Oklahoma Senate Passes Tort Reform Measure

The Oklahoma State Senate approved House Bill 2661 and sent the measure to a House-Senate Conference Committee.

According to the Senate Communications Divisions, 23 members of a special House-Senate committee on tort reform will begin hearing testimony on the bill in the first of four open hearings on April 15 at 1 p.m. Senator Mike Morgan and Representative Jari Askins will serve as co-chairs of the committee.

“This was an important vote, but the most serious work on the issue of tort reform is still ahead of us. We’re going to get down to the business of taking sworn testimony on Thursday. Over the next four weeks we will gather information from attorneys, doctors, the insurance industry and the general public. Our goal is to use that information to write a reform measure that will work for Oklahoma,” the Stillwater Democrat said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson, D-Lexington, and House Speaker Larry Adair, D-Stilwell, have indicated that the members of the special committee will be named as the members of the conference committee that will write the final version on the bill.

The Senate adopted the House version of the measure on a 36-7 vote.