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1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature (2026)
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3 SENATE BILL 1206 By: Prieto
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to public participation at public
7 meetings; amending 25 O.S. 2021, Section 311, as
8 amended by Section 1, Chapter 60, O.S.L. 2024 (25
8 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 311), which relates to
9 notice of meetings of public bodies; prohibiting
9 public body from taking action on certain matters;
10 clarifying right of members of the public to provide
10 public comment at meetings of a public body; allowing
11 certain rules or policies regarding public comment;
11 construing provisions; providing exceptions to
12 certain requirements; updating statutory references;
12 updating statutory language; and providing an
13 effective date.
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16 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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17 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 25 O.S. 2021, Section 311, as
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18 amended by Section 1, Chapter 60, O.S.L. 2024 (25 O.S. Supp. 2025,
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19 Section 311), is amended to read as follows:
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20 Section 311. A. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law,
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21 all regularly scheduled, continued or reconvened, special or
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22 emergency meetings of public bodies shall be preceded by public
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23 notice as follows:
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1 1. All public bodies shall give notice in writing by December
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2 15 of each calendar year of the schedule showing the date, time and
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3 place of the regularly scheduled meetings of such public bodies for
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4 the following calendar year;
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5 2. All state public bodies including, but not limited to,
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6 public trusts and other bodies with the state as beneficiary, shall
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7 give such notice to the Secretary of State;
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8 3. All county public bodies including, but not limited to,
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9 public trusts and any other bodies with the county as beneficiary,
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10 shall give such notice to the county clerk of the county wherein
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11 they are principally located;
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12 4. All municipal public bodies including, but not limited to,
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13 public trusts and any other bodies with the municipality as
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14 beneficiary, shall give such notice to the municipal clerk of the
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15 municipality wherein they are principally located;
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16 5. All multicounty, regional, areawide or district public
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17 bodies including, but not limited to, district boards of education,
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18 shall give such notice to the county clerk of the county wherein
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19 they are principally located, or if no office exists, to the county
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20 clerk of the county or counties served by such public body;
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21 6. All governing boards of state institutions of higher
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22 education, and committees and subcommittees thereof, shall give such
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23 notice to the Secretary of State. All other public bodies covered
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24 by the provisions of the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act which exist under
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1 the auspices of a state institution of higher education, but a
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2 majority of whose members are not members of the institution's
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3 governing board, shall give such notice to the county clerk of the
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4 county wherein the institution is principally located;
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5 7. The Secretary of State and each county clerk or municipal
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6 clerk shall keep a record of all notices received in a register open
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7 to the public for inspection during regular office hours, and, in
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8 addition, shall make known upon any request of any person the
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9 contents of the register;
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10 8. If any change is to be made of the date, time or place of
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11 regularly scheduled meetings of public bodies, then notice in
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12 writing shall be given to the Secretary of State or county clerk or
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13 municipal clerk, as required herein, not less than ten (10) days
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14 prior to the implementation of any such change;
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15 9. a. In addition to the advance public notice in writing
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16 required to be filed for regularly scheduled meetings,
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17 described in paragraph 1 of this subsection, all
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18 public bodies shall, at least twenty-four (24) hours
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19 prior to such regularly scheduled meetings, display
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20 public notice of the meeting by at least one of the
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21 following methods:
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22 (1) by posting information that includes date, time,
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23 place and agenda for the meeting in prominent
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24 public view at the principal office of the public
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1 body or at the location of the meeting if no
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2 office exists, or
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3 (2) by posting on the public body's Internet website
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4 the date, time, place and agenda for the meeting
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5 in accordance with Section 3106.2 311.1 of Title
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6 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes this title.
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7 Additionally, the public body shall offer and
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8 consistently maintain an email distribution
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9 system for distribution of such notice of a
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10 public meeting required by this subsection, and
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11 any person may request to be included without
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12 charge, and their his or her request shall be
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13 accepted. The emailed notice of a public meeting
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14 required by this subsection shall include in the
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15 body of the email or as an attachment to the
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16 email the date, time, place and agenda for the
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17 meeting and it shall be sent no less than twenty-
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18 four (24) hours prior to the meeting.
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19 Additionally, the public body shall make the
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20 notice of a public meeting required by this
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21 subsection available to the public in the
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22 principal office of the public body or at the
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23 location of the meeting during normal business
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1 hours at least twenty�four (24) hours prior to
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2 the meeting.
