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53	53	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
54	54
55	55	1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
56	56
57	57	SENATE BILL 740 By: Brooks
58	58
59	59
60	60
61	61
62	62
63	63	AS INTRODUCED
64	64
65	65	An Act relating to public benefits; amending 56 O.S.
66	66	2021, Section 71, which relates to verification of
67	67	lawful presence of applicants ; modifying definition;
68	68	updating statutory reference; and providing an
69	69	effective date.
70	70
71	71
72	72
73	73	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
74	74	SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 56 O.S. 2021, Section 71, is
75	75	amended to read as follows:
76	76	Section 71. A. Except as provided in subsection C o f this
77	77	section or where exempt ed by federal law, every agency or a
78	78	political subdivision of this state shall verify the lawful presence
79	79	in the United States of any natural person fourt een (14) years of
80	80	age or older who has applied for any state or local public benefits
81	81	benefit, as defined in 8 U.S.C., Section 1621 this section, or for
82	82	federal public benefits, as defined in 8 U.S.C., Section 1611, that
83	83	is administered by an agency or a p olitical subdivision o f this
84	84	state.
85	85	B. The provisions of this section s hall be enforced without
86	86	regard to race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or national origin.
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138	138	C. Verification of lawful presence under the provisions of this
139	139	section shall not be required :
140	140	1. For any purpose for which lawful presence in the United
141	141	States is not restricted by law, ordinan ce, or regulation;
142	142	2. For assistance for health care items and services that are
143	143	necessary for the treatment of an emergency medical condition, as
144	144	defined in 42 U.S.C., Sectio n 1396b(v)(3), of the alien involved and
145	145	are not related to an organ transplant procedure;
146	146	3. For short-term, noncash, in-kind emergency disast er relief;
147	147	4. For public health assistance for immunizations with respect
148	148	to diseases and for testing and treat ment of symptoms of
149	149	communicable diseases whether or not such symptoms are cause d by a
150	150	communicable disease;
151	151	5. For application of special vol unteer health care licenses
152	152	that specify the eligible voluntee r shall be either retired fro m
153	153	practice in this sta te or actively licensed with a clean record in
154	154	another state and that such elig ible volunteer shall not receive or
155	155	have the expectation to rece ive any payment or compensation, either
156	156	direct or indirect, fo r any services rendered in th is state under
157	157	the special volunteer license; or
158	158	6. For programs, services, or assistance such as so up kitchens,
159	159	crisis counseling and intervention, and short -term shelter specified
160	160	by the United States Attorney General, in th e sole and unreviewable
161	161
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212	212	discretion of the United St ates Attorney General after consultation
213	213	with appropriate federal agencies and departments which:
214	214	a. deliver in-kind services at the community level,
215	215	including through public or private nonprofit
216	216	agencies,
217	217	b. do not condition the prov ision of assistance, t he
218	218	amount of assistance provided, or the cost of
219	219	assistance provided on the inc ome or resources of the
220	220	individual recipient, and
221	221	c. are necessary for the protection of life or safety .
222	222	D. Verification of l awful presence in the United States by the
223	223	agency or political subdivision required to make such ver ification
224	224	shall require that t he applicant execute an affidavit under penalty
225	225	of perjury that:
226	226	1. He or she is a United States citizen; or
227	227	2. He or she is a qualified alien under the federal Immigration
228	228	and Nationality Act and is lawfully present in the United States.
229	229	The agency or political subdivision providing the state or local
230	230	public benefits benefit shall provide notary public services at no
231	231	cost to the applicant.
232	232	E. For any applicant who has execute d the affidavit described
233	233	in paragraph 2 of subse ction D of this section, eligi bility for
234	234	benefits shall be verified through the Systematic Alien Verif ication
235	235	for Entitlements (SAVE) Program operated by th e United States
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287	287	Department of Homeland Security or an equivalent program designated
288	288	by the United States Department of Homeland Se curity. Until such
289	289	eligibility verification is made, the affidavit may be presumed to
290	290	be proof of lawful presence for the pur poses of this section.
291	291	F. Any person who knowingly and willfully makes a false,
292	292	fictitious, or fraudulent statement of representa tion in an
293	293	affidavit executed pursuant to subsection D of this section s hall be
294	294	subject to criminal penalties applicable in th is state for
295	295	fraudulently obtaining public assistan ce program benefits. If the
296	296	affidavit constitute s a false claim of U.S. citize nship under 18
297	297	U.S.C., Section 911, a complaint shall be filed by the ag ency
298	298	requiring the affidavit with the United States At torney General for
299	299	the applicable district based up on the venue in which the affidavit
300	300	was executed.
301	301	G. Agencies or political sub divisions of this state may adopt
302	302	variations to the requirements of the provisions of this section
303	303	which demonstrably improve the efficiency or reduce dela y in the
304	304	verification process, or to provide for adjudication of unique
305	305	individual circumstances wher e the verification procedures in this
306	306	section would impose unusual hards hip on a legal resident of
307	307	Oklahoma.
308	308	H. It shall be unlawful for any agency or a p olitical
309	309	subdivision of this state to provide any state, local, or fede ral
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361	361	benefit, as defined in 8 U .S.C., Section 1621, or 8 U.S.C., Section
362	362	1611, in violation of the prov isions of this section.
363	363	I. Each state agency or depar tment which administers any
364	364	program of state or loc al public benefits shall provide an annual
365	365	report to the Governor, the Presiden t Pro Tempore of the Senate and
366	366	the Speaker of the House of Representati ves with respect to its
367	367	compliance with the provisions of this section. Each agenc y or
368	368	department shall monitor the Systematic Alien Verification for
369	369	Entitlements Program for applicat ion verification errors and
370	370	significant delays and shall provide an annu al public report on such
371	371	errors and significant delays and recommendations to ensur e that the
372	372	application of the Systematic Alien Verification of Entitlem ents
373	373	Program is not erroneousl y denying benefits to legal residents of
374	374	Oklahoma. Errors shall also be reported to the United States
375	375	Department of Homeland Security by each agency or de partment.
376	376	J. As used in this section, “state or local public benefit ” has
377	377	the same meaning as provid ed by 8 U.S.C., Section 1621 (c)(1)(B), but
378	378	does not include for purposes of this section 8 U.S.C., Section
379	379	1621(c)(1)(A).
380	380	SECTION 2. This act shall become effec tive November 1, 2023.
381	381
382	382	59-1-1254 DC 1/18/2023 5:04:25 PM

Oklahoma 2023 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB740 Compare Versions