Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB2836 Compare Versions

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3		-	SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB2836 SFLR Page 1
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	3	+	ENGR. H. B. NO. 2836 Page 1 1
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29		-	SENATE FLOOR VERSION
30		-	April 10, 2025
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33	28		ENGROSSED HOUSE
34	29		BILL NO. 2836 By: Duel and Burns of the House
35	30
36	31		and
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38	33		Stanley of the Senate
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43	40		An Act relating to veterans; enacting the
44	41		Safeguarding American Veteran Empowerment Act;
45	42		defining terms; providing guidelines for advising
46	43		veterans; providing penalties; providing for
47	44		noncodification; providing for codification; and
48	45		providing an effective date .
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53	52		BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
54	53		SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
55	54		codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
56	55		This act shall be known and may be cited as the " Safeguarding
57	56		American Veteran Empowerment Act " (SAVE Act).
58	57		SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
59	58		in the Oklahoma Statutes as Sec tion 239 of Title 44, unless there is
60	59		created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
61	60		A. For purposes of this section:
62	61		1. "Compensation" means any money, thing of value, or economic
63	62		benefit conferred on, or received by, any person in return for
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	64	+	ENGR. H. B. NO. 2836 Page 2 1
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91	89		services rendered, or to be rendered, by himself or herself or
92	90		another;
93	91		2. "Veterans' benefits matter" means preparation, presentation,
94	92		or prosecution of any claim affecting any person who has filed or
95	93		expressed an intent to file a claim for any benefit, pro gram,
96	94		service, commodity, function, status, or entitlement for which
97	95		veterans, their dependents, their surv ivors, or any other individual
98	96		are eligible under the laws and regulations administered by the
99	97		United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the Ok lahoma
100	98		Department of Veterans Affairs ; and
101	99		3. Except as provided in paragraph 5 of subsection B of this
102	100		act, "person" means any natural person, corporation, trust,
103	101		partnership, incorporated or unincorporated association, or any
104	102		other legal entity.
105	103		B. 1. No person may receive compensation for referring any
106	104		individual to another person to advise or assist the individual with
107	105		any veterans' benefits matter.
108	106		2. Any payment of fees by veterans for representation through
109	107		agents shall be done in accordance with , and not contrary to,
110	108		Section 14.636 of Title 38 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
111	109		3. No person may receive any compensation for any services
112	110		rendered in connection with any claim filed within the one -year
113	111		presumptive period of active -duty release, unless the veteran
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	113	+	ENGR. H. B. NO. 2836 Page 3 1
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141	138		acknowledges by signing a waiver that they are within this period
142	139		and choosing to deny free services available to them.
143	140		4. A person seeking to receive compensation for advising,
144	141		assisting, or consulting with any individual in connection wi th any
145	142		veterans' benefits matter must, before rendering any services,
146	143		memorialize the specific terms under which the amount to be paid
147	144		will be determined in a written agreement signed by both parties.
148	145		Compensation must be purely contingent upon an increas e in benefits
149	146		awarded, and if successful, compensation must not exceed five times
150	147		the amount of the monthly increase in benefits awarded based on the
151	148		claim. No initial or nonrefundable fee may be charged by a person
152	149		advising, assisting, or consulting an i ndividual on a veterans '
153	150		benefits matter.
154	151		5. No person will guarantee, either directly or by implication,
155	152		a successful outcome or that any individual is certain to receive
156	153		specific veterans' benefits or that any individual is certain to
157	154		receive a specific level, percentage, or amount of veterans '
158	155		benefits.
159	156		6. Any person advising, assisting, or consulting on v eterans'
160	157		benefits matters for compensation shall provide the following
161	158		disclosure at the outset of the business relationship:
162	159		"This business is not s ponsored by, or affiliated with, the
163	160		United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the
164	161		Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, or any other
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192	188		federally chartered veterans ' service organization. Other
193	189		organizations including , but not limited to, the Oklahoma
194	190		Department of Veterans Affairs, a local veterans ' service
195	191		organization, and other federally chartered v eterans'
196	192		service organizations may be able to provide you with this
197	193		service free of charge. Products or services offered by
198	194		this business are not ne cessarily endorsed by any of these
199	195		organizations. You may qualify for other veterans '
200	196		benefits beyond the benefits for which you are receiving
201	197		services here."
202	198		The written disclosure shall appear in at least 12 point font in
203	199		an easily identifiable place in the person's agreement with the
204	200		individual seeking services. The individual shall sign the document
205	201		in which the written disclosure appears to represent understanding
206	202		of these provisions. The person offering services shall retain a
207	203		copy of the written d isclosure while providing veterans ' benefits
208	204		services for compensation to the individual and for at least one (1)
209	205		year after the date on which the service relations terminate.
210	206		7. Businesses advising, assisting, or consulting on veterans '
211	207		benefits matters for a fee shall abide by the following:
212	208		a. shall not utilize international call centers or data
213	209		centers for processing veterans' personal information ,
214	210		b. shall not use a veteran's personal log-in, username,
215	211		or password information to access that veteran 's
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217		-	SENATE FLOOR VERSION - HB2836 SFLR Page 5
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243	238		medical, financial, or government benefits
244	239		information, and
245	240		c. shall ensure that any individual who has access to
246	241		veterans' medical or financial information undergoes a
247	242		background check prior to having access to that
248	243		information. The background check shall be conducted
249	244		by a reputable source and include identity
250	245		verification and a criminal records check.
251	246		C. 1. A violation of the provisions of this section
252	247		constitutes an unfair, false, misleading, or deceptive act or
253	248		practice in the conduct of trade or com merce under the Oklahoma
254	249		Consumer Protection Act.
255	250		2. Civil penalties shall be in an amount ordered by the
256	251		district court in an action brought by the Oklahoma Attorney
257	252		General.
258	253		3. Each day a violation continues is a separate violation.
259	254		4. Nothing in this section is to be construed as applying to,
260	255		limiting, or expanding the requirements imposed on agents,
261	256		attorneys, or other representatives accredited by the United States
262	257		Department of Veterans Affairs and regulated by that agency.
263	258		SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
264		-	COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AND MILITARY AFFAIRS
265		-	April 10, 2025 - DO PASS
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	285	+	Passed the House of Representatives the 25th day of March, 2025.
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	290	+	Presiding Officer of the House
	291	+	of Representatives
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	295	+	Passed the Senate the _____ day of __________, 2025.
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	300	+	Presiding Officer of the Senate