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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
HOUSE BILL 1283 By: Caldwell (Chad)
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to school employees; creating the
Educators' Professional Liability Insurance Program;
defining eligible employe es; requiring certain
coverage for employees; directing Office of
Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) to
administer program and promulgate rules; authorizing
OMES to contract for private insurance or create
self-insured risk pool; requiring competiti ve process
for selecting insurer; directing Legislature to
appropriate certain funds; requiring certain
notification; construing section; providing for
codification; and providing an effective date .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF O KLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 26 -201 of Title 70, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. There is hereby created the Educators ' Professional
Liability Insurance Program for all employees, including full -time
and part-time personnel of public schools, as defined in Section 1 -
106 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes, and charter schools, as
defined in subsection D of Section 3 -132 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma
Statutes.
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B. The program shall provide liability coverage for employees
up to Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) in coverage per
occurrence.
C. The program shall be administered by the Office of
Management and Enterprise Servi ces (OMES). OMES shall promulgate
rules to implement the Educators ' Professional Liability Insurance
Program.
D. OMES shall be authorized to contract liability insurance
from a licensed insurer, to create a self -insured risk pool, or to
use a combination of both.
E. The insurance carrier providing any portion of liability
coverage required by this section shall be selected by a competitive
process.
F. The Legislature shall provide an annual appropriation to
cover the costs and any associated premiums fo r the program.
G. Each school district shall annually notify, in writing,
eligible employees about the coverage provided by the Educators '
Professional Liability Insurance Program.
H. OMES and the State Department of Education shall notify, in
writing, all eligible employees about the Educators ' Professional
Liability Insurance Program. The notice shall specifically inform
employees that coverage is provided automatically as part of their
employment. The notice shall be given upon hiring and annually
thereafter.
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I. Nothing in this section shall be construed to exempt a
school district from any current obligations or duties nor amend or
alter the Governmental Tort Claims Act in Sections 151 through 172
of Title 51 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
60-1-10165 AQH 12/12/24