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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
HOUSE BILL 3088 By: Timmons
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to courts; amending 20 O.S. 2021,
Section 106.9, as last amended by Section 1, Chapter
263, O.S.L. 2023 (20 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 106.9),
which relates to court reporter salaries; increasing
salary; increasing longevity payments after first
fifteen years; increasing equipment allowance to Four
Thousand Dollars; amending 20 O.S. 2021, Section 125,
as last amended by Section 4, Chapter 316, O.S.L.
2025 (20 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 125), which relates
to secretary-bailiff salaries; creating salary
schedule for secretary-bailiffs; providing for
longevity payments; setting amounts; defining years
of service; providing an effective date; and
declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 20 O.S. 2021, Section 106.9, as
last amended by Section 1, Chapter 263, O.S.L. 2023 (20 O.S. Supp.
2025, Section 106.9), is amended to read as follows:
Section 106.9. A. Each court reporter regularly engaged by the
district court, the Workers' Compensation Court of Existing Claims,
or the Corporation Commission shall be paid a salary pursuant to the
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salary schedule established by the annual appropriation for the
district courts and Corporation Commission and in accordance with
the job description for the position to which appointed. For fiscal
year 2023 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter, each court reporter
shall receive an annual salary of Fifty-three Thousand Dollars
($53,000.00) Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($75,000.00).
B. In addition to their base salaries, official court reporters
who are certified or licensed shorthand reporters and those acting
shorthand reporters pursuant to paragraph 3 of Section 106.3B of
this title shall be paid annually the sum of Four Hundred Dollars
($400.00) for each year of service for the first fifteen (15) years
of service and the sum of Seven Hundred Fifty Dollars ($750.00) for
each year thereafter of service to the district court, the Workers'
Compensation Court, the Workers' Compensation Court of Existing
Claims and the Corporation Commission, with a maximum of twenty (20)
years of service only to be used for the purpose of longevity, not
to exceed Eight Thousand Dollars ($8,000.00) Nine Thousand Seven
Hundred Fifty Dollars ($9,750.00) per year, payable monthly. For
the purpose of payment for longevity, "years of service" is defined
as all years served as a certified or licensed court reporter in the
district court, the Workers' Compensation Court, the Workers'
Compensation Court of Existing Claims and the Corporation Commission
after June 30, 1978. Longevity payments shall be made on July 1 of
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each year following completion of the first year of service as
defined herein.
C. In addition to their base salaries, official court reporters
eligible for longevity payments pursuant to subsection B of this
section shall be paid an annual equipment allowance of Three
Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00) Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00).
Payments for such allowance shall be made on July 1 of each year
following completion of the first year of service as defined in
subsection B of this section.
D. In addition to their base salaries, official court reporters
who are certified shorthand reporters shall be paid the following:
1. The sum of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) per year,
payable monthly, to any official court reporter who is a Registered
Professional Reporter (RPR), as recognized by the State Board of
Examiners of Certified Shorthand Reporters. To qualify as a RPR, an
official court reporter shall have a proficiency level in reporting
testimony and proceedings of a speed of not less than two hundred
twenty-five (225) words per minute in taking a question-and-answer-
type dictation, two hundred (200) words per minute in taking a jury
charge and one hundred eighty (180) words per minute in taking
literary material, shall pass a Written Knowledge Test with a score
of at least seventy percent (70%), all as determined by an
examination recognized by the Board, and shall complete thirty (30)
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hours of continuing education per three-year cycle commencing at the
date of recognition;
2. The sum of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) per year,
payable monthly, to any official court reporter who is a Registered
Merit Reporter (RMR), as recognized by the State Board of Examiners
of Certified Shorthand Reporters. To qualify as a RMR, an official
court reporter shall have a proficiency level in reporting testimony
and proceedings of a speed of not less than two hundred sixty (260)
words per minute in taking a question-and-answer-type dictation, two
hundred forty (240) words per minute in taking a jury charge and two
hundred (200) words per minute in taking literary material, shall
pass a Written Knowledge Test with a score of at least seventy
percent (70%), all as determined by an examination recognized by the
Board, and shall complete thirty (30) hours of continuing education
per three-year cycle commencing at the date of recognition;
3. The sum of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) per year,
payable monthly, to any official court reporter who is a Registered
Diplomat Reporter (RDR), as recognized by the State Board of
Examiners of Certified Shorthand Reporters, and who completes thirty
(30) hours of continuing education per three-year cycle commencing
at the date of recognition;
4. The sum of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) per year,
payable monthly, to any official court reporter who is a Certified
Realtime Reporter (CRR), as recognized by the State Board of
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Examiners of Certified Shorthand Reporters, and who completes thirty
(30) hours of continuing education per three-year cycle commencing
at the date of recognition; or
5. Any official court reporter who is the holder of more than
one certification shall be compensated in the additional amounts
specified in paragraphs 1 through 4 of this subsection for each
certification up to a maximum of Eight Thousand Dollars ($8,000.00)
per year over and above the reporter's base salary, payable monthly.
E. Court reporters temporarily employed by the district court,
Workers' Compensation Court of Existing Claims, or Corporation
Commission shall be compensated by the court fund of the court which
they serve at a rate to be set by such court receive an annual
salary of Fifty-seven Thousand Dollars ($57,000.00). In addition,
court reporters temporarily employed pursuant to this subsection who
are required by the terms of their employment to travel outside
their county of residence shall receive reimbursement for mileage
actually and necessarily traveled to and from the place of
attendance at a rate not to exceed the rate of reimbursement
specified in the State Travel Reimbursement Act for state employees.
