Public buildings and public works; school districts; public schools; emergency declarations; emergency contracts; effective date.

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ENGROSSED HOUSE
BILL NO. 4229 By: Kannady and Deck of the
House

and

Murdock of the Senate

An Act relating to public buildings and public works;
allowing school districts or public schools to
declare an emergency for purposes of entering an
emergency contract; providing conditions that must
exist; limiting the scope of emergency declarations
to contracts and actions to restore occupancy and
permit return of displaced students; clarifying what
emergency declarations shall not apply to; requiring
emergency declarations to be approved by governing
board; requiring emergency declarations to be
documented and retained as part of public record;
clarifying section does not limit other granted
emergency contracting authority; providing for
codification; 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 to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 130.1 of Title 61, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Oklahoma
Competitive Bidding Act, a school district or public school may
declare an emergency for purposes of entering into an emergency

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contract pursuant to Section 130 of this title only when one or more
of the following conditions exist:
1. No Occupancy. A school building or facility is not occupied
by students, faculty, staff, or the public due to damage, unsafe
conditions, or the failure or loss of essential building systems; or
2. Student Displacement. Students who would normally attend
classes in the affected building or facility have been displaced,
reassigned, or relocated to alternative instructional settings due
to damage, unsafe conditions, or the failure or loss of essential
building systems.
B. An emergency declared pursuant to this section shall be
limited solely to contracts and actions necessary to restore
occupancy of the facility or permit the return of displaced
students, including emergency repair, remediation, replacement of
essential systems, or temporary instructional facilities.
C. An emergency declaration under this section shall not apply
to:
1. Routine maintenance;
2. Planned renovations or capital improvements;
3. Projects undertaken for convenience, cost savings, or
project acceleration; or
4. Any condition in which the school facility remains occupied
and students are not displaced.

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D. Any emergency declaration made pursuant to this section
shall:
1. Be approved by the governing board of the school district or
public school;
2. Be documented in writing, stating the specific facts
supporting the emergency declaration; and
3. Be retained as part of the public record in accordance with
the Oklahoma Open Records Act.
E. Nothing in this section shall be construed to expand or
limit the emergency contracting authority otherwise provided in
Section 130 of this title, but rather to define and limit the
circumstances under which a school district or public school may
invoke such authority.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
Passed the House of Representatives the 23rd day of March, 2026.

Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives

Passed the Senate the _____ day of _______, 2026.

Presiding Officer of the Senate