Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB97 Latest Draft

Bill / Amended Version Filed 02/13/2025

                             
 
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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:   
 
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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   
 
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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 ,   
 
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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