The House Banking, Financial Services and Pensions Committee passed legislation authored by House Speaker Kyle Hilbert that removes restrictions on teachers from teaching in public schools after retirement.

House Bill 2288 eliminates an existing 36-month waiting period for teachers who retire before they can return to teaching in Oklahoma public schools.

The bill will allow career teachers to continue teaching past their retirement age while also drawing on their earned retirement benefits.

Currently, teachers are allowed to go into a job in the private sector or in a private school, but must wait 36 months before returning to a public school classroom.

"We have thousands of quality career teachers who are still in their prime working years, but because of this needless restriction, are leaving the classroom prematurely, often to teach elsewhere in the private sector to the detriment of our public schools," said Hilbert, R-Bristow. "We need to allow these teachers to draw down the retirement benefits they have earned while remaining in the classroom if they choose to do so."

The bill passed out of committee with a vote of 7-1 and will move to the full House for further consideration. 

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