Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB236

Introduced
2/3/25  

Caption

Income tax; providing credit to qualified employers for certain compensation paid and expenses incurred. Effective date.

Summary

SB236 creates a new Oklahoma income tax credit for certain employers in the aerospace and defense sector that are working to achieve Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) required by the U.S. Department of Defense. The credit would apply for tax years 2026 through 2031 and equals 50% of compensation paid to employees while the employer is achieving CMMC compliance, plus 50% of qualifying expenses incurred to reach compliance. To qualify, the business must be in Oklahoma, have between five and 200 employees, be engaged in a DoD contract requiring CMMC, be in the aerospace and defense sector, and not already be CMMC-compliant as of January 1, 2026.

Impact

The bill would add a new Section 2357.305 to Title 68 of the Oklahoma Statutes and reduce state income tax liability for eligible employers. It caps the credit at $50,000 per employer cumulatively, disallows credits for costs incurred merely to maintain compliance after initial certification, prevents the credit from reducing tax liability below zero, allows a five-year carryforward, and imposes an annual statewide cap of $10 million beginning in tax year 2028 with proportional reductions administered by the Oklahoma Tax Commission. The measure would primarily affect small and mid-sized aerospace and defense contractors seeking to meet federal cybersecurity requirements.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and its legislative status, the measure appears to be framed as a targeted economic and compliance incentive rather than a broad tax change. There are no recorded committee transcripts or votes in the provided materials, so there is no documented public debate to indicate strong support or opposition. Its referral to the Revenue and Taxation Committee and then the Appropriations Committee suggests it was treated as a fiscal policy proposal with budget implications.

Contention

The main policy tension in SB236 is between supporting small aerospace and defense businesses facing costly federal cybersecurity compliance requirements and limiting the cost to the state treasury. The bill narrows eligibility to employers in a specific sector, with a specific employee range, and only those not yet compliant as of a fixed date, which may draw questions about fairness, administrative complexity, and whether the incentive is too narrow or too generous. The annual $10 million cap and the Tax Commission’s reduction formula also indicate concern about controlling fiscal exposure.

Companion Bills

OK SB236

Carry Over Income tax; providing credit to qualified employers for certain compensation paid and expenses incurred. Effective date.

Previously Filed As

OK SB236

Income tax; providing credit to qualified employers for certain compensation paid and expenses incurred. Effective date.

OK HB1602

Revenue and taxation; income tax credits; qualified employees; qualified employers effective date.

OK SB101

Income tax; providing credit for certain housing expenses. Effective date.

OK SB104

Income tax; providing credit for certain child care expenses and child care workers. Effective date.

OK SB256

Income tax; providing credit for certain employer child care expenditures; providing refundability credit for qualified child care worker. Effective date.

OK SB816

Income tax; providing credit for certain child care expenses; providing credit for qualifying child care worker. Effective date.

OK SB234

Income tax credit; providing credit for certain qualified expenditures on adaptive reuse project. Effective date.

OK SB106

Income tax; providing credit for employers who make payments on student loan debt of employees. Effective date.

OK SB291

Income tax credit; providing certain tax credit. Effective date.

OK SB281

Income tax; creating the Making Adoption Affordable Again Act; providing and modifying credit for certain contributions and adoption expenses. Effective date. Emergency.

Similar Bills

No similar bills found.