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53	53	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
54	54
55	55	1st Session of the 58th Legislature (2021)
56	56
57	57	SENATE BILL 756 By: Bergstrom
58	58
59	59
60	60
61	61
62	62
63	63	AS INTRODUCED
64	64
65	65	An Act relating to occupational certification;
66	66	creating the Oklahoma Certification Opportunity Act;
67	67	providing short title; defining terms; providing for
68	68	voluntary private certifications and registration;
69	69	stating requirements for registrations; mandating
70	70	publication of certain information on website;
71	71	authorizing private bond and fees; preempting certain
72	72	government regulations; prohibiting certain
73	73	penalties; providing for certain signs; prohibiting
74	74	use of certain titles ; making certain acts fraud;
75	75	setting penalty; providing for enforcement;
76	76	construing provisions; providing for codification;
77	77	and providing an effective date.
78	78
79	79
80	80
81	81	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE O F THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
82	82	SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
83	83	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 4500 of Title 59 , unless there
84	84	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
85	85	This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Oklahoma
86	86	Certification Opportunity Act”.
87	87	SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
88	88	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 4500.1 of Title 59, unless there
89	89	is created a duplicati on in numbering, reads as follows:
90	90	DEFINITIONS
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142	142	1. “Government” means the State of Oklahoma and its political
143	143	subdivisions;
144	144	2. “Lawful occupation” means a course of conduct, pursuit or
145	145	profession that includes the sale of goods or services that is not
146	146	itself illegal irrespective of an occupational regulation;
147	147	3. “Occupational regulation ” means a statute, ordi nance, rule or
148	148	other requirement in law that requires an individual to possess certain
149	149	personal qualifications to work in a lawful occupation;
150	150	4. “Qualifications” means criteria related to an individual’s
151	151	personal background that may include completion of an approved
152	152	educational program, satisfactory performance on an examination, work
153	153	experience, criminal history, moral standing, completion of continuing
154	154	education, a standar d of ethical behavior or other criteria as
155	155	determined by a private certifying organization to qualify the
156	156	individual to perform a service to an acceptable standard as
157	157	determined by the private certifying organization;
158	158	5. “Private certification” means a nontransferable recognition by a
159	159	private certifying organization that an individual meets the
160	160	qualifications determined by the private certifying organization;
161	161	6. “Private certifying organization” means a nongovernmental
162	162	organization that allows any individual to apply for private
163	163	certification regardless of the individual’s race, creed, color,
164	164	ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or
165	165	marital status;
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217	217	7. “Participating private certifying organization ” means a
218	218	private certifying organization that registers and otherwise meets the
219	219	criteria specified in subsection C of Section 3 of this act; and
220	220	8. “Privately certified” means a designated title that an
221	221	individual may use if the individual is certified by a participating
222	222	private certifying organization.
223	223	SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
224	224	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 4500.2 of Title 59, unless there
225	225	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
226	226	PRIVATE CERTIFYING ORGANIZATIONS; BOND
227	227	A. A private certifying organization may voluntarily participate
228	228	and register with the government under this section.
229	229	B. To participate, a private certification organiza tion shall
230	230	register with the Secretary of State. It shall provide the Secretary
231	231	with the organization’s name, address, officers and the names of
232	232	individuals initially privately certified. The Secretary may impose
233	233	a registration fee to recoup its costs and promulgate rules and forms
234	234	to facilitate registration.
235	235	C. A participating private certifying organization shall:
236	236	1. Publish on a publicly accessible website all of the following:
237	237	a. the scope of practice for each lawful occupation that
238	238	the organization certifies,
239	239	b. the qualifications that an individual mu st possess to
240	240	become certified by the private certifying organization,
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292	292	c. other factors the private certifying organization uses
293	293	to certify individuals which may include consumer
294	294	comments, rankings and other consumer-initiated
295	295	elements,
296	296	d. the names, business addresses and websites of all
297	297	individuals privately certified by the organization, and
298	298	e. the states in which the private certifying organization
299	299	is registered;
300	300	2. Require qualifications that are related to the lawful
301	301	occupation for which an individual is certified;
302	302	3. Verify an individual’s qualifications before certification and
303	303	periodically verify that the certified individual remains eligible for
304	304	certification;
305	305	4. Require a privately c ertified individual to prominently
306	306	display the private certification and make available materials about
307	307	the qualifications and other factors required for the private
308	308	certification on request; and
309	309	5. Have at least fifty privately certified individuals in active
310	310	practice in the United States after one year of applying for
311	311	registration with the Secretary of State of this state.
312	312	D. A participating private certifying organization may require
313	313	individuals it certifies to obtain and maintain a bond for liability
314	314	that is related to the practice of the individual’s privately
315	315	certified lawful occupation.
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367	367	E. A participating private certification organization may require
368	368	a privately certified individual to pay initial and ongoing fees.
