Oklahoma Senate Bill SB278

Oklahoma 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/3/25
• Refer: 2/4/25

Caption

Department of Commerce; requiring Department to create program; establishing requirements for program; creating the Tulsa Race Massacre Victims' Compensation Revolving Fund; making appropriation. Effective date. Emergency.

Summary

SB278 would require the Oklahoma Department of Commerce to create and administer a compensation program for living survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. Each eligible survivor living on the bill’s effective date would receive a $2 million payment from a newly created revolving fund. If a survivor dies before payment is made, the bill allows up to $2 million to be paid to the survivor’s designated legatees or, if there is no will, to descendants under Oklahoma succession law. The bill also establishes a Tulsa Race Massacre Victims’ Compensation Revolving Fund in the State Treasury. Money appropriated to the fund would be continuously available, not limited by fiscal year, and would be used by the Department of Commerce to make the restitution payments. The bill includes a $4 million appropriation from the General Revenue Fund for fiscal year 2023 to support restitution for living survivors affected by the events of May 31 to June 1, 1921, in Tulsa, and it declares an emergency so the act would take effect immediately upon passage and approval, though the stated effective date is July 1, 2025.

Impact

If enacted, SB278 would create a new statutory program in Title 74 directing the Department of Commerce to identify eligible survivors, coordinate with a small advisory committee, and distribute compensation payments. It would also create a new revolving fund in the State Treasury and appropriate state money for restitution, thereby adding a dedicated fiscal mechanism for survivor compensation and potentially affecting estate and succession issues for deceased survivors’ payments.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and available context, the measure appears strongly remedial and supportive of compensation for Tulsa Race Massacre survivors, with an emphasis on restitution and state acknowledgment of the historical harm. No committee transcript or recorded vote information is available in the provided materials, so there is no documented opposition or debate to summarize from the legislative record here.

Contention

The main potential points of contention are the size and source of the appropriation, the use of state funds for direct restitution, and the eligibility and administration of payments to survivors, legatees, or descendants. The bill also creates a small committee with legislative and executive appointees to provide input, which may raise questions about oversight, implementation, and how survivors are identified and verified. Because no hearing transcript or vote record is provided, specific objections from legislators or stakeholders are not documented in the available materials.