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Read. Follow. Verify.Oklahoma restricts online college criminal history inquiries and bans juvenile conduct questions
Last action · March 5, 2025: Authored by Senator Stewart (principal Senate author)
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What This Bill Proposed
Higher education; Oklahoma Higher Education Fair Admissions Act; criminal history inquiries; State Regents for Higher Education; emergency.
Online applicants meeting residency criteria gain protection from criminal background checks during college admissions, while state institutions face funding and fine risks for non-compliance.
- State higher education governing bodies in Oklahoma establish and coordinate policies for public colleges and universities. context
- The measure advanced through the Oklahoma House of Representatives before receiving a committee report in the Senate. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Institutions of higher education
State educational institutions must alter their admissions inquiry processes for online students and juvenile conduct, and face fines or loss of state funding for non-compliance.
Online students
Applicants attending fully online without campus residency are protected from having their criminal history probed for admission purposes.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What penalties do colleges face if they violate the act?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · passed the House.
Procedural history
7 actions- Mar 5, 2025HouseAuthored by Senator Stewart (principal Senate author)
- Mar 5, 2025HouseFloorCR; Do Pass Education Oversight Committee
- Feb 11, 2025HouseFloorPolicy recommendation to the Education Oversight committee; Do Pass Postsecondary Education
- Feb 4, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to Postsecondary Education
- Feb 4, 2025HouseCommitteeSecond Reading referred to Education Oversight
- Feb 3, 2025HouseAuthored by Representative Ranson
Show 1 earlier action
- Feb 3, 2025HouseIntroducedFirst Reading
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Restriction on Online Admissions Inquiries
The bill carves out specific protections for fully online, non-residential students regarding criminal background disclosures during college admissions.
Sources
www.oklegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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