Municipal ordinances; removing certain requirement for deposit of certain permanent volume in county law libraries. Effective date.
Summary
SB485 amends Oklahoma law governing the publication and filing of municipal penal ordinances. Under current law, when a municipality compiles and publishes its permanent volume or biennial supplement of penal ordinances, it must notify the public by resolution, file that resolution with the county clerk, and deposit at least one free copy of the volume or supplement in the county law library in each county where the municipality is located. The bill keeps the notice-and-filing requirements in place, but removes the requirement that municipalities provide a free copy to county law libraries.
The bill also preserves the public availability of the compiled ordinances for purchase at a reasonable price and the rule that properly compiled and filed ordinances are subject to judicial notice in court proceedings. It includes an effective date of November 1, 2025.
Impact
If enacted, SB485 would narrow the obligations imposed on municipalities under 11 O.S. 2021, Section 14-110 by eliminating the mandatory free deposit of municipal ordinance compilations in county law libraries. Municipalities would still need to adopt and file a resolution announcing publication, and the ordinances would remain legally effective for judicial notice purposes once compiled and filed as required. The practical effect would be to reduce a recordkeeping and distribution burden on municipalities and county law libraries, while leaving the core publication and notice framework intact.
Sentiment
The available legislative record shows no committee transcript or recorded vote history, so there is no documented debate to indicate strong support or opposition. Based on the bill’s narrow scope and administrative nature, the measure appears to be a technical cleanup or burden-reduction bill rather than a controversial policy change. The fact that it advanced to second reading and was referred to the Local and County Government committee suggests it was treated as a routine local-government measure.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the removal of the free-copy requirement for county law libraries. Supporters would likely view this as an unnecessary expense or outdated mandate for municipalities, while opponents could argue that county law libraries and the public benefit from having readily available copies of local penal ordinances. Because the bill does not alter the filing, publication, or judicial notice provisions, any disagreement would likely focus on access to municipal law materials rather than on the underlying validity of the ordinances themselves.
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