Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 1007 By: Murdock
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to the Conservation District Act;
7 amending 27A O.S. 2021, Section 3-1-103, which
8 relates to definitions; modifying definitions;
8 updating statutory language; and providing an
9 effective date.
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12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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13 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 27A O.S. 2021, Section 3-1-103, is
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14 amended to read as follows:
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15 Section 3-1-103. As used in the Conservation District Act:
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16 1. "District" or "conservation district" means a governmental
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17 subdivision of this state, and a public body corporate and politic,
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18 organized in accordance with the provisions of the Conservation
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19 District Act, for the purposes, with the powers, and subject to the
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20 restrictions hereinafter set forth;
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21 2. "Director" means a member of the governing body of a
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22 conservation district, elected or appointed in accordance with the
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23 provisions of the Conservation District Act;
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24 3. "Commission" means the Oklahoma Conservation Commission;
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1 4. "State" means the State of Oklahoma;
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2 5. "Agency of this state" includes "Agency" or "agency of this
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3 state" means the government of this state and any subdivision,
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4 agency or instrumentality, whether corporate or otherwise, of the
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5 government of this state;
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6 6. "United States" or "agencies of the United States" includes
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7 the United States of America, and any department, agency or
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8 instrumentality of the federal government;
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9 7. "Government" or "governmental" includes the government of
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10 this state, the government of the United States, and any
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11 subdivision, agency or instrumentality, corporate or otherwise, of
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12 either of them;
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13 8. "Due notice" which shall be in conformance with the
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14 Administrative Procedures Act means notice published at least twice,
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15 with an interval of at least seven (7) days between the two
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16 publication dates, in a newspaper or other publication of general
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17 circulation within the district, or, if no such publication of
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18 general circulation is available, by posting at five conspicuous
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19 places within the district, such posting to include, where possible,
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20 posting at public places where it may be customary to post notices
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21 concerning county or municipal affairs generally. At any hearing
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22 held pursuant to such notice, at the time and place designated in
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23 such notice, adjournment may be made from time to time without the
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24 necessity of renewing such notice for such adjourned dates;
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1 9. "District cooperator" means any person that has entered into
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2 a cooperative agreement with a conservation district for the purpose
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3 of protecting, conserving and practicing wise use of the renewable
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4 natural resources under his or her control;
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5 10. "Renewable natural resources", "natural resources" or
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6 "resources" include land, soil, water, vegetation, trees, natural
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7 beauty, scenery and open space;
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8 11. "Conservation" includes conservation, development,
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9 improvement, maintenance, management, preservation, restoration,
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10 rehabilitation, protection and wise use of land, water and related
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11 natural resources; the control and prevention of floodwater and
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12 sediment damages; and the disposal of excess surface waters for the
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13 public benefit and sustainable social and economic utilization;
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14 12. "Cost-Share "Cost-share program" means the assumption by
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15 the state of a proportional share of the cost of installing
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16 conservation structures, conservation practices or best management
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17 practices on lands for public and environmental benefits;
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18 13. "Best management practices" means a control method or
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19 combination of control methods that is determined to be the most
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20 effective and practicable means of preventing soil loss from erosion
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21 or reducing the amount of nonpoint source pollution from a given
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22 land use;
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23 14. "Nonpoint source" shall have the same meaning as such word
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24 is defined by the Oklahoma Environmental Quality Act;
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1 15. "Pollution" shall have the same meaning as such word is
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2 defined by the Oklahoma Environmental Quality Act;
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3 16. "Nonpoint source working group" means an advisory group
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4 established by the Oklahoma Conservation Commission to provide input
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5 into the state's nonpoint source management and assessment program
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6 and is open to federal, state and local environmental agencies and
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7 natural resource agencies and other interested groups;
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8 17. "Watershed" means an area of land that drains to a given
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9 point;
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10 18. "Blue Thumb Program" means a nonpoint source educational
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11 program emphasizing water quality education, including volunteer
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12 monitoring;
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13 19. "Soil science" means the science which:
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14 a. is the study of physical, chemical, and biological
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15 processes taking place in both naturally occurring and
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16 reconstructed unconsolidated material formed by the
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17 alteration of parent rock due to exposure at the
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18 earth's surface, and
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19 b. includes sampling, measuring, identification,
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20 characterization, classification, and mapping of soil
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21 materials and migration of water solute, air and other
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22 gaseous components in the unsaturated portion of the
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23 earth; and
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24 20. "Soil scientist" means a person who:
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1 a. has earned a baccalaureate or higher degree in a field
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2 of soil science from an institution of higher
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3 education which is accredited by a regional or
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4 national accrediting agency, with a minimum of thirty
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5 (30) semester hours or forty-five (45) quarter hours
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6 of undergraduate work in a field of biological,
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7 physical, or earth science with a minimum of fifteen
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8 (15) semester hours of core soil science courses, and
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9 b. has a specific and continuous record of related and
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10 verifiable soil science work experience for two (2)
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11 years. Publications in a soil science publication or
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12 prior qualifications as an expert witness in
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13 administrative or judicial proceeding, hearing or
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14 trial shall be prima facie verification of experience
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15 related to soil science.
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16 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
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18 60-1-845 RD 1/16/2025 2:21:00 PM
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Req. No. 845 Page 5Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.