Oklahoma House Bill HB1984

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

• Filed/Introduced: 2/4/25
• Introduced: 2/3/25
• Refer: 2/4/25

Caption

Domestic violence; purpose; terms; vehicles; information; severability; exception; liability; provider; alert; duties; legal ownership; mechanism; notification; codification; effective date.

Summary

HB1984 creates a new Oklahoma law aimed at helping domestic violence and other abuse survivors cut off an abuser’s access to connected vehicle services. The bill recognizes that modern vehicles can be app-connected and remotely controlled, allowing a person outside the vehicle to track location or send commands such as locking doors, starting the car, or disabling charging. It requires vehicle manufacturers or other covered providers to give drivers a clear, accessible way to request termination of another person’s remote access and to obtain a new account if needed. The bill also requires vehicles with connected vehicle services to notify occupants when someone outside the vehicle has accessed remote services or location access. For vehicles with location-tracking features, manufacturers must provide an in-vehicle mechanism to immediately disable location access without requiring an app, password, account login, or other remote process. The bill includes confidentiality protections for information submitted by drivers, bars providers from charging fees or requiring approval from other account holders to complete a request, and states that terminating remote access does not affect legal ownership of the vehicle.

Impact

HB1984 would add a new set of provisions to Title 47 of the Oklahoma Statutes governing connected vehicle services and connected vehicle location access. It imposes duties on vehicle manufacturers and related providers to disclose remote access, process termination requests, protect submitted information, and provide an in-vehicle disable feature for location tracking. The bill also creates liability protections for providers acting in compliance with the act and exempts rental vehicles. Its requirements would apply immediately to existing connected vehicle services, later to certain software-updatable older vehicles, and by January 1, 2028, to newer vehicles with location access.

Sentiment

The bill’s stated purpose and structure suggest strong support for abuse-survivor protections, privacy, and transparency in vehicle technology. The findings section frames the measure as a response to technology-enabled stalking and coercive control, and the bill is written to make the process simple, secure, and accessible for drivers seeking to cut off an abuser’s access. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no recorded floor or committee sentiment to summarize beyond the bill’s protective framing and policy rationale.

Contention

The main policy tension in HB1984 is between survivor safety and the operational burdens placed on vehicle manufacturers and connected-service providers. The bill requires providers to build new website processes, send notices, verify legal possession, disable access within two business days, and create an in-vehicle mechanism that can be used without remote authentication. Another possible point of contention is the evidentiary standard for terminating access, especially where title ownership is joint but a court order grants exclusive possession to one driver. The bill also limits notifications when location access is disabled, which may raise concerns from account holders or service providers about transparency and account security.