Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB170 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 12/30/2024

                             
 
 
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025) 
 
SENATE BILL 170 	By: Hall 
 
 
 
 
 
AS INTRODUCED 
 
An Act relating to the Attorney General; amending 74 
O.S. 2021, Section 18b, as last amended by Section 
170, Chapter 452, O.S.L. 2024 (74 O .S. Supp. 2024, 
Section 18b), which relates to duties of the Attorney 
General; modifying duty related to deposit of certain 
monies; updating statutory language; and declaring an 
emergency. 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     74 O.S. 2021, Section 18b, as la st 
amended by Section 170, Chapter 452, O.S.L. 2024 (74 O.S. Supp. 
2024, Section 18b), is amended to read as follows: 
Section 18b.  A.  The duties of the Attorney General as the 
chief law officer of the state shall be: 
1.  To appear for the state and prosecute and defend all actions 
and proceedings, civil or criminal, in the Supreme Court and Court 
of Criminal Appeals in which the state is interested as a party; 
2.  To appear for the state and prosecute and defend all actions 
and proceedings in any of the f ederal courts in which the state is 
interested as a party;   
 
 
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3.  To initiate or appear in any action in which the interests 
of the state or the people of the state are at issue, or to appear 
at the request of the Governor, the Legislature, or either branch 
thereof, and prosecute and defend in any court or before any 
commission, board or officers any cause or proceeding, civil or 
criminal, in which the state may be a party or interes ted; and when 
so appearing in any such cause or proceeding, the Attorney Gener al 
may, if the Attorney General deems it advisable and to the best 
interest of the state, take and assume control of the prosecution or 
defense of the state ’s interest therein; 
4.  To consult with and advise district attorneys, when 
requested by them, in all matters pertaining to the duties of their 
offices, when the district attorneys shall furnish the Attorney 
General with a written opinion supported by citation of authorities 
upon the matter submitted; 
5.  To give an opinion in writing upon all questions of law 
submitted to the Attorney General by the Legislature or either 
branch thereof, or by any state officer, board, commission or 
department, provided , that the Attorney Gener al shall not furnish 
opinions to any but district attorneys, the Legislature or either 
branch thereof, or any other state official, board, commission or 
department, and to them only upon matters in which they are 
officially interested;   
 
 
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6.  At the request o f the Governor, State Auditor and Inspector, 
State Treasurer, or either branch of the Legislature, to prosecute 
any official bond or any contract in which the state is interested, 
upon a breach thereof, and to prosecute or defend for the state all 
actions, civil or criminal, relating to any matter connected with 
either of their Departments; 
7.  Whenever requested by any state officer, board or 
commission, to prepare proper drafts for contracts, forms and other 
writing which may be wanted for the use of the state; 
8.  To prepare drafts of bills and resolutions for individual 
members of the Legislature upon their written request stating the 
gist of the bill or resolution desired; 
9.  To enforce the proper application of monies appropriated by 
the Legislature and to prosecute breaches of trust in the 
administration of such funds; 
10.  To institute actions to recover state monies illegally 
expended, to recover state property and to prevent the illegal use 
of any state property, upon the request of the Governor or the 
Legislature; 
11.  To pay into the State Treasury, immediately upon its 
receipt, all monies received by the Attorney General belonging to 
the state other than monies received on behalf of the Oklahoma 
Municipal Power Authority ;   
 
 
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12.  To settle, compromi se and dispose of an action in which the 
Attorney General represents the interests of the state, so long as 
the consideration negotiated for such settlement, compromise or 
disposition is payable to the state or one of its agencies which is 
a named party of the action and any monies, any property or other 
item of value is paid first to the State Treasury; 
13.  To keep and file copies of all opinions, contracts, forms 
and letters of the office, and to keep an index of all opinions, 
contracts and forms accordi ng to subject and section of the law 
construed or applied; 
14.  To keep a register or docket of all actions, demands and 
investigations prosecuted, defended or conducted by the Attorney 
General in behalf of the state.  The register or docket shall give 
the style of the case or investigation, where pending, court number, 
office number, the gist of the matter, result and the names of the 
assistants who handled the matter; 
15.  To keep a complete office file of all cases and 
investigations handled by the Attor ney General on behalf of the 
state; 
16.  To report to the Legislature or either branch thereof 
whenever requested upon any business relating to the duties of the 
Attorney General’s office; 
17.  To institute civil actions against members of any state 
board or commission for failure of such members to perform their   
 
