OK
Oklahoma House Bill HB3970

Oklahoma 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma House Bill HB3970 Compare Versions

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30+March 31, 2022
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334 BILL NO. 3970 By: Burns and Luttrell of the
435 House
536
637 and
738
839 Simpson of the Senate
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1545 An Act relating to awards for meritorious service;
1646 amending 47 O.S. 2021, Section 2-108.5, which relates
1747 to the Oklahoma Medal of Valor, the Oklahoma
1848 Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal and related
1949 awards; modifying terminology ; providing for creation
2050 of Oklahoma Red Heart and Oklahoma Blue Hea rt Awards;
2151 specifying persons eligibl e for Oklahoma Red Heart or
2252 Oklahoma Blue Heart; and providing an effective date.
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27-SUBJECT: Awards for meritorious service
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2957 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLA HOMA:
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3158 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 47 O.S. 2021, Sect ion 2-108.5, is
3259 amended to read as follows:
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3460 Section 2-108.5 A. 1. There is hereby created the Oklahoma
3561 State Award Program Committee. The purpose of the Com mittee is to
3662 create, establish eligibility require ments and make recommendation
3763 for awarding the Oklahoma Medal of Valo r for meritorious se rvice,
3864 the Oklahoma Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal for extended
3965 exemplary service to the state and the Oklah oma Purple Red Heart or
4066 Oklahoma Blue Heart for serious line of duty injuries for law
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4194 enforcement and public safety mem bers employed by mun icipal, county,
4295 state and employees of federal agencies working in Oklahoma.
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4496 2. There is hereby established the Oklahoma Medal of Valor, the
4597 Oklahoma Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal and the Oklahoma
46-Purple Red Heart and Oklahoma Blue Heart, along with authorized ENR. H. B. NO. 3970 Page 2
98+Purple Red Heart and Oklahoma Blue Heart, along with authorized
4799 appurtenances, for award by the Governor, in the name of the state,
48100 to any person who has demonstrated meritorious achievement, or a
49101 distinct act of courage , shown distinguished meritorious service to
50102 the state over an extended period of se rvice or who has incurred
51103 injury or wounds, while performing or actively engaged in public
52104 service activities. The Oklahoma Purple Red Heart is limited to law
53105 enforcement and public safety members municipal firefighters
54106 employed by cities and towns. The Oklahoma Blue Heart is limited to
55107 law enforcement and public safety members employed by municipal,
56108 county, state and employees of federal agencies working in Oklahoma.
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58109 3. The purpose of each award is to formally recognize
59110 extraordinary acts of valor by public safety members and citizens of
60111 Oklahoma who engage in extraordinary acts of bravery and valor and
61112 to formally recognize public safety members in Oklahoma who have
62113 been seriously injured in the line of duty and to acknowledge the
63114 distinguished meritori ous service of citizens to the state.
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65115 B. The members of the Oklahoma State Award Program (OSAP)
66116 Committee shall have experience in the field of public safety and
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67144 public service. The OSAP Committee shall be composed of nine (9)
68145 members as follows:
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70146 1. The Lieutenant Governor, who shall serve as chair;
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72147 2. The Adjutant General of the Oklahoma National Guard;
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74148 3. The Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety;
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76149 4. The Director of the Department of Corrections;
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78150 5. The Director of the Department of Transportation;
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80151 6. The President of the Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association;
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82152 7. The President of the Oklahoma As sociation of Chiefs of
83153 Police;
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85154 8. The President of the Oklahoma State Firefighters
86155 Association; and
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88156 9. The President of the Oklaho ma Sheriffs and Peac e Officers
89157 Association.
90- ENR. H. B. NO. 3970 Page 3
91158 C. Except at any meeting to select recipients of the Oklahoma
92159 Medal of Valor, the Oklahoma Distinguished Meritorious Service
93160 Medal, the Oklahoma Red Hea rt or the Oklahoma Purple Blue Heart,
94161 each member, other th an the chair, may be represented by a designee;
95162 provided, the designee must be an active member in good standing
96163 with the agency or association to which the appointed member
97164 belongs. The Chairman reserves the right to appoint an advisory
98165 board to collect, review and make initial award recommendations to
99166 the OSAP Committee. The advisory board will be comprised of
100167 designees from the nine -member OSAP Committee.
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102195 D. The Committee shall conduct its first meeting no later than
103196 ninety (90) calendar days after th e appointment of the last member.
104197 The Committee shall meet at the direction of the chair, and shall
105198 normally meet not less than once each year and not m ore than three
106199 times each year.
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108200 E. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum to
109201 conduct business.