369	369	SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
370	370	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 4500.3 of Title 59, unless there
371	371	is created a duplication in numb ering, reads as follows:
372	372	RIGHT TO ENGAGE IN A LAWFUL OCCUPATION
373	373	A. An individual who is certified by a participating private
374	374	certifying organization may engage in the la wful occupation for which
375	375	that individual is privately certified notwithstanding any other
376	376	occupational regulation enacted by the government.
377	377	B. The government shall not prohibit or impose a penalty, fine
378	378	or fee on an individual who is certified by a participating private
379	379	certifying organization for engaging in a lawful occupation in
380	380	compliance with this act.
381	381	SECTION 5. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
382	382	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 4500.4 of Title 59, unless there
383	383	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
384	384	SIGN; VIOLATION; CLASSIFICATION
385	385	A. An individual who is certified by a participating private
386	386	certifying organization and who engages in a lawful occupation for
387	387	which the government has otherwise enacted an occupational regulation
388	388	must prominently display a sign with lettering that is at least one
389	389	inch in height stating that (1) the government licenses the service;
390	390	(2) the individual is not licensed b y the government, (3) the
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442	442	individual is privately certified by ____(the name of the private
443	443	certifying organization), and (4) the contact information of the
444	444	private certification organization.
445	445	B. An individual who is certified by a participating private
446	446	certifying organization and who is not licensed, registered or
447	447	certified by the government shall not use the term “licensed,”
448	448	“certified” or “registered” to describe the individual’s credential or
449	449	any words, titles, abbreviations or letters that would induce a
450	450	reasonably knowledgeable consumer of such servi ces to believe the
451	451	privately certified individual using them is occupationally regulated
452	452	by the government.
453	453	C. An individual who is certified by a participating private
454	454	certifying organization may use the term “privately certified” to
455	455	describe the individ ual’s credentials or as part of a title or
456	456	designation.
457	457	SECTION 6. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
458	458	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 4500.5 of Title 59, unless there
459	459	is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follo ws:
460	460	FALSE CLAIM; VIOLATION; CLASSIFICATION
461	461	An individual who knowingly and falsely claims to be privately
462	462	certified pursuant to this act is subject to penalties under the
463	463	state’s deceptive trade practices act.
464	464
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515	515	SECTION 7. NEW LAW A n ew section of law to be codified
516	516	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 4500.6 of Title 59, unless there
517	517	is created a duplication in numb ering, reads as follows:
518	518	ENFORCEMENT
519	519	A. The Secretary of State shall enforce the provisions of this act
520	520	and has the authority to terminate the government registration of the
521	521	participating private certifying organization for failure to continue
522	522	to meet the requirements in subsection C of Section 3 of this act.
523	523	B. The participating private certifying organization that
524	524	continues to operate ninety (90) days after failing to meet the
525	525	requirements in subsection C of Section 3 of this act is subject to
526	526	the Oklahoma Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
527	527	C. Except to the extent that this act requires a privately
528	528	certified individual to possess qualifications established by the
529	529	government to perform a lawful occu pation, this act does not limit
530	530	the government’s authority to enact and enforce laws relating to:
531	531	1. A business license or permit, facility license, building
532	532	permit or land use regulation; and
533	533	2. Public health, safety, and environmental reg ulations through
534	534	the enforcement of regulation s other than occupational licenses
535	535	including the sale and use of substances that endanger public health
536	536	and safety if mishandled or improperly dispensed including chemicals,
537	537	explosives and pharmaceuticals.
538	538	D. Nothing in this act shall be construed to:
539	539
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590	590	1. Change the government’s sole authority to require an
591	591	individual to obtain and maintain a government-issued driver license
592	592	and related insurance for personal or commercial vehicle use;
593	593	2. Limit damages in a private civil action against an individual
594	594	who is privately certified or who knowingly and falsely claims to be
595	595	privately certified;
596	596	3. Require a private party or the government to do business with
597	597	an individual who is not licensed, certified or registered with the
598	598	government;
599	599	4. Create a cause of action against a private party or the
600	600	government;
601	601	5. Allow for private certification of occupations regulated by
602	602	the federal government or required by federal law to be
603	603	occupationally licensed by the government;
604	604	6. Require a private certification organization to participate
605	605	and register with the government under this chapter;
606	606	7. Increase the authority of the government to regulate
607	607	nonparticipating priva te certification organizations;
608	608	8. Require doctors and other medical profes sional to obtain
609	609	operating room privileges or other credentials from the state,
610	610	hospitals or clinics to perform surgery or an ope ration; or
611	611	9. Reduce the authority of the Oklahoma Supreme Court to regulate
612	612	who may issue subpoenas, serve discovery and litigate cases before
613	613	state judges.
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665	665	SECTION 8. This act shall become effective Nove mber 1, 2021.
666	666
667	667	58-1-15 NP 1/21/2021 2:00:37 PM

Oklahoma 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB756 Compare Versions