 
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duties as prescribed by the statutes and the Constitution and to 
prosecute members of any state board or commission for violation of 
the criminal laws of this state where such violations have occur red 
in connection with the performance of such members ’ official duties; 
18.  To respond to any request for an opinion of the Attorney 
General’s office, submitted by a member of the Legislature, 
regardless of subject matter, by written opinion determinativ e of 
the law regarding such subject matter; 
19.  To convene multicounty grand juries in such manner and for 
such purposes as provided by law; provided, such grand juries are 
composed of citizens from each of the counties on a pro rata basis 
by county; 
20.  To investigate any report by the State Auditor and 
Inspector filed with the Attorney General pursuant to Section 223 of 
this title and prosecute all actions, civil or criminal, relating to 
such reports or any irregularities or derelictions in the manageme nt 
of public funds or property which are violations of the laws of this 
state; 
21.  To represent and protect the collective interests of all 
utility consumers of this state in rate -related proceedings before 
the Corporation Commission or in any other state or federal judicial 
or administrative proceeding; 
22.  To represent and protect the collective interests of 
insurance consumers of this state in rate -related proceedings before   
 
 
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the Insurance Commissioner or in any other state or federal judicial 
or administrative proceeding; 
23.  To investigate and prosecute any criminal action rel ating 
to insurance fraud, if in the opinion of the Attorney General a 
criminal prosecution is warranted, or to refer such matters to the 
appropriate district attorney; 
24.  To monitor and evaluate any action by the federal 
government including, but not limited to, executive orders by the 
President of the United States, rules or regulations promulgated by 
an agency of the federal government or acts of Congress to determine 
if such actions are in violation of the Tenth Amendment to the 
Constitution of the Uni ted States; 
25.  To cross-deputize police officers of the police department 
of any municipality or any officer deputized by the county sheriff 
or a designee subject to an interlo cal governmental agreement with 
the Office of the Attorney General’s Office General in an effort to 
combine city, county, and state law enforcement efforts and to 
encourage cooperation between city, county, and state law 
enforcement officials.  Liability f or the conduct of any municipal 
police officer cross -deputized under the terms and conditions of an 
interlocal governmental agreement or any officer deputized by the 
county sheriff under the terms and conditions of an interlocal 
governmental agreement shal l remain the responsibility of the 
respective employer for that officer; and   
 
 
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26.  To maintain data related to human trafficking and to assist 
law enforcement, social service agencies, and victim services 
programs in identifying and supporting victims of hu man trafficking. 
B.  Nothing in this section shall be construed as requiring t he 
Attorney General to appear and defend or prosecute in any court any 
cause or proceeding for or on behalf of the Oklahoma Tax Commission, 
the Board of Managers of the State Ins urance Fund, or the 
Commissioners of the Land Office. 
C.  In all appeals from the Corporation Commission to the 
Supreme Court of Oklahoma in which the state is a party, the 
Attorney General shall have the right to designate counsel of the 
Corporation Commission as the Attorney General ’s legally appointed 
representative in such appea ls, and it shall be the duty of the 
Corporation Commission counsel to act when so designated and to 
consult and advise with the Attorney General regarding such appeals 
prior to taking action therein. 
SECTION 2.  It being immediately necessary for the preservation 
of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby 
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and 
be in full force from an d after its passage and approval. 
 
60-1-375 TEK 12/30/2024 12:31:13 PM