Severe weather tracking creating the Oklahoma Emergency Weather Response and Tracking Regulatory Act of 2025. Effective date. Emergency.

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STATE OF OKLAHOMA

1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
SENATE BILL 158 By: Mann of the Senate

and

Fetgatter of the House

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

An Act relating to severe weather tracking; creating
the Oklahoma Emergency Weather Response and Tracking
Regulatory Act of 2025; providing short title;
defining terms; allowing certain entities to hire or
contract with certain persons for severe weather
tracking; establishing requirements for professional
severe weathers; establishing provisions for severe
weather tracking during certain significant weather
events; exempting professional severe weather
trackers from certain traffic regulations under
certain circumstances; providing exceptions to
certain exemptions; construing provision;
establishing penalty; amending 47 O.S. 2021, Section
1-103, which relates to authorized emergency
vehicles; designating certain vehicles as authorized
emergency vehicles in certain circumstances; amending
47 O.S. 2021, Section 12-218, which relates to
distinctive markings of emergency vehicles; providing
for distinctive markings for primary vehicles of
professional severe weather trackers; updating
statutory language; providing for codification;
providing an effective date; and declaring an
emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

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SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 19-300 of Title 47, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma
Emergency Weather Response and Tracking Regulatory Act of 2025”.
SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 19-301 of Title 47, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
As used in this act:
1. “Professional severe weather tracker” means an individual
hired by or contracted with a qualified media outlet or affiliated
with a research program at a qualified institution of higher
education;
2. “Qualified media outlet” means a television or radio
broadcasting station licensed by the Federal Communications
Commission for the broadcast or transmission of programming via
broadcast, cable, streaming, or other platforms as recognized by the
Federal Communications Commission;
3. “Qualified institution of higher education” means any
college or university overseen by the Oklahoma State Regents for
Higher Education that offers a course or program in meteorology; and
4. “Significant weather event” means:
a. a day of enhanced, moderate, or high-risk conditions
in one or more counties in this state predicted by the

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s
National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center,
b. any tornado or severe thunderstorm watch in one or
more counties in this state issued by the National
Weather Service or a qualified media outlet,
c. any storm in one or more counties in this state, or
anticipated to enter one or more counties in this
state, for which a tornado or severe thunderstorm
warning has been issued by the National Weather
Service or a qualified media outlet,
d. any blizzard warning, ice storm warning, winter
weather advisory, winter storm warning, or winter
storm watch issued by the National Weather Service or
a qualified media outlet,
e. a red flag warning issued by the National Weather
Service or the Forestry Services Division of the
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and
Forestry, or
f. a flash flood warning or flood warning issued by the
National Weather Service or a qualified media outlet.
SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 19-302 of Title 47, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

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A. A qualified media outlet or qualified institution of higher
education may hire or contract with not more than five professional
severe weather trackers for the purposes provided for in this act.
The qualified media outlet or qualified institution of higher
education shall:
1. Issue specific identification or credentialing information
to each hired or contracted professional severe weather tracker; and
2. Maintain a list of the names of each hired or contracted
professional severe weather tracker on a publicly available website.
B. Any professional severe weather tracker employed by or
contracted with a qualified media outlet or qualified institution of
higher education shall:
1. Complete an emergency driving course to be administered by a
law enforcement entity in this state, including, but not limited to,
a municipal police department, a county sheriff office, the Council
on Law Enforcement Education and Training, or the Department of
Public Safety;
2. Maintain a liability insurance policy of not less than One
Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00); and
3. Maintain in his or her vehicle the identifying or
credentialing information issued by the qualified media outlet or
qualified higher education institution.

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SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 19-304 of Title 47, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. Primary vehicles utilized by a professional severe weather
tracker shall:
1. Display markings clearly identifying such vehicle as being
utilized for severe weather tracking and identifying the qualified
media outlet or qualified institution of higher education with which
the tracker is affiliated; and
2. Be authorized to be equipped with and to use the visual
signals described in Section 12-218 of Title 47 of the Oklahoma
Statutes.
B. Once the conditions of a significant weather event have been
met, a professional severe weather tracker may:
1. Activate the visual signals authorized for use in this act;
2. Be considered an authorized emergency vehicle for the
purposes of this act;
3. Travel upon roads, highways, and county roads closed by the
Department of Transportation, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, any
city or county, or any law enforcement agency by reason of
conditions triggered by the significant weather event;
4. Proceed past a red or stop signal or stop sign, but only
after slowing down as may be necessary for safe operation;

