Oklahoma 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB748 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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4		-	An Act
5		-	ENROLLED SENATE
	29	+	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION
	30	+
	31	+	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
	32	+
	33	+	1st Session of the 58th Legislature (2021)
	34	+
	35	+	ENGROSSED SENATE
6	36		BILL NO. 748 By: Jech of the Senate
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8	38		and
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10	40		Martinez of the House
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15	45		An Act relating to professions and occupations;
16	46		defining terms; making certain peer review records
17	47		privileged information; providing that certain
18	48		records not be discoverable or admissible in trial;
19	49		declaring certain holder of privilege; authorizing
20	50		peer review committee to report and discuss
21	51		information and findings without waiver of privilege;
22	52		providing immunity from civil liability for certain
23	53		acts performed in good faith; providing for
24	54		codification; and providing an effective date.
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29		-	SUBJECT: Maintenance of privileged information
30		-
31	59		BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
32		-
33	60		SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
34	61		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 475.40 of Title 59, unless there
35	62		is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
36		-
37	63		A. As used in this section:
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39	64		1. “Design profession” means the practice of a rchitecture,
40	65		landscape architecture, land surveying or engineering;
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42	66		2. “Design professional” means an architect, landscape
43	67		architect, land surveyor or professional engineer or a business
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	69	+	SB748 HFLR Page 2
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44	95		entity authorized to practice one or more of the design professions
45	96		specified in paragraph 1 of this subsection;
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48		-	ENR. S. B. NO. 748 Page 2
49	97		3. “Architect” shall have the same meaning ascribed to such
50	98		term in Section 46.3 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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52	99		4. “Landscape architect” shall have the same meaning ascribed
53	100		to such term in Section 46.3 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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55	101		5. “Land surveyor” shall have the same meaning ascribed to such
56	102		term in Section 475.2 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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58	103		6. “Professional engineer ” shall have the same meaning ascribed
59	104		to such term in Section 475 .2 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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61	105		7. “Lessons learned” means any internal meeting, class,
62	106		publication in any medium, presentation, lecture or other means of
63	107		teaching and communicating after substantial completion of the
64	108		project which is conducted s olely and exclusively by and with the
65	109		employees, partners, consultants and coworkers of the design
66	110		professional who prepared the project ’s design for the purpose of
67	111		learning best practices and reducing errors and omissions in design
68	112		documents and procedure s;
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70	113		8. “Peer review” or “peer review process” means any of the
71	114		following functions:
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73	115		a. evaluating and improving the design, drawings
74	116		specifications or quality of services rendered by a
75	117		design professional,
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	119	+	SB748 HFLR Page 3
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77	145		b. evaluating the design, construction, procedures and
78	146		results of improvements to real property based upon
79	147		services rendered by a design professional during or
80	148		after completion of such improvements, or
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82	149		c. preparing an internal lessons -learned review of any
83	150		project or services rendered for the purpose of
84	151		improving the quality of services rendered by a design
85	152		professional; and
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87	153		9. “Peer reviewer” or “peer review committee ” means an
88	154		individual design professional or a committee of design
89	155		professionals retained, employed, designated or appointed by:
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92		-	ENR. S. B. NO. 748 Page 3
93	156		a. a state, county or local society of design
94	157		professionals, or
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96	158		b. the board of directors, chief executive officer,
97	159		quality control director, risk manager or employed
98	160		design professional of a business entity authorized to
99	161		practice one or more of the design professio ns
100	162		specified in paragraph 1 of this subsection.
101		-
102	163		B. The reports, statements, memoranda, proceedings, findings
103	164		and other records submitted to or generated by any peer review
104	165		committee or peer reviewer shall be privileged and shall not be
105	166		subject to discovery, subpoena or other means of legal compulsion
106	167		for their release to any person or entity or be admissible in
107	168		evidence in any judicial or administrative proceeding. Information
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108	196		contained in such records shall not be discoverable or admissible at
109	197		trial in the form of testimony by an individual who participated in
110	198		the peer review process.
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112	199		C. The design professional who retains, employs, designates or
113	200		appoints the peer reviewer or peer review committee is the holder of
114	201		the privilege established by this sectio n. This privilege may be
115	202		claimed by such design professional and shall not be waived as a
116	203		result of any disclosure by a peer reviewer or peer review
117	204		committee.
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119	205		D. A peer review committee or peer reviewer may report to and
120	206		discuss activities, information and findings with other peer review
121	207		committees or peer reviewers or to the design professional who
122	208		retains, employs, designates or appoints the peer reviewer or peer
123	209		review committee and with any officer, director or quality control
124	210		director, risk manager or employed design professional thereof
125	211		without waiver of the privilege provided by subsection B of this
126	212		section, and the records of all such peer review committees or peer
127	213		reviewers relating to such report shall be privileged as provided by
128	214		subsection B of this section.
129		-
130	215		E. Each peer reviewer and member of a peer review committee
131	216		shall be immune from civil liability for such acts described in
132	217		paragraph 8 of subsection A and subsection D of this section, so
133	218		long as the acts are performed in good faith, with out malice and are
134	219		reasonably related to the scope of inquiry of the peer review
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136		-	ENR. S. B. NO. 748 Page 4
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137	247		process. The immunity in this subsection is intended to cover only
138	248		outside peer reviews by a third -party design professional who:
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140	249		1. Is not an employee, coworker or partner of the design
141	250		professional whose design is being peer reviewed; and
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143	251		2. Has no other role in the project besides performing the peer
144	252		review.
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146	253		SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2021.
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149		-	ENR. S. B. NO. 748 Page 5
150		-	Passed the Senate the 10th day of February, 2021.
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152		-
153		-
154		-	Presiding Officer of the Senate
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157		-	Passed the House of Representatives the 20th day of April, 2021.
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161		-	Presiding Officer of the House
162		-	of Representatives
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164		-	OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
165		-	Received by the Office of the Governor this _______ _____________
166		-	day of _________________ __, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
167		-	By: _______________________________ __
168		-	Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _____ ____
169		-	day of _________________ __, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
170		-
171		-	_________________________________
172		-	Governor of the State of Oklahoma
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174		-
175		-	OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE
176		-	Received by the Office of the Secretary of State this _______ ___
177		-	day of __________________, 20 _______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
178		-	By: _______________________________ __
	255	+	COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON RU LES, dated 04/06/2021 - DO PASS.