired judge of the district court, or municipal judge and may provide application forms. If the person issued an identification card is no longer eligible, that person shall immediately return the identification card to the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training. B. In addition to the requirements provided for in subsection A of this section, a retired municipal judge, having served as a municipal judge for twenty (20) cumulative years, as certified by the Oklahoma Municipal Judges Association, and who is qualified to serve as a municipal judge, may carry a firearm on his or her person throughout the state to use only for personal protection; provided, however, the retired municipal judge shall not be authorized to carry the firearm into any district court of this state. Retired district judges, district attorneys or assistant district attorneys who are currently authorized to carry firearms throughout the state pursuant to state law shall be exempt from the provisions of this subsection. C. The chief judge of the district court may issue a written order allowing a municipal judge to carry a firearm within the district court during the time period in which he or she serves as the chief judge. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.