Oklahoma House Bill HB2126

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/25
• Refer: 2/4/25
• Refer: 2/17/25
• Report Pass: 3/4/25
• Engrossed: 3/25/25
• Refer: 4/1/25

Caption

Motor vehicles; creating the Shelby Johnson and Logan Deardorff Act of 2025; licenses; requiring certain diagnosis report; effective date.

Summary

HB2126 creates the “Shelby Johnson and Logan Deardorff Act of 2025” and amends Oklahoma’s driver licensing law to address applicants and license holders with certain medical conditions that may impair safe driving. Under the bill, Service Oklahoma may cancel or deny a driver license when it is informed, or its records show, that a person has a physical disease with a history of seizures, a mental disease, momentary lapses of consciousness, or another ailment that could cause temporary loss or partial control of a motor vehicle. The bill also authorizes physicians and other medical personnel to submit written diagnosis reports to Service Oklahoma when they treat a condition that could impair driving ability, and it requires a person diagnosed with a disorder causing momentary lapses of consciousness to report that diagnosis to the agency. Service Oklahoma is given discretion to suspend or cancel licenses for a period it deems justified, and the agency may adopt rules to implement the law. The bill preserves an appeal right under existing law and states that reports made under the act are not public records, while also providing civil liability immunity for good-faith reporters and participants in related proceedings.

Impact

HB2126 would amend 47 O.S. Section 6-207, expanding the circumstances under which Service Oklahoma may deny, suspend, or cancel a driver license based on medical conditions affecting driving safety. It adds a mandatory self-reporting requirement for individuals diagnosed with certain lapse-of-consciousness disorders and clarifies that physicians and medical personnel may report relevant diagnoses without civil liability when acting in good faith. The bill also limits the use and disclosure of these reports by excluding them from public-record status and restricting their evidentiary use to licensing proceedings, while preserving the existing appeal process under Section 6-211.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have generally favorable support in the Legislature. It advanced unanimously through two House committees and then passed the House overwhelmingly on third reading, 88-2. That voting pattern suggests broad agreement with the bill’s public-safety purpose and its focus on medically impaired driving, with only limited opposition at the floor stage.

Contention

The main policy tension in HB2126 is between roadway safety and privacy or due-process concerns. Supporters likely view the bill as a way to prevent crashes by ensuring that drivers with seizure disorders, lapses of consciousness, or other impairing conditions are identified and reviewed by Service Oklahoma. Potential concerns center on mandatory diagnosis reporting, the discretion given to the agency to cancel or deny licenses, and the handling of medical information, even though the bill attempts to address confidentiality by declaring reports nonpublic and preserving appeal rights. The narrow floor opposition indicates some remaining disagreement, but the bill’s committee and floor votes show that those concerns did not generate substantial resistance.