HB 1965 Summary

• Modifies Oklahoma Children's Code definitions and procedures for child welfare cases, including abuse, neglect, abandonment, and dependency determinations

• Establishes jury trial procedures for parental rights termination cases, requiring a scheduling order within 30 days for bench trials (90-day commencement) or 30 days for jury trials (6-month commencement)

• Requires individualized service plans to consider parents' work schedules, transportation, and distance to service providers, and mandates reunification services for 15 months from foster care entry

• Directs district attorneys to file termination of parental rights petitions under specific circumstances, including after 15 months in foster care, abandonment, felony convictions, or failure to correct conditions within 90 days or 15 months

• Requires diversion services for first-time misdemeanor offenses prior to filing delinquency petitions and directs Office of Juvenile Affairs to evaluate and publish recidivism rates with unidentifiable data; becomes effective November 1, 2025