HB2940 • 2026

Oklahoma Open Meeting Act; creating the First Amendment Open Meetings Protection Act; public meeting recordings; Legislature; legislative committee meetings; monetary damages; effective date.

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Olsen
Last action: 2026-02-12
Official status: Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Civil Judiciary
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Oklahoma Open Meeting Act; creating the First Amendment Open Meetings Protection Act; public meeting recordings; Legislature; legislative committee meetings; monetary damages; effective date.

What This Bill Does

Oklahoma Open Meeting Act; creating the First Amendment Open Meetings Protection Act; public meeting recordings; Legislature; legislative committee meetings; monetary damages; effective date.
Bill Summaries/Fiscal Impact for HB 2940 (House): Introduced (2/10/2026) Bill Summaries/Fiscal Impact for HB 2940 (House): Proposed Policy Committee Amendment 1 (2/12/2026) Bill Summaries/Fiscal Impact for HB 2940 (House): Proposed Policy Committee Recommendation (2/23/2026)

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Policy Committee Recommendation

None

Filed

Plain English: Req.

Req.
No.
16331 Page 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 STATE OF OKLAHOMA 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026) POLICY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION FOR HOUSE BILL NO.
2940 By: Olsen POLICY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION An Act relating to the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act; creating the First Amendment Open Meetings Protection Act; amending 25 O.S.

Proposed Policy Committee Amendment 1

None

Filed

Plain English: HB2940 POLAMD1 Jim Olsen-SW 2/10/2026 12:03:34 pm AMEND TITLE TO CONFORM TO AMENDMENTS Amendment submitted by: Jim Olsen Adopted: _____________________________ ______________________________________ Reading Clerk COMMITTEE AMENDMENT HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES State of Oklahoma SPEAKER: CHAIR: I move to amend HB2940 Of the printed Bill Page 2 Section 2 Lines 14 Of the Engrossed Bill By striking the words "videotape, audiotape" and adding in lieu thereof the words "video, audio".

HB2940 POLAMD1 Jim Olsen-SW 2/10/2026 12:03:34 pm AMEND TITLE TO CONFORM TO AMENDMENTS Amendment submitted by: Jim Olsen Adopted: _____________________________ ______________________________________ Reading Clerk COMMITTEE AMENDMENT HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES State of Oklahoma SPEAKER: CHAIR: I move to amend HB2940 Of the printed Bill Page 2 Section 2 Lines 14 Of the Engrossed Bill By striking the words "videotape, audiotape" and adding in lieu thereof the words "video, audio".

Bill History

2026-02-12 House
Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Civil Judiciary
2026-02-03 House
Second Reading referred to Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight
2026-02-03 House
Referred to Civil Judiciary
2026-02-02 House
First Reading
2026-02-02 House
Authored by Representative Olsen

Official Summary Text

Oklahoma Open Meeting Act; creating the First Amendment Open Meetings Protection Act; public meeting recordings; Legislature; legislative committee meetings; monetary damages; effective date.
Bill Summaries/Fiscal Impact for HB 2940 (House): Introduced (2/10/2026)
Bill Summaries/Fiscal Impact for HB 2940 (House): Proposed Policy Committee Amendment 1 (2/12/2026)
Bill Summaries/Fiscal Impact for HB 2940 (House): Proposed Policy Committee Recommendation (2/23/2026)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Req. No. 13996 Page 1
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)

HOUSE BILL 2940 By: Olsen

AS INTRODUCED

An Act relating to the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act;
creating the First Amendment Open Meetings Protection
Act; amending 25 O.S. 2021, Section 312, which
relates to recording public meeting proceedings;
clarifying that personal recordings shall not be
prohibited unless they interfere with the public
meeting; including the Legislature and legislative
committee meetings in recording permissions; allowing
monetary damages for unlawful prohibitions of
recordings; providing for noncodification; and
providing an effective date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "First Amendment
Open Meetings Protection Act".
SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 25 O.S. 2021, Section 312, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 312. A. The proceedings of a public body shall be kept
by a person so designated by such public body in the form of written
minutes which shall be an official summary of the proceedings

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showing clearly those members present and absent, all matters
considered by the public body, and all actions taken by such public
body. The minutes of each meeting shall be open to public
inspection and shall reflect the manner and time of notice required
by this act.
B. In the written minutes of an emergency meeting, the nature
of the emergency and the proceedings occurring at such meeting,
including reasons for declaring such emergency meeting, shall be
included.
C. No public bodies nor members, officers, or staff of a public
body, nor any law enforcement officer or security personnel present
at a public meeting shall prohibit a person attending a public
meeting may record from recording the proceedings of said meeting by
videotape, audiotape, or by any other method; providing, however,
such recording shall not interfere with the conduct of the meeting.
Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 304 and 309 of this
title, the Oklahoma Legislature shall be considered a public body
solely for the purposes of this subsection, and legislative
committee meetings shall be considered public meetings solely for
the purposes of this subsection unless the committee meeting is
confidential or lawfully closed to the public.
D. In addition to the civil penalties described in subsection B
of Section 314 of this title, any person who was unlawfully

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prohibited from recording a public meeting in accordance with this
section may bring a civil suit for monetary damages.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.

60-2-13996 SW 12/01/25