---
type: "Bill"
title: "Crimes and punishments; capital cases; Indigent Defense System to make certain payments and provide certain experts; effective date."
description: "Crimes and punishments; capital cases; Indigent Defense System to make certain payments and provide certain experts; effective date."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ok"
legislature: "Oklahoma Legislature"
session: "2026"
identifier: "HB 3996"
citation: "Oklahoma HB 3996 (2026)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Howard", "Worthen"]
version_count: 10
action_count: 36
vote_count: 6
first_action: "2026-02-02"
last_action: "2026-05-13"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/8e955768-fc3e-4bed-aa1f-3f4de9769e1f"
source_url: "http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=HB3996&session=2600"
source_hash: "37a02d8480822fe7eefd73326223b54391f3386f426170001d310cf1b1dc7a90"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ok"]
---

# Oklahoma HB 3996 (2026) — Crimes and punishments; capital cases; Indigent Defense System to make certain payments and provide certain experts; effective date.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 INT/hB/HB3996 INT.PDF)
2. **1 Floor Amendment by KANE** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 FLOOR AMENDMENTS/House/HB3996 FA1 KANEJO-CJC.PDF)
3. **Amended And Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 AMENDMENTS/Amendment and Engr/HB3996 SAHB AND ENGR.PDF)
4. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 ENGR/hB/HB3996 ENGR.PDF)
5. **Enrolled (final version)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 ENR/hB/HB3996 ENR.PDF)
6. **Floor (House)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 FLR/HFLR/HB3996 HFLR.PDF)
7. **Floor (Senate)** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 FLR/SFLR/HB3996 SFLR.PDF)
8. **House Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 COMMITTEE SUBS/HCS/HB3996 CS.PDF)
9. **Policy Committee Recommendation** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 COMMITTEE SUBS/HCS/HB3996 POLREC.PDF)
10. **Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1** (committee substitute) — [source](https://www.oklegislature.gov/cf_pdf/2025-26 COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS/House/HB3996 FULLPCS1 TREY CALDWELL-MKS.PDF)

## Votes

- Third Reading — **47–0** (pass) · upper
- Fourth Reading — **86–1** (pass) · lower
- Criminal Judiciary Committee: Do Pass As Amended By Cs — **6–0** (pass) · lower
- Judiciary And Public Safety Oversight Committee: Do Pass As Amended By Cs — **11–0** (pass) · lower
- Judiciary — **7–0** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **87–6** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- Howard — primary (person)
- Worthen — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-02-02** First Reading `introduction, reading-1`
- **2026-02-02** Authored by Representative Caldwell (Trey)
- **2026-02-03** Second Reading referred to Rules `reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2026-02-12** Remove Representative Caldwell (Trey) as principal House author and substitute with Representative Worthen
- **2026-02-17** Withdrawn from Rules Committee
- **2026-02-17** Referred to Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-17** Referred to Criminal Judiciary `referral-committee`
- **2026-02-18** Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Criminal Judiciary `committee-passage`
- **2026-02-18** Coauthored by Representative(s) Caldwell (Trey)
- **2026-02-18** Authored by Senator Howard (principal Senate author)
- **2026-02-24** CR; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-04** General Order
- **2026-03-04** Amended `amendment-passage`
- **2026-03-04** Title stricken
- **2026-03-04** Third Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 87 Nays: 6 `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-03-04** Referred for engrossment
- **2026-03-05** Engrossed, signed, to Senate `passage`
- **2026-03-05** First Reading `introduction, reading-1`
- **2026-04-01** Second Reading referred to Judiciary Committee then to Appropriations Committee `reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2026-04-14** Reported Do Pass as amended Judiciary committee; CR filed `committee-passage`
- **2026-04-14** Title restored
- **2026-04-14** Referred to Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2026-04-20** Withdrawn from Appropriations committee
- **2026-04-20** Placed on General Order
- **2026-04-22** General Order, Considered
- **2026-04-22** Measure passed: Ayes: 47 Nays: 0 `passage`
- **2026-04-22** Referred for engrossment
- **2026-04-23** Engrossed to House `passage`
- **2026-04-23** SA's received
- **2026-05-06** SA's read, adopted
- **2026-05-06** Fourth Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 86 Nays: 1 `passage`
- **2026-05-06** Referred for enrollment
- **2026-05-06** Enrolled, signed, to Senate
- **2026-05-06** Enrolled measure signed, returned to House
- **2026-05-06** Sent to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2026-05-13** Becomes law without Governor's signature 05/13/2026 `became-law`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/8e955768-fc3e-4bed-aa1f-3f4de9769e1f`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Oklahoma legislature records).