Oklahoma House Bill 3613, the Personal Privacy Protection Act, ensures that individuals may support and donate to charities and nonprofit organizations without fear of possible public harassment or intimidation.

The legislation, which was signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt this year, prohibits Oklahoma state agencies from publicly disclosing an individual’s personal information and donor relationship with any 501(c) nonprofit organization. 

If an agency or government employee illegally discloses nonprofit donor information, they could be fined $1,000. State agencies that already collect this type of information for tax purposes would be required to keep this donor information confidential.

Currently there are legislative efforts in other states to force individual donors to disclose their nonprofit donations to government entities. This type of public donor disclosure legislation is potentially dangerous because it may allow people to be maligned by those in their community that hold opposing views.

This is why HB 3613 was included on OCPA’s 2020 legislative scorecard.  HB 3613 allows Oklahomans—whether conservative, liberal, or anything in between—to freely support causes they believe in. Protecting citizen engagement is a vital piece in safeguarding a free republic.  

[This is one in a series of articles about legislation included on OCPA’s 2020 legislative scorecard.]