SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB97 SFLR Page 1 (Bold face denotes Committe e Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 SENATE FLOOR VERSION February 11, 2025 AS AMENDED SENATE BILL NO. 97 By: Sacchieri of the Senate and Adams of the House An Act relating to state government; defining terms; prohibiting state agencies from contracting with lobbyists or hiring l egislative liaisons for certain purposes; providing for codification; and providing an effective date. BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 4263 of Title 74, unless there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows: A. For the purposes of this section: 1. “Executive lobbyist” means any individual who is employed or retained by another for financial or other c ompensation to perform services that include executive lobbying, other than an individual whose lobbying activities are only incidental to, and are not a significant part of, the services provided by such individual to the client, except the following indi viduals shall not be considered executive lobbyists: SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB97 SFLR Page 2 (Bold face denotes Committe e Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 a. an individual appearing before a state officer or employee of an agency who receives no compensation for his or her appearance other than reimbursement from the state for expenses and who engages in n o further lobbying, and b. any person exercising his or her constitutional right to petition the gover nment who receives no compensation or anything of value for lobbying; 2. “Legislative liaison” means any state officer or employee whose duties in fact i nclude legislative lobbying, regardless of the state officer or employee ’s title and regardless of whether legislative lobbying is included within the state officer or state employee’s job description, other than an individual whose lobbying activities are only incidental to, and are not a significant part of, the services provided by such individual to th e agency; 3. “Legislative lobbyist ” means any individual who is employed or retained by another for financial or other compensation to perform services that include legislative lobbying, other than an individual whose lobbying activities are only incidental to, and are not a significant part of, the services provided by such individual to the client, except the following individuals shall not be considered legislative lobbyists: a. an individual appearing before the Governor or a meeting of a legislative b ody who receives no SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB97 SFLR Page 3 (Bold face denotes Committe e Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 compensation for his or her appearance other than reimbursement from the state for expenses and who engages in no further lobbying, and b. any person exercising his or her constitutional right to petition the government and who receives no compensation or anything of value for lobbying; 4. “Lobbyist” means a lobbyist principal, an executive lobbyist, or a legislative lobbyist ; 5. “Lobbyist principal” means any person or entity, including an agency, who employs or retains another person for financial or other compensation to conduct executive or legislative lobbying activities on behalf of the lobbyist principal; provided, however, it shall not mean any individual members, partners, officers , or shareholders of an agency, corporation, association, firm, joint venture, joint stock company, syndicate, business trust, estate, trust, company, partnership, limited partnership, organization, committee, club, or a group of persons who are voluntarily acting in concert; and 6. “State agency” means a state agency as defined pursuant to Section 327 of Title 61 of the Oklahoma Statutes . B. No state agency shall : 1. Enter into any new, or renew any existing, contract or any other agreement with a lobbyist for the purpose of lobbying ; or 2. Hire a legislative liaison for the purpose of lobbying , SENATE FLOOR VERSION - SB97 SFLR Page 4 (Bold face denotes Committe e Amendments) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 unless the agency first secures express, written approval from the appropriate cabinet secretary who oversees the state agency. If, at the time such approval is sought, the cabinet secretary position is vacant, the agency shall instead secure approval in the same manner from the Governor’s office. SECTION 2. This act shall become effective N ovember 1, 2025. COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON RETIREMENT AND GOVERNMENT RESOURCES February 11, 2025 - DO PASS AS AMENDED