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 419 By: Daniels
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to the Attorney General; amending 74
7 O.S. 2021, Section 18c, which relates to employment
8 of attorneys; authorizing State Treasurer to employ
8 or appoint attorneys; updating statutory language;
9 updating statutory references; and providing an
9 effective date.
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1 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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13 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 74 O.S. 2021, Section 18c, is
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1 4 amended to read as follows:
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15 Section 18c. A. 1. Except as otherwise provided by this
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1 6 subsection, no state officer, board or commission shall have
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1 7 authority to employ or appoint attorneys to advise or represent said
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1 8 the officer, board or commission in any matter.
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19 2. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the
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2 0 Corporation Commission, the Council on Law Enforcement Education and
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2 1 Training, the Commission on Consumer Credit Commission, the Board of
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2 2 Managers of the State Insurance Fund, the Oklahoma Tax Commission,
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2 3 the State Treasurer, the Commissioners of the Land Office, the
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2 4 Oklahoma Public Welfare Commission also known as the Commission for
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Req. No. 1016 Page 1
1 Human Services, the State Board of Corrections, the Oklahoma Health
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2 Care Authority, the Department of Public Safety, the Oklahoma State
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3 Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, the Alcoholic
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4 Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, the Transportation Commission,
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5 the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board, the Oklahoma Merit Protection
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6 Commission, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, the
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7 Oklahoma Water Resources Board, the Department of Labor, the
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8 Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry, the
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9 Northeast Oklahoma Public Facilities Authority, the Oklahoma
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1 0 Firefighters Pension and Retirement System, the Oklahoma Public
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1 1 Employees Retirement System, the Uniform Retirement System for
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1 2 Justices and Judges, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission, the
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1 3 Office of Juvenile Affairs, the State Board of Pharmacy and the
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1 4 Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs.
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15 3. The provisions of paragraph 2 of this subsection shall not
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1 6 be construed to authorize the Office of Juvenile Affairs to employ
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1 7 any attorneys that are not specifically authorized by law.
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18 4. All the legal duties of such officer, board or commission
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1 9 shall devolve upon and are hereby vested in the Attorney General;
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2 0 provided that:
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21 a. the Governor shall have authority to employ special
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22 counsel to protect the rights or interest of the state
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23 as provided in Section 6 of this title, and
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Req. No. 1016 Page 2
1 b. liquidation agents of banks shall have the authority
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2 to employ local counsel, with the consent of the Bank
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3 Commissioner and the Attorney General and the approval
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4 of the district court.
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5 B. At the request of any state officer, board or commission,
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6 except the Corporation Commission, the Board of Managers of the
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7 CompSource Oklahoma, Oklahoma Tax Commission and the Commissioners
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8 of the Land Office, the Grand River Dam Authority, the Oklahoma
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9 State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control, the Alcoholic
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1 0 Beverage Laws Enforcement Commission, the Oklahoma Firefighters
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1 1 Pension and Retirement System, the Oklahoma Public Employees
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1 2 Retirement System, the Uniform Retirement System for Justices and
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1 3 Judges and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, the
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1 4 Attorney General shall defend any action in which they may be sued
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1 5 in their official capacity. At the request of any such state
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1 6 officer, board or commission, the Attorney General shall have
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1 7 authority to institute suits in the name of the State of Oklahoma on
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1 8 their relation, if after investigation the Attorney General is
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1 9 convinced there is sufficient legal merit to justify the action.
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20 C. Any officer, board or commission which has the authority to
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2 1 employ or appoint attorneys may request that the Attorney General
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2 2 defend any action arising pursuant to the provisions of The
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2 3 Governmental Tort Claims Act.
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1 D. Nothing in this section shall be construed to repeal or
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2 affect the provisions of the statutes of this state pertaining to
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3 attorneys and legal advisors of the several commissions and
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4 departments of state specified in subsection B of this section, and
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5 all acts and parts of acts pertaining thereto shall be and remain in
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6 full force and effect.
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7 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
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9 60-1-1016 TEK 1/14/2025 3:51:14 PM
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Req. No. 1016 Page 4Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.