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5. Exceed the maximum speed limits so long as speeding does not
endanger life or property;
6. Disregard regulations governing direction of movement; and
7. Disregard regulations governing turning in specified
directions.
C. The exemptions granted to a professional severe weather
tracker in this section shall apply only when the tracker is
properly and lawfully making use of flashing green and white lights
or a combination of flashing green and white lights meeting the
requirements of Section 12-218 of Title 47 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
D. The provisions of this section shall not limit the liability
of a professional severe weather tracker. The provisions of this
section shall not relieve the professional severe weather tracker
from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all
persons, nor shall such provisions protect the driver from the
consequences of reckless disregard for the safety of others.
E. Nothing in this section shall be construed to exempt a
professional severe weather tracker from obligation to yield right-
of-way and stop for superseding authorized emergency vehicles, as
prescribed in Section 1-103 of Title 47 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
SECTION 5. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 19-305 of Title 47, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:

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Any professional severe weather tracker found to be in violation
of the provisions of this act may be subject to a fine not to exceed
Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00). Such fine shall be in addition to
any criminal or civil penalties the tracker may be subject to for
the violation of the laws of this state.
SECTION 6. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 19-306 of Title 47, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
Nothing in this act shall be construed to prohibit or limit the
rights of any individual to engage in recreational or commercial
storm tracking or chasing.
SECTION 7. AMENDATORY 47 O.S. 2021, Section 1-103, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 1-103. A. When equipped as prescribed in subsection B
of this section:
1. Vehicles of fire departments;
2. Ambulances or vehicles specified pursuant to subsection B of
Section 1-2512 of Title 63 of the Oklahoma Statutes of licensed
ambulance service providers;
3. State vehicles of law enforcement agencies;
4. County vehicles of sheriffs and full-time commissioned
deputies and vehicles designated by the sheriff for support of the
sheriff’s office including privately owned vehicles driven by the
sheriff and full-time, part-time and reserve commissioned deputies;,

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provided the audible sirens and flashing red lights equipped on such
privately owned vehicles are used only in a law enforcement capacity
and in the course of duty;
5. Municipal vehicles of police departments;
6. Vehicles owned and operated by the United States Marshals
Service or the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
7. Vehicles of Oklahoma National Guard units designated by the
Adjutant General for support to civil authorities; or
8. Vehicles owned and operated by any local organization for
emergency management as defined by Section 683.3 of Title 63 of the
Oklahoma Statutes; or
9. Primary vehicles of professional severe weather trackers
hired by or contracted with a qualified media outlet or qualified
institution of higher education, as those terms are defined in
Section 2 of this act. Provided, however, such authorized emergency
vehicle designation shall only be provided while the professional
severe weather tracker is tracking a significant weather event, and
professional severe weather trackers shall yield right-of-way and
stop for vehicles described in paragraphs 1 through 8 of this
subsection,
are authorized emergency vehicles.
B. All Except for primary vehicles of professional severe
weather trackers, all vehicles prescribed in subsection A of this
section shall be equipped with sirens capable of giving audible

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signals as required by the provisions of Section 12-218 of this
title and flashing red lights as authorized by the provisions of
Section 12-218 of this title.
SECTION 8. AMENDATORY 47 O.S. 2021, Section 12-218, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 12-218. A. Every authorized emergency vehicle shall,
in addition to any other equipment and distinctive markings required
by this title, be equipped with flashing red or blue lights or a
combination of flashing red and blue lights. The lights shall be
visible at five hundred (500) feet in normal sunlight.
B. A law enforcement vehicle when used as an authorized
emergency vehicle may but need not be equipped with alternately-
flashing alternately flashing red or blue lights specified herein.
An unmarked vehicle used as a law enforcement vehicle for routine
traffic enforcement shall be equipped with the following combination
of lights:
1. Three flashing red, blue, or a combination of red and blue
lights emitting the flashing lights to the front of the vehicle;
2. Two flashing white lights emitting the flashing white lights
to the front of the vehicle;
3. Flashing red, blue, white or any combination of red, blue or
white lights placed at and emitting the flashing lights from the
four corners of the vehicle so that they are visible for three
hundred sixty (360) degrees; and

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4. One flashing red, blue, amber, or any combination of red,
blue, or amber lights emitting the flashing light to the rear of the
vehicle.
C. A professional severe weather tracker hired by or contracted
with a qualified media outlet or qualified institution of higher
education, as such terms are defined in Section 2 of this act, shall
be equipped with a combination of green and white flashing lights.
The lights shall be visible at five hundred (500) feet in normal
sunlight.
D. The use of the signal equipment described herein shall
impose upon drivers of other vehicles the obligation to yield right-
of-way and stop for authorized emergency vehicles, as prescribed in
Section 11-405 of this title.
SECTION 9. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.
SECTION 10. 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.

60-1-1647 RD 2/19/2025 5:29:55 PM