Oklahoma House Bill HB3045

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Refer: 2/3/26
• Refer: 2/4/26
• Report Pass: 3/3/26
• Engrossed: 3/12/26
• Refer: 4/1/26

Caption

Motor vehicles; prohibiting the charging of certain fee for accident response by certain entities; effective date.

Summary

HB3045 amends Oklahoma’s motor vehicle laws to prohibit most persons and entities from charging an “accident response fee” for responding to or investigating a motor vehicle accident by law enforcement, fire departments, or municipalities. The bill keeps the existing exception for volunteer fire departments, and it clarifies that the term “accident response fee” does not include fees that are otherwise specifically authorized by law. The measure is aimed at preventing local governments or other covered entities from billing drivers or others for routine accident response and investigation services. It would amend 47 O.S. 2021, Section 10-118, and, if enacted, would take effect on November 1, 2026.

Impact

HB3045 would narrow the circumstances under which accident response fees may be imposed in Oklahoma, reinforcing a statewide prohibition on billing for police, fire, or municipal response to motor vehicle accidents. It would preserve the ability of volunteer fire departments to charge such fees and would not affect fees that are separately authorized elsewhere in law. The bill primarily affects municipalities, fire departments, law enforcement agencies, and any private or public entity that has been imposing or seeking to impose accident response charges.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests generally favorable support for the bill, with the measure advancing through committee and passing the House on third reading by a substantial margin. Committee consideration appears to have been brief and largely procedural, with little recorded debate in the provided transcripts. The overall tone in the available record is one of support for limiting accident response billing, though not unanimous.

Contention

The main point of contention appears to be whether any entities should be allowed to recover accident response costs through fees, especially in light of the bill’s broad prohibition. The explicit exception for volunteer fire departments is notable and may reflect concern about preserving funding options for those departments. The recorded committee vote in Public Safety was close, indicating some disagreement, while later committee and floor votes were more favorable, suggesting that concerns were addressed or that opposition was limited to a smaller group.