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111202 F. The members of the Committee shall serve without
112203 compensation, except that the members may be reimbursed for
113204 reasonable and necessary expenses arising from Committee activities
114205 or business. Such expenses shall be paid by the respective agencies
115206 at which the member is employed at the time the expense is incurred.
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117207 G. No member of the OSAP Committee shall solicit, seek or
118208 request individuals to su bmit individuals for awards. OSAP
119209 Committee members may explain the program to interested individuals.
120210 The Committee may secure directly from any department or agency such
121211 information as the Committee deems necessary to carry out its
122212 duties.
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124213 H. The Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety shall
125214 promulgate rules to establish the following:
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127215 1. Design of the Oklahoma M edal of Valor, the Oklahoma
128216 Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal and the Oklahoma Purple Red
129217 Heart or the Oklahoma Blue Heart and any authorized appurtenances
130218 proposed by the Adjutant General;
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132246 2. Criteria for eligibility for award of the Oklahoma Meda l of
133247 Valor, the Oklahoma Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal or the
134248 Oklahoma Purple Red Heart or Oklahoma Blue Heart proposed by the
135-Adjutant General; ENR. H. B. NO. 3970 Page 4
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249+Adjutant General;
137250 3. Criteria for the proper wear of t he Oklahoma Medal of Valor,
138251 the Oklahoma Distinguished Meritorio us Service Medal or the Oklahoma
139252 Purple Red Heart or the Oklahoma Blue Heart proposed by the Adjutant
140253 General;
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142254 4. Method of purchasing the Oklahoma Medal of Valor, the
143255 Oklahoma Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal or th e Oklahoma
144256 Purple Red Heart or Oklahoma Blue Heart;
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146257 5. Order of precedence relating to other state awards; and
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148258 6. Other rules deemed necessary to carry out the provisions of
149259 this section.
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151260 I. The Committee shall consider candidates for award for the
152261 Oklahoma Medal of Valor, the Oklahoma Distinguished Meritorious
153262 Service Medal or the Oklahoma Purple Red Heart or Oklahoma Blue
154263 Heart only from the applications received. The OSAP Committee may
155264 go into executive session to deliberate and select recommended
156265 recipients. The Chair shall presen t to the Governor the names of
157266 recommendations as Medal recipients.
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159267 J. The Committee shall not disclose any information which may
160268 compromise an ongoing law enforcement investigation or information
161269 that is otherwise required by law to be kept confidential. Only the
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162297 final recommendation for receipt of the Oklahoma Medal of Valor, the
163298 Oklahoma Distinguished Service Medal and the Oklahoma Purple Red
164299 Heart or Oklahoma Blue Heart shall be subject to the Oklahoma Open
165300 Records Act.
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167301 K. The Oklahoma Medal of Valor, the Oklahoma Distinguished
168302 Service Medal and the Oklahoma Purple Red Heart or Oklahoma Blue
169303 Heart may not be awarded to any person who was not selected by the
170304 Committee.
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172305 L. The award of the Oklahoma Medal of Valor, the Oklahoma
173306 Distinguished Service Med al and the Oklahoma Purple Red Heart or
174307 Oklahoma Blue Heart may be rescinded for suitable cause. The Chair,
175308 with the consent of the Committee, shall forward the recommendation
176309 for rescission to the Governor. The final decision to resc ind must
177310 be approved by the Governor.
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179311 M. The Oklahoma Medal of Valor, the Oklahoma Distinguished
180-Service Medal or the Okl ahoma Purple Red Heart or Oklahoma Blue ENR. H. B. NO. 3970 Page 5
312+Service Medal or the Okl ahoma Purple Red Heart or Oklahoma Blue
181313 Heart may be awarded posthumously and may be presented to such
182314 representative of the deceased 's family as may be d eemed appropriate
183315 by the Governor.
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185316 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2022.
186- ENR. H. B. NO. 3970 Page 6
187-Passed the House of Representatives the 15th day of March, 2022.
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192- Presiding Officer of the House
193- of Representatives
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196-Passed the Senate the 20th day of April, 2022.
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201- Presiding Officer of the Senate
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204-OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
205-Received by the Office of the Governor this ____________________
206-day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
207-By: _________________________________
208-Approved by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma this _____ ____
209-day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
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212- _________________________________
213- Governor of the State of Oklahoma
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215-OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF ST ATE
216-Received by the Office of the Secretary of State this __________
217-day of ___________________, 20_______, at _______ o'clock _______ M.
218-By: _________________________________
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317+COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AND MILITARY AFFAIRS
318+March 31, 2022 - DO PASS