Title 51 — Title 51 — Officers

Except when otherwise specially provided, the regular term of all officers elected under the laws of the state, when elected to a full term, shall commence on the second Monday of January next succeeding their election, and any officer so elected shall qualify and enter upon the …

A. All vacancies in state offices, except in offices of the members of the Legislature and members of the House of Representatives from Oklahoma in the Congress of the United States of America, shall be filled by appointment by the Governor. B. When a vacancy occurs in the office…

The Attorney General of the state shall have the power, and he is hereby authorized and directed whenever complaint has been made and the names of witnesses furnished him, or whenever he deems necessary to issue subpoenas for such witnesses so furnished him, and for such other pe…

No person shall be excused from testifying before said Attorney General, magistrate, or notary public, at any such investigation, or be excused from testifying in any proceeding brought in any court of competent jurisdiction under the provisions of this act, on the ground that hi…

penal laws. The Attorney General shall have power and is hereby authorized on his own initiative, when he has reason to believe that the gambling or prohibitory liquor laws, or other penal statutes of the state, are being openly and notoriously violated in any county of the state…

Upon the trial either party shall be entitled to a jury, and if the cause be tried in the Supreme Court of the state the jury shall be drawn and impaneled in the manner now provided by law for drawing and impaneling juries in the Supreme Court of the state, provided, that not mor…

The evidence procured by the Attorney General upon the separate investigations and examination of witnesses herein authorized to be made, may be presented by him on the motion to suspend the officer. The Attorney General and the defendant shall have the right to take depositions …

Proof that any of the penal statutes of the state which any such officer is enjoined by law to enforce, have been openly and notoriously violated within the jurisdiction of such officer shall be prima facie evidence of willful official misconduct on the part of such officer and u…

If a vacancy occurs within thirty (30) days previous to an election day at which it may be filled, no appointment shall be made unless it be necessary to carry out said election and the canvass of the same according to law; in that case an appointment may be made at any time prev…

51 O.S. § 12 Repealed by Laws 1965, c. 116, § 4, eff. May 24, 1965

If any officer of the state, district, county, city, town or other governmental subdivision of this state shall die while in office, and shall leave a surviving spouse, the said surviving spouse shall be eligible (if otherwise qualified) to be appointed to and to hold said office…

In order to extend to employees of the state and its political subdivisions and of the instrumentalities of either, and to the dependents and survivors of such employees, the basic protection accorded to others by the old-age and survivors insurance system embodied in the Social …

For the purposes of this act: (a) The term "wages" means all remuneration for employment as defined herein, including the cash value of all remuneration paid in any medium other than cash, except that such terms shall not include that part of such remuneration which, even if it w…

states. (a) Federal-State Agreement. The state agency, with the approval of the Governor, is hereby authorized, upon enactment of applicable federal law, to enter on behalf of the state into an agreement, or a modification or modifications thereof, with the federal agency, consis…

(a) Every employee of the state whose services are covered by an agreement entered into under Section 123 shall be required to pay for the period of such coverage, into the Contribution Fund established by Section 126, contributions, with respect to wages (as defined in Section 1…

and of state and local instrumentalities. (a) Each political subdivision of the state and each instrumentality of the state or of a political subdivision is hereby authorized to submit for approval by the state agency a plan for extending the benefits of Title II of the Social Se…

(a) There is hereby established a special fund to be known as the Contribution Fund. Such fund shall consist of and there shall be deposited in such fund: (1) all contributions, interest, and penalties collected under Sections 124 and 125 of this title; (2) all monies appropriate…

For the purpose of administering the provisions of this act there is hereby appropriated from any surplus accruing to the credit of the Emergency Appropriation Fund for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1949, the sum of ____ to be expended by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commis…

The state agency shall make and publish rules and regulations, not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, as it finds necessary or appropriate to the efficient administration of the functions with which it is charged under this act. Added by Laws 1949, p. 380, § 8, emerg. …

The state agency shall make studies concerning the problem of old-age and survivors insurance protection for employees of the state and local governments and their instrumentalities and concerning the operation of agreements made and plans approved under this act and shall submit…

Appointments under the provisions of this chapter shall be made in writing and filed with the Secretary of State or with the proper county officer. R.L. 1910, § 4280.

If any provision of this act, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act and the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby. Added by Laws 1949, p. 380, § 10, emerg. eff. Ju…

(a) With respect to employees of the state in positions covered by a retirement system established by the state, the Governor is empowered to authorize a referendum upon the question of whether service in positions covered by such retirement system should be excluded from or incl…

coverage. Upon request of any employee, the board of education of the school district by which he is employed may withhold two percent (2%) of the employee's wages paid after December 31, 1954, and, in the event that any such amounts are so withheld from an employee's wages, the …

Persons appointed to offices as herein provided, shall qualify in the same manner as is required of those elected, the time of which shall be prescribed in their appointments. R.L. 1910, § 4281.

Every appointed officer shall hold his office until the end of the term for which the officer whom he succeeds was elected or appointed, and until his successor is elected and qualified. R.L. 1910, § 4282.

This act shall be known and may be cited as "The Governmental Tort Claims Act". Added by Laws 1978, c. 203, § 1, eff. July 1, 1978. Amended by Laws 1984, c. 226, § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1985.

As used in The Governmental Tort Claims Act: 1. “Action” means a proceeding in a court of competent jurisdiction by which one party brings a suit against another; 2. “Agency” means any board, commission, committee, department or other instrumentality or entity designated to act i…

A. The State of Oklahoma does hereby adopt the doctrine of sovereign immunity. The state, its political subdivisions, and all