1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA | | | 2| 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026) | | | 3|HOUSE BILL 3379 By: Ranson | | | 4| | | | 5| | | | 6| AS INTRODUCED | | | 7| An Act relating to higher education; creating the | | Higher Education Workforce Development and Fair | 8| Admission Act; prohibiting state educational | | institutions from inquiring about a prospective | 9| student's criminal history on an application form; | | permitting inquiry if criminal history includes | 10| certain sex-related convictions; permitting inquiries | | of a student's criminal conviction history after | 11| acceptance for certain purposes; requiring | | universities consider certain factors concerning a | 12| student's criminal conviction history when making | | certain decisions; permitting institutions with | 13| teacher preparation programs to consider criminal | | conviction history; limiting consideration to | 14| offering of counseling; prohibiting institutions from | | denying admission to an academic program based solely | 15| on criminal conviction history; requiring institution | | to offer counseling; permitting institutions to | 16| consider criminal conviction history if information | | is disclosed through certain applications; providing | 17| for noncodification; providing for codification; | | providing an effective date; and declaring an | 18| emergency. | | | 19| | | | 20| | | | 21| | | | 22|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: | | | 23| SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be | | | 24|codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows: | | | Req. No. 15837 Page 1 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Higher | | | 2|Education Workforce Development and Fair Admission Act". | | | 3| SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified | | | 4|in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 3252 of Title 70, unless there | | | 5|is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: | | | 6| A. 1. Except as provided in paragraph 2 of this subsection, a | | | 7|state educational institution within The Oklahoma State System of | | | 8|Higher Education shall not inquire about a prospective student's | | | 9|criminal history on an initial application form or at any time | | | 10|during the admissions process prior to the institution's decision | | | 11|relative to the prospective student's acceptance for admission. | | | 12| 2. An institution may inquire on an initial application form | | | 13|about a prospective student's criminal conviction history relative | | | 14|to any conviction for a sex-related offense defined in Sections | | | 15|843.5, 1111, 1111.1, 1114, 1116, 1123, and 1173 of Title 21 of the | | | 16|Oklahoma Statutes or a sex-related offense under the laws of another | | | 17|state or under any military, territorial, foreign, tribal, or | | | 18|federal law that is equivalent to any of these offenses. If an | | | 19|institution elects to deny admission based on any such conviction, | | | 20|the institution shall notify the prospective student of the denial | | | 21|based on any such conviction. The prospective student may appeal | | | 22|the decision to the State Regents for Higher Education. | | | 23| B. 1. After a student has been accepted for admission, an | | | 24|institution may make inquiries relative to the student's criminal | | | Req. No. 15837 Page 2 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|conviction history, which shall not be limited to the offenses | | | 2|enumerated in paragraph 2 of subsection A of this section, for the | | | 3|following purposes: | | | 4| a. offering supportive counseling and services, and | | | 5| b. making decisions relative to a student's | | | 6| participation in campus life and determining if the | | | 7| institution will limit such participation. | | | 8| 2. An institution may make such inquiries when obtaining | | | 9|secondary information including, but not limited to, information | | | 10|pertaining to immunizations, financial aid, or housing. If an | | | 11|institution elects to make such inquiries, the institution shall | | | 12|consider all of the following: | | | 13| a. the nature and gravity of the criminal conduct and | | | 14| whether it bears a direct relationship to a particular | | | 15| aspect of a student's participation in campus life, | | | 16| including, but not limited to, campus residency and | | | 17| campus activities, | | | 18| b. the time that has passed since the occurrence of the | | | 19| criminal conduct, | | | 20| c. the age of the student at the time of the conduct | | | 21| underlying the criminal conviction, and | | | 22| d. any evidence of rehabilitation or good conduct | | | 23| produced by the student. | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 15837 Page 3 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| 3. After a student has been accepted for admission, an | | | 2|institution offering a teacher preparation program may consider | | | 3|criminal conviction history if information pertaining to such | | | 4|history is provided on a professional conduct form for use in the | | | 5|teacher certification process. The purpose of such consideration | | | 6|shall be limited to the offering of counseling as provided for in | | | 7|paragraph 1 of subsection C of this section. | | | 8| C. 1. An institution shall not deny, based solely on criminal | | | 9|conviction history, admission to or continuation in an academic | | | 10|program designed to prepare a student for a career that requires an | | | 11|occupational license or a teaching certificate. The institution | | | 12|shall offer counseling relative to the licensing or certification | | | 13|requirement in order to assist a student in making an informed | | | 14|decision about pursuing such program. | | | 15| 2. A state educational institution may consider criminal | | | 16|conviction history if information pertaining to such history is | | | 17|provided on an application that is designed by a national | | | 18|application service, tailored for admission to a specific degree | | | 19|program, and used by postsecondary education institutions in | | | 20|multiple states. | | | 21| SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2026. | | | 22| SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation | | | 23|of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 15837 Page 4 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and | | | 2|be in full force from and after its passage and approval. | | | 3| | | | 4| 60-2-15837 AQH 01/08/26 | | | 5| | | | 6| | | | 7| | | | 8| | | | 9| | | | 10| | | | 11| | | | 12| | | | 13| | | | 14| | | | 15| | | | 16| | | | 17| | | | 18| | | | 19| | | | 20| | | | 21| | | | 22| | | | 23| | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 15837 Page 5