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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 1954 By: Standridge
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to turnpikes; amending 69 O.S. 2021,
7 Section 1703, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 295,
8 O.S.L. 2023 (69 O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 1703), which
8 relates to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority; updating
9 statutory references; updating statutory language;
9 subjecting Authority to certain oversight; requiring
10 submission of certain reports; creating the Turnpike
10 Legislative Oversight Board; declaring scope and
11 purpose; stating composition; setting terms and
11 conditions for membership; establishing requirements
12 for conduct of Board business; requiring certain
12 reports; directing distribution of reports;
13 authorizing suspension of certain officers under
13 certain circumstances; establishing procedures for
14 certain suspension or removal; providing for
14 codification; and declaring an emergency.
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17 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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18 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 69 O.S. 2021, Section 1703, as
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19 amended by Section 1, Chapter 295, O.S.L. 2023 (69 O.S. Supp. 2025,
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20 Section 1703), is amended to read as follows:
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21 Section 1703. A. There is hereby created a body corporate and
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22 politic to be known as the "Oklahoma Turnpike Authority" and by that
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23 name the Authority may sue and be sued, and plead and be impleaded.
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24 The Authority is hereby constituted an instrumentality of the state,
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1 and the exercise by the Authority of the powers conferred by this
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2 act Section 1701 et seq. of this title in the construction,
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3 operation, and maintenance of turnpike projects shall be deemed and
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4 held to be an essential governmental function of the state with all
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5 the attributes thereof. Provided, however, the Oklahoma Turnpike
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6 Authority is authorized to carry and shall carry liability insurance
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7 to the same extent and in the same manner as the Transportation
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8 Commission, and in addition thereto it shall be subject to the
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9 workers' compensation laws of the state, the same as a private
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10 construction project.
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11 B. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority shall consist of the
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12 Governor, who shall be a member an ex officio member, two (2)
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13 members to be appointed by the Governor, two (2) members to be
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14 appointed by the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives,
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15 and two (2) members to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of
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16 the Oklahoma State Senate. The appointive members shall be
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17 residents of the state, and shall have been qualified electors
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18 therein for a period of at least one (1) year next preceding their
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19 appointment. One appointive member shall be appointed from each of
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20 six districts of the state, such districts to include the area as
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21 follows:
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22 District 1. Oklahoma, Canadian, Cleveland, McClain and Garvin
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23 Counties.
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Req. No. 2841 Page 2
1 District 2. Washington, Nowata, Craig, Ottawa, Rogers, Mayes,
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2 Delaware, Wagoner, Cherokee, Adair, Okmulgee, Osage, Muskogee,
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3 Sequoyah, McIntosh and Haskell Counties.
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4 District 3. Coal, Logan, Payne, Lincoln, Creek, Okfuskee,
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5 Pottawatomie, Seminole, Hughes and Pontotoc Counties.
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6 District 4. Kay, Pawnee, Garfield, Noble, Tulsa, Woods,
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7 Woodward, Major, Alfalfa and Grant Counties.
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8 District 5. Cimarron, Grady, Texas, Beaver, Harper, Ellis,
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9 Roger Mills, Dewey, Custer, Caddo, Washita, Beckham, Harmon,
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10 Stephens, Jefferson, Greer, Kiowa, Jackson, Tillman, Comanche,
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11 Cotton, Kingfisher and Blaine Counties.
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12 District 6. Carter, Love, Murray, Johnston, Marshall, Atoka,
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13 Bryan, Pittsburg, Latimer, Le Flore, Pushmataha, Choctaw and
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14 McCurtain Counties.
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15 The Governor shall appoint the members from Districts 1 and 2.
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16 The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives shall appoint
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17 the members from Districts 3 and 4. The President Pro Tempore of
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18 the Oklahoma State Senate shall appoint the members from Districts 5
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19 and 6. Appointive members serving on the Oklahoma Turnpike
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20 Authority on the effective date of this act November 1, 2023, shall
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21 continue to serve as members of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority for
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22 the remainder of the original terms for which they were appointed,
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23 unless sooner removed by the appointing authority for their District
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24 district. Thereafter, each appointive member shall be appointed in
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1 the manner set forth by this section for a term of six (6) years,
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2 except that any person appointed to fill a vacancy shall be
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3 appointed to serve only for the unexpired term, and a member of the
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4 Authority shall be eligible for reappointment. Each appointed
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5 member of the Authority before entering upon the duties of office
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6 shall take an oath as provided by Section 1 of Article XV of the
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7 Oklahoma Constitution of the State of Oklahoma. Any appointive
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8 member of the Authority may be removed at any time with cause by the
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9 appointing authority.
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10 C. The Authority shall elect one of the appointed members as
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11 chairperson chair and another as vice-chairperson vice chair, and
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12 shall also elect a Secretary secretary and Treasurer treasurer. A
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13 majority of the members of the Authority shall constitute a quorum
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14 and the vote of a majority of the members shall be necessary for any
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15 action taken by the Authority. No vacancy in the membership of the
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16 Authority shall impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the
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17 rights and perform all the duties of the Authority.
