Senate committee advances Oklahoma data-privacy bill, delays effective date to July 1, 2026

Senate Bill 546, a broad data-privacy measure, was advanced unanimously by the Oklahoma Senate Technology & Telecommunications Committee after members adopted an amendment that moves the bill's effective date to July 1, 2026.

The bill, presented by Senator Howard, would require businesses that collect personal data about Oklahomans to offer consumers rights including confirmation of processing, correction of inaccuracies, deletion of personal data, and access to copies of personal data. It also creates an opt-out right for sale, continued collection or profiling and places enforcement with the Oklahoma Attorney General rather than a private right of action.

Supporters say the measure is modeled more closely on Virginia's law and is written to balance consumer control with business concerns. "I want deletion, and I wanna know what they're using, what they're collecting for," Senator Howard said while urging support. The committee adopted an amendment that delays the bill's implementation date from Jan. 1, 2026, to July 1, 2026, to allow additional time for stakeholders and next-session review.

The bill spells out consumer-request procedures and timelines: a controller must respond within 45 days, with an additional 45-day extension allowed where reasonably necessary because of complexity or volume of requests. If a controller denies or fails to satisfy requests, a consumer may appeal internally; unresolved appeals or repeated failures can be brought to the Attorney General's office for enforcement. The bill allows controllers to charge a "reasonable fee" for administrative costs only when requests are unfounded, excessive or repetitive, and it places responsibility for defining and authenticating requests on the controller.

Senators pressed for details during committee discussion. Senator Bullard asked about penalties; Senator Howard said enforcement would be carried out by the Attorney General and that the bill provides a civil penalty of $7,500 per violation, with the sponsor noting that amount could apply per affected Oklahoma consumer in each violating instance. Senator Hicks questioned the definition and treatment of "known child" data; Howard said the bill treats tracking of a known child differently and that the age threshold of 13 reflected implementation and business-notification considerations discussed in negotiations.

Committee members also discussed administrative costs to the Attorney General. Senator Howard said the Attorney General estimated hiring a dedicated full-time employee and supporting staff, roughly $300,000 per fiscal year under full implementation. The sponsor described the bill as a compromise between more restrictive proposals and versions more favorable to business; enforcement is placed with the Attorney General rather than private lawsuits in part to limit exposure to businesses.

The committee adopted the amendment on voice vote and then approved the bill on a roll call vote, recorded as 7 ayes, 0 nays.

Votes at a glance Senate Bill 546 (Data Privacy Act): Amendment adopted (effective date moved to 07/01/2026); bill advanced by committee on roll call, 7-0.

What's next SB 546 will move from committee to the full Senate for further consideration, with the updated effective date set in the committee amendment.