Court-appointed special advocates; removing requirement for state association to adhere to certain national standards. Effective date.
Summary
SB 1597 amends Oklahoma’s Children’s Code provisions governing court-appointed special advocates (CASA). The bill keeps the existing requirement that CASA volunteers and employees complete training, pass background checks, and be approved by local programs, but it updates the statutory language and removes a requirement that the state CASA association adhere to certain national standards. The bill also preserves language stating that CASA participants acting in judicial proceedings are presumed to act in good faith and are immune from civil liability, and it extends immunity protections to people serving in management roles, including board members, when acting in good faith.
The bill requires local CASA programs to continue using child welfare records searches through the Department of Human Services, criminal history searches through the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and any other background checks required by state or national standards. For applicants who have lived in Oklahoma less than one year, it also requires a criminal history search from the prior state of residence. The measure takes effect November 1, 2026, and applies to the structure and oversight of CASA programs statewide.
Impact
SB 1597 amends 10A O.S. Section 1-8-102, which governs CASA volunteers and program oversight under the Oklahoma Children’s Code and Juvenile Code. Its main legal effect is to remove the statutory requirement that the Oklahoma Court-Appointed Special Advocate Association comply with certain national standards, while still allowing training and background-check requirements to be tied to state or national standards as applicable. The bill also reinforces civil-liability protections for CASA volunteers and organizational leadership, which may affect how local programs recruit, train, and manage advocates and board members.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have generally favorable support in both chambers, moving through Senate and House committees with strong or unanimous votes and passing Senate third reading by a wide margin. The transcript indicates the bill advanced without objection before final Senate passage. Overall, the legislative record suggests broad support for the measure’s administrative and liability-related changes to CASA programs.
Contention
The only notable opposition reflected in the available transcript came during Senate floor debate, where one senator argued that a child represented by a CASA who had gone through DEI training would be a bad representative and said that was dangerous and not in the best interests of children. That objection appears to have been directed at perceived training or standards issues rather than the bill’s background-check or immunity provisions. No other significant points of contention are shown in the committee votes, which were largely unanimous or near-unanimous.
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