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3 b. In addition to the notice requirements of this
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4 section, all state public bodies, as defined provided
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5 in paragraph 2 of this subsection, shall, at least
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6 twenty-four (24) hours prior to regularly scheduled
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7 meetings, display public notice of the meeting by:
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8 (1) posting information that includes date, time,
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9 place and agenda for the meeting in prominent
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10 public view at the principal office of the public
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11 body or at the location of the meeting if no
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12 office exists, and
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13 (2) posting on the public body's Internet website the
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14 date, time, place and agenda for the meeting in
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15 accordance with Section 3106.2 311.1 of Title 74
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16 of the Oklahoma Statutes this title;
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17 10. The twenty-four (24) hours required in paragraph 9 of this
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18 subsection shall exclude Saturdays, Sundays and holidays legally
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19 declared by the State of Oklahoma. The posting or distribution of a
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20 notice of a public meeting as described in paragraph 9 of this
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21 subsection shall not preclude a public body from considering at its
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22 regularly scheduled meeting any new business. "New business", as
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23 used herein, shall mean any matter not known about or which could
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24 not have been reasonably foreseen prior to the time of the posting;
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1 11. In the event any meeting is to be continued or reconvened,
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2 public notice of such action including date, time and place of the
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3 continued meeting, shall be given by announcement at the original
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4 meeting. Only matters appearing on the agenda of the meeting which
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5 is continued may be discussed at the continued or reconvened
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6 meeting;
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7 12. Special meetings of public bodies shall not be held without
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8 public notice being given at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to
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9 the meetings. Such public notice of date, time and place shall be
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10 given in writing, in person or by telephonic means to the Secretary
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11 of State or to the county clerk or to the municipal clerk by public
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12 bodies in the manner set forth in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of
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13 this subsection. The public body also shall cause written notice of
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14 the date, time and place of the meeting to be mailed or delivered to
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15 each person, newspaper, wire service, radio station and television
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16 station that has filed a written request for notice of meetings of
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17 the public body with the clerk or secretary of the public body or
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18 with some other person designated by the public body. Such written
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19 notice shall be mailed or delivered at least forty-eight (48) hours
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20 prior to the special meeting. The public body may charge a fee of
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21 up to Eighteen Dollars ($18.00) per year to persons or entities
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22 filing a written request for notice of meetings, and may require
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23 such persons or entities to renew the request for notice annually.
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24 In addition, all public bodies shall, at least twenty-four (24)
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1 hours prior to such special meetings, display public notice of the
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2 meeting, setting forth thereon the date, time, place and agenda for
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3 the meeting. Only matters appearing on the posted agenda may be
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4 considered at the special meeting. Such public notice shall be
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5 posted in prominent public view at the principal office of the
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6 public body or at the location of the meeting if no office exists.
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7 Twenty-four The twenty-four (24) hours prior public posting required
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8 by this paragraph shall exclude Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
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9 legally declared by the State of Oklahoma. In lieu of the public
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10 posting requirements of this paragraph, a public body may elect to
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11 follow the requirements found in division (2) of subparagraph a of
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12 paragraph 9 of this subsection, provided that forty-eight-hour
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13 notice is required for special meetings and that the forty-eight-
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14 hour requirement shall exclude Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
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15 legally declared by the State of Oklahoma;
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16 13. In the event of an emergency, an emergency meeting of a
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17 public body may be held without the required public notice
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18 heretofore required. Should an emergency meeting of a public body
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19 be necessary, the person calling such a meeting shall give as much
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20 advance public notice as is reasonable and possible under the
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21 circumstances existing, in person or by telephonic or electronic
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22 means; and
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23 14. A public body that gives public notice of a meeting for
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24 which there will be a videoconference option in accordance with
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1 Section 307.1 of this title shall not modify the method of meeting
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2 described in the notice prior to the meeting and shall conduct the
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3 meeting according to the methods described in the notice. If a code
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4 or password is required to access the videoconference meeting, the
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5 code or password shall be included in the public notice.
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6 B. 1. All agendas required pursuant to the provisions of this
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7 section shall identify all items of business to be transacted by a
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8 public body at a meeting including, but not limited to, any proposed
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9 executive session for the purpose of engaging in deliberations or
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10 rendering a final or intermediate decision in an individual
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11 proceeding prescribed by the Administrative Procedures Act. No
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12 action may be taken upon a matter raised during a period designated
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13 for public comment until such matter has been specifically included
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14 on an agenda as an item upon which action may be taken.
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15 2. If a public body proposes to conduct an executive session,
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16 the agenda shall:
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17 a. contain sufficient information for the public to
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18 ascertain that an executive session will be proposed,
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19 b. identify the items of business and purposes of the
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20 executive session, and
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21 c. state specifically the provision of Section 307 of
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22 this title authorizing the executive session.
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23 3. a. Any interested member of the public may address a
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24 public body on any agenda item, item of new business,
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1 or any non-agenda item relevant to the function of the
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2 public body in the time designated for public comment
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3 at a meeting of the public body. Rules or policies of
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4 a public body related to public comment shall be
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5 limited to providing guidelines regarding the amount
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6 of time a person may address the public body and
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7 designating a specific portion of the meeting for
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8 public comment. In no event may a public body
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9 prohibit criticism of any act, omission, policy,
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10 procedure, program, or service of the public body,
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11 other than any criticism otherwise prohibited by law.
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12 The requirements of this subparagraph shall not be
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13 construed to prohibit a public body from maintaining
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14 orderly conduct and proper decorum during a public
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15 meeting.
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16 b. The requirements of subparagraph a of this paragraph
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17 shall not apply to:
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18 (1) any official act that must be taken to address an
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19 emergency situation affecting the public health,
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20 welfare, or safety, if compliance with such
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21 requirements would cause an unreasonable delay in
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22 the ability of the public body to act, or
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23 (2) any meeting not subject to the provisions of the
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24 Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
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1 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
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Req. No. 2515 Page 10Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.