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18 D. Appointed members An appointed member of the Authority shall
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19 be prohibited from voting on any issue in which the member has a
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20 direct financial interest.
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21 E. Before the issuance of any turnpike revenue bonds under the
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22 provisions of this act Section 1701 et seq. of this title, each
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23 appointed member of the Authority shall execute a surety bond in the
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24 penal sum of Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) and the
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1 secretary and treasurer shall execute a surety bond in the penal sum
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2 of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00), each such surety bond
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3 to be conditioned upon the faithful performance of the duties of the
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4 office, to be executed by a surety company authorized to transact
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5 business in the State of Oklahoma this state as surety and to be
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6 approved by the Governor and filed in the office Office of the
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7 Secretary of State.
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8 F. The members of the Authority shall not be entitled to
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9 compensation for their services, but each member shall be reimbursed
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10 for actual expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of the
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11 duties of such member. All expenses incurred in carrying out the
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12 provisions of this act Section 1701 et seq. of this title shall be
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13 payable solely from funds provided under the authority of this act
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14 Section 1701 et seq. of this title and no liability or obligation
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15 shall be incurred by the Authority hereunder beyond the extent to
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16 which monies shall have been provided under the authority of this
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17 act.
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18 G. Whenever the terms "Oklahoma Transportation Authority",
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19 "Transportation Authority", or "Authority", when used in reference
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20 to the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, appear in the Oklahoma Statutes,
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21 such terms shall mean the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.
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22 H. The conduct of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority shall be
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23 subject to and not exercised contrary to the provisions of Section 2
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24 of this act.
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1 I. The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority shall annually provide a
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2 copy of its most recent annual report to the members of the Turnpike
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3 Legislative Oversight Board, in addition to any information
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4 requested pursuant to the provisions of Section 2 of this act.
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5 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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6 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1703.1 of Title 69, unless there
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7 is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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8 A. There is hereby created the Turnpike Legislative Oversight
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9 Board for the purpose of overseeing the functions, activities,
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10 policies, procedures, and expenditures performed by the Oklahoma
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11 Turnpike Authority and any related issues the Board deems
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12 appropriate. Members of the Board shall be appointed in January of
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13 each year following a state general election for two-year terms, and
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14 shall continue to serve until new members are appointed. The
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15 President Pro Tempore of the Senate shall appoint six members from
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16 the Senate, to be from each of the six districts of the state as
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17 provided for in subsection B of Section 1703 of Title 69 of the
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18 Oklahoma Statutes, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives
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19 shall appoint six members from the House of Representatives, to be
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20 from each of the six districts of the state as provided for in
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21 subsection B of Section 1703 of Title 69 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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22 B. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of
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23 the House of Representatives shall each designate one of their
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24 appointees to serve as co-chair of the Board. The Board shall meet
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1 at least once annually. Additional meetings may be called as the
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2 co-chairs deem necessary. Meetings of the Board shall be called by
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3 the co-chairs. A majority of the appointed members shall constitute
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4 a quorum for any meeting of the Board.
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5 C. The Board may conduct hearings, studies, and any other
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6 meetings necessary to fulfill the duties of the Board. The Board
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7 may compel the production of witnesses, experts, data, and any non-
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8 privileged information from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority as
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9 necessary for the performance of the Board's oversight duties. The
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10 Board shall produce an annual written report on the activities of
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11 the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority including information regarding the
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12 conduct and quality of the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority's management,
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13 administration, and transparency. Such report shall be approved by
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14 a majority of the members and distributed electronically to the
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15 Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of
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16 the House of Representatives, the members of the Oklahoma Turnpike
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17 Authority, and the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Turnpike
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18 Authority.
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19 D. The Board may, through a majority vote of all members
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20 present in person, temporarily suspend any non-ex officio member of
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21 the board of directors or executive staff of the Oklahoma Turnpike
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22 Authority for thirty (30) days for the purpose of an investigation.
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23 Causes for suspension include, but are not limited to:
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24 1. Refusal to cooperate with the requests of the Board;
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Req. No. 2841 Page 7
1 2. Mismanagement of Oklahoma Turnpike Authority funds;
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2 3. Professional misconduct; or
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3 4. Violation of any applicable administrative rule.
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4 E. If the thirty (30) days have elapsed and no investigation
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5 has been conducted, the suspended member of the board of directors
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6 or executive staff shall be immediately reinstated.
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7 F. After the thirty (30) days have elapsed and an investigation
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8 has been conducted, the Board may vote to reinstate the suspended
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9 member of the board of directors or executive staff, or, through a
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10 two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Board, with all members present, send
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11 the question of retaining the services of the suspended member to
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12 the Senate and the House of Representatives. If two-thirds (2/3) of
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13 both houses of the Legislature vote to remove the suspended member,
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14 the member is removed from his or her position, regardless of the
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15 appointing officer.
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16 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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17 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
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18 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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19 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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21 60-2-2841 MSBB 1/15/2026 9:09:27 AM
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Req. No. 2841 Page 8Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.