Oklahoma Senate Bill SB1602

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/2/26
• Refer: 2/3/26

Caption

Law libraries; modifying transfers; modifying assessed amount for certain counties. Effective date.

Summary

SB1602 makes several changes to Oklahoma statutes governing county law libraries and civil court filing fees. First, it revises how surplus money in county law library funds is transferred to state judicial funds, and it requires a board of trustees vote before certain transfers in counties over 500,000 population. It also changes the annual transfer amounts from county court funds to law library funds, raising the population threshold used to determine which counties fall into each transfer category. The bill also amends the civil court flat fee schedule for district court filings. It increases the additional law library assessment in counties with fewer than 500,000 residents from $6 to $12, while keeping the $12 assessment for counties over 500,000. The bill leaves in place other existing add-on assessments for court information systems, court-appointed special advocates, judicial complaints, interpreter services, sheriff’s courthouse security, and records management, and it continues to allow indigent litigants to proceed without paying fees upon a proper affidavit. The bill is set to take effect November 1, 2026.

Impact

SB1602 would directly affect county law library funding streams, county court fund transfers, and civil filing fee collections in Oklahoma district courts. It changes the statutory formulas and population thresholds used to determine how much money counties must transfer or assess for law library purposes, and it increases the law library fee in smaller counties. The bill would therefore alter the revenue available to county law libraries and related judicial funds, while also affecting litigants who pay civil filing fees and the county entities that administer those funds.

Sentiment

No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no direct evidence of debate, support, or opposition in the available materials. Based on the bill text alone, the measure appears administrative and fiscal in nature, aimed at updating funding mechanisms rather than changing substantive rights or court procedures. The absence of recorded votes or discussion means the overall sentiment cannot be measured from the provided context.

Contention

The most likely points of contention are the increased fee burden on civil litigants in counties under 500,000 population and the redistribution of county law library and court fund revenues. County officials, court clerks, and law library boards may have differing views on whether the revised transfer rules and higher assessments are necessary or overly burdensome. Because the bill changes population thresholds and requires board approval in certain large counties, those affected counties may also scrutinize how the new formulas shift funding responsibilities.