Any travel reimbursement shall be paid from the court fund of the
court where the service of the temporarily employed court reporter
is provided.
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SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 20 O.S. 2021, Section 125, as last
amended by Section 4, Chapter 316, O.S.L. 2025 (20 O.S. Supp. 2025,
Section 125), is amended to read as follows:
Section 125. A. 1. In all counties of the state, there is
created the office of secretary-bailiff for district judges and
associate district judges, and a secretary-bailiff for business
court judges, with each such secretary-bailiff to be appointed by
order of the district judge, associate district judge, or business
court judge to serve at the will of the appointing judge. The Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court shall approve by administrative
directive the number and assignments of secretary-bailiffs in all
counties of the state. Each secretary-bailiff shall be paid a
salary pursuant to the salary schedule established by the annual
appropriation for the district courts and in accordance with the job
description for the position to which appointed. For fiscal year
2023 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter, each secretary-bailiff
shall receive an annual salary of Forty-two Thousand Dollars
($42,000.00) within the following ranges:
a. for secretary-bailiffs with less than five (5) years
of experience, Forty Thousand Dollars ($40,000.00) to
Forty-five Thousand Dollars ($45,000.00),
b. for secretary-bailiffs with at least five (5) years
but less than ten (10) years of experience, Fifty
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Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) to Fifty-five Thousand
Dollars ($55,000.00),
c. for secretary-bailiffs with at least ten (10) years
but less than twenty (20) years of experience, Sixty
Thousand Dollars to Sixty-five Thousand Dollars
($65,000.00), and
d. for secretary-bailiffs with at least twenty (20) years
of experience, Seventy Thousand Dollars ($70,000.00)
to Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($75,000.00).
2. In addition to their base salaries, secretary-bailiffs shall
be paid annually a longevity payment for their years of service as
follows:
a. Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for their first through
fourth years of service,
b. Seven Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($750.00) for their
fifth through ninth years of service,
c. Nine Hundred Dollars ($900.00) for their tenth through
nineteenth years of service, and
d. One Thousand One Hundred Dollars ($1,100.00) for their
twentieth and each year of service thereafter.
For the purpose of payment for longevity, "years of service" is
defined as all years served as a secretary-bailiff for a district
judge, associate district judge, or business court judge. Longevity
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payments shall be made on July 1 of each year following completion
of the first year of service as defined herein.
3. In each business court division, the business court judge
may appoint a law clerk, who shall be an attorney licensed or
eligible to become licensed to practice law in this state, to serve
at the will of the appointing judge with an annual salary to be set
by the Chief Justice.
4. In every county of the state, each district judge and each
associate district judge, including business court judges in
counties with a business court division, may by order appoint
additional necessary court personnel subject to the approval of the
Chief Justice. A part-time bailiff shall be paid out of the court
fund of the county where appointed at the rate set by administrative
directive for each hour that such person actually attends the court
and performs services, or a pro rata fraction thereof for less than
an hour of service. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
each district judge and associate district judge may contract with
the sheriff of the county to allow a deputy sheriff to provide
bailiff service to the court.
B. With the approval of the presiding judge, a special judge
may appoint a secretary-bailiff or other personnel in accordance
with the administrative order of the Chief Justice.
C. No judge shall engage more than one full-time secretary-
bailiff at any given time except only during the progress of a jury
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trial, when a part-time bailiff may be engaged subject to the
approval of the Chief Justice. In the latter event, no more than
one additional bailiff shall be engaged to take charge of the jury.
The costs of meals and lodging of bailiffs ordered to keep a jury
together during the process of a trial or after the jury retires for
deliberation shall be lawfully paid from the court fund.
D. A district judge who sits regularly in more than one county
may employ only one full-time secretary-bailiff in the judicial
district of the judge, and in any other county of the district the
judge may engage a bailiff only on a part-time basis when such judge
sits in the county as a judge pursuant to the procedures set forth
by the Chief Justice in the administrative directive. The cost of
the operation of the office of a district judge of a multi-county
judicial district, including the purchase of equipment and supplies,
may be apportioned among the counties of that judicial district, or
appropriate division of that district, based upon the percentage of
revenue collected by the courts of the district.
E. The Administrative Director of the Courts shall develop and
promulgate job descriptions, salary schedules, and time-keeping
forms for part-time bailiff personnel. The Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court, through the Office of the Administrative Director of
the Courts, shall promulgate rules for the compensation for overtime
for all secretary-bailiff and part-time bailiff personnel employed.
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F. Persons employed by a county that does not meet the
requirements of Section 951 of Title 19 of the Oklahoma Statutes,
and who serve as full-time secretary-bailiffs or full-time bailiffs
shall be eligible to participate in the state retirement system and
state insurance programs and any other benefits as are provided to
state employees in the unclassified service. All part-time bailiff
personnel shall be compensated by the local court fund.
G. On October 1, 1989, the position of full-time bailiff shall
be redesignated as the position of secretary-bailiff in accordance
with the job descriptions, salary schedules, and procedures approved
by the Chief Justice. Additional secretary-bailiff positions shall
be created as funding and employee positions are available.
Counties shall be allowed to provide additional support personnel to
the judges sitting in such counties to the extent that funding is
available.
H. Any secretary-bailiff who is certified by the Council on Law
Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) as a basic peace officer
shall have and exercise all the powers and authority of a peace
officer. The Office of the Administrative Director of the Courts
shall promulgate rules which prescribe the duties for all CLEET-
certified secretary-bailiffs. The provisions of this subsection
will shall not entitle a CLEET-certified secretary-bailiff to
participate in the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026.
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SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
60-2-15711 AQH 12/22/25