House Bill 2151 directs the Oklahoma State Department of Education to publicly disclose online any guidance documents it receives from the U.S. Department of Education. That legislation authored by Representative Rob Hall is eligible for a floor vote after the House Education Oversight Committee unanimously approved it this week.
Hall says his legislation is meant to add some transparency to how the federal government influences state education policy.
“Federal agencies can use guidance documents to tip the scales of state policy in an improper and extralegal manner. These directives are often used as a backdoor means of pressuring state officials into compliance with federal priorities, without going through the proper rulemaking process,” said Hall.
