1| STATE OF OKLAHOMA | | | 2| 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026) | | | 3|SENATE BILL 1588 By: Gollihare | | | 4| | | | 5| | | | 6| AS INTRODUCED | | | 7| An Act relating to the Address Confidentiality | | Program; defining terms; permitting certain medical | 8| care providers to apply for the Address | | Confidentiality Program; requiring certain | 9| information on applications; requiring the Attorney | | General to approve certain applications; providing | 10| for penalties; requiring approval to be revoked in | | certain circumstances; requiring the Attorney General | 11| to keep certain records confidential; providing for | | exceptions; providing for codification; and providing | 12| an effective date. | | | 13| | | | 14| | | | 15|BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: | | | 16| SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified | | | 17|in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 60.14A of Title 22, unless there | | | 18|is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: | | | 19| A. As used in this section: | | | 20| 1. "Address" means a residential street address, school | | | 21|address, or work address of an individual, as specified on the | | | 22|application of an individual to be a program participant under this | | | 23|section; | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 2662 Page 1 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| 2. "Crime against a medical care provider" means an act as | | | 2|defined in Section 650.4 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes and | | | 3|includes a threat of such an act committed against a medical care | | | 4|provider, as long as the assault, battery, assault and battery, or | | | 5|threat of such an act has been reported to law enforcement officers; | | | 6| 3. "Medical care provider" means doctors, residents, interns, | | | 7|nurses, nurses' aides, ambulance attendants and operators, | | | 8|paramedics, emergency medical technicians, laboratory technicians, | | | 9|radiologic technologists, physical therapists, physician assistants, | | | 10|chaplains, volunteers, pharmacists, nursing students, medical | | | 11|students, members of a hospital security force, and any other | | | 12|employees working in or for a health care facility or independent | | | 13|contractors in one of the listed categories as defined in subsection | | | 14|B of Section 650.4 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes; and | | | 15| 4. "Program participant" means a person certified as a program | | | 16|participant under this section. | | | 17| B. The Address Confidentiality Program shall be staffed by | | | 18|unclassified employees, who have been subjected to a criminal | | | 19|history records search. | | | 20| C. A medical care provider who is the victim of a crime against | | | 21|a medical care provider and has reported the crime to law | | | 22|enforcement may apply to the Attorney General to have an address | | | 23|designated by the Attorney General serve as the address of the | | | 24|person. The Attorney General shall approve an application if it is | | | Req. No. 2662 Page 2 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|filed in the manner and on the form prescribed by the Attorney | | | 2|General and if it contains: | | | 3| 1. A sworn statement by the applicant that the applicant has | | | 4|good reason to believe that he or she is a victim of a crime against | | | 5|a medical care provider and that the applicant fears for his or her | | | 6|safety; | | | 7| 2. A designation of the Attorney General as agent for purposes | | | 8|of service of process and for the purpose of receipt of mail; | | | 9| 3. The mailing address where the applicant can be contacted by | | | 10|the Attorney General, and the phone number or numbers where the | | | 11|applicant can be called by the Attorney General; | | | 12| 4. The new address or addresses that the applicant requests not | | | 13|to be disclosed for the reason that disclosure will increase the | | | 14|risk of retaliation for reporting to law enforcement regarding a | | | 15|crime against a medical care provider; and | | | 16| 5. The signature of the applicant and application assistant who | | | 17|assisted in the preparation of the application, if any, and the date | | | 18|on which the applicant signed the application. | | | 19| D. An adult or minor child who resides with the applicant who | | | 20|also needs to be a program participant in order to ensure the safety | | | 21|of the applicant may apply. Each adult living in the household | | | 22|shall complete a separate application. An adult may apply on behalf | | | 23|of a minor. | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 2662 Page 3 ___________________________________________________________________________
1| E. 1. Upon receiving a properly completed application, the | | | 2|Attorney General shall certify the applicant as a program | | | 3|participant. Applicants shall be certified for four (4) years | | | 4|following the date of filing unless the certification is withdrawn | | | 5|or invalidated before that date. The Attorney General shall by rule | | | 6|establish a renewal procedure. | | | 7| 2. A person who falsely attests in an application that | | | 8|disclosure of the address of the applicant would endanger the safety | | | 9|of the applicant or the safety of the children of the applicant, or | | | 10|who knowingly provides false or incorrect information upon making an | | | 11|application, may be found guilty of perjury under Sections 500 and | | | 12|504 of Title 21 of the Oklahoma Statutes. | | | 13| F. 1. The Attorney General may cancel the certification of a | | | 14|program participant if there is a change in the residential address, | | | 15|unless the program participant provides the Attorney General notice | | | 16|no later than seven (7) days after the change occurs. | | | 17| 2. The Attorney General may cancel certification of a program | | | 18|participant if mail forwarded by the Attorney General to the address | | | 19|of the program participant is returned as undeliverable. | | | 20| 3. The Attorney General shall cancel certification of a program | | | 21|participant who applies using false information or who receives a | | | 22|name change while participating in the program. | | | 23| G. 1. A program participant may request that state and local | | | 24|agencies use the address designated by the Attorney General as the | | | Req. No. 2662 Page 4 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|address of the participant. When creating a new public record, | | | 2|state and local agencies shall accept the address designated by the | | | 3|Attorney General as a substitute address for the program | | | 4|participant, unless the Attorney General has determined that the | | | 5|agency has a bona fide statutory or administrative requirement for | | | 6|the use of the address which would otherwise be confidential under | | | 7|this section and the address will be used only for those statutory | | | 8|and administrative purposes. | | | 9| 2. A program participant may use the address designated by the | | | 10|Attorney General as a work address. | | | 11| 3. The Office of the Attorney General shall forward all first | | | 12|class, certified, and registered mail to the appropriate program | | | 13|participants for no charge. The Attorney General shall not be | | | 14|required to track or otherwise maintain records of any mail received | | | 15|on behalf of a participant unless the mail is certified or | | | 16|registered mail. | | | 17| H. The Attorney General shall not make any records in a file of | | | 18|a program participant available for inspection or copying, other | | | 19|than the address designated by the Attorney General, unless directed | | | 20|by a court order, to a person identified in the order or to verify | | | 21|the participation of a specific program participant to a state or | | | 22|local agency, in which case the Attorney General may only confirm | | | 23|information supplied by the requester. No employee of a state or | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 2662 Page 5 ___________________________________________________________________________
1|local agency shall knowingly and intentionally disclose a program | | | 2|participant's actual address unless disclosure is permitted by law. | | | 3| I. The Attorney General shall designate hospitals, health care | | | 4|entities, and nonprofit agencies or member associations as | | | 5|designated entities to assist persons in applying to be program | | | 6|participants. A volunteer or employee of a designated entity that | | | 7|is employed by a designated entity and has been trained by the | | | 8|Attorney General shall be known as an application assistant. Any | | | 9|assistance and counseling rendered by the Office of the Attorney | | | 10|General or an application assistant to applicants shall in no way be | | | 11|construed as legal advice. | | | 12| J. The Attorney General may enter into agreements with | | | 13|hospitals, health care entities, or member associations in this | | | 14|state for purposes of the implementation of the Address | | | 15|Confidentiality Program including the use and acceptance of the | | | 16|substitute address designated by the Attorney General. | | | 17| SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026. | | | 18| | | | 19| 60-2-2662 BLB 1/13/2026 11:51:36 AM | | | 20| | | | 21| | | | 22| | | | 23| | | | 24| | | | Req. No. 2662 Page 6