HB 4341

1  ENGROSSED HOUSE
 BILL NO. 4341  By: Moore of the House
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                                                    and
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                                             Gollihare of the Senate
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6An Act relating to children; amending 10A O.S. 2021,
           Section 1-8-102, as amended by Section 1, Chapter
7310, O.S.L. 2022 (10A O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 1-8-
           102), which relates to court-appointed special
8advocates; modifying education and training course
           standards; modifying background check standards; and
9providing an effective date.
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12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
13     SECTION 1.       AMENDATORY     10A O.S. 2021, Section 1-8-102, as
14 amended by Section 1, Chapter 310, O.S.L. 2022 (10A O.S. Supp. 2025,
15 Section 1-8-102), is amended to read as follows:
16     Section 1-8-102.    A.   Any court-appointed special advocate
17 (CASA) available for appointment pursuant to the Oklahoma Children's
18 Code or the Oklahoma Juvenile Code shall complete education and
19 training courses in accordance with national and Oklahoma CASA
20 standards.
21     B.    No court-appointed special advocate shall be assigned a case
22 before:
23     1.    Completing a training program in compliance with nationally
24 documented Court-Appointed Special Advocate standards.
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1  Documentation of training shall be submitted annually by local
2  court-appointed special advocate programs to the Oklahoma Court-
3  Appointed Special Advocate Association; and
4      2.   Being approved by the local court-appointed special advocate
5  program, which will include appropriate criminal background checks
6  as provided in subsection C of this section.
7      C.   1.   Notwithstanding any other provision of law, each local
8  court-appointed special advocate program shall require for any
9  person making application to become a court-appointed special
10 advocate volunteer or to be employed by the local court-appointed
11 special advocate program:
12a.    a child welfare records search conducted by the
13Department of Human Services, which shall consist of a
14search of the Child Abuse and Neglect Information
15System maintained by the Department of Human Services
16for review by authorized entities,
17b.    a criminal history records search conducted by the
18Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and
19c.    any other background check meeting the requirements as
20set forth in Oklahoma Court-Appointed Special Advocate
21Association state or national standards for local
22programs.
23     2.   If the prospective court-appointed special advocate
24 volunteer or employee of the local court-appointed special advocate
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1  program has lived in Oklahoma for less than one (1) year, a criminal
2  history records search shall also be obtained from the criminal
3  history state repository of the previous state of residence.
4      D.   1.   Any person participating in a judicial proceeding as a
5  court-appointed special advocate shall be presumed prima facie to be
6  acting in good faith and in so doing shall be immune from any civil
7  liability that otherwise might be incurred or imposed.
8      2.   Any person serving in a management position of a court-
9  appointed special advocate organization, including a member of the
10 Board of Directors acting in good faith, shall be immune from any
11 civil liability or any vicarious liability for the negligence of any
12 court-appointed special advocate organization advocates, managers,
13 or directors.
14     SECTION 2.   This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
15     Passed the House of Representatives the 11th day of March, 2026.
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17
                                       Presiding Officer of the House
18of Representatives
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20     Passed the Senate the ___ day of __________, 2026.
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                                      Presiding Officer of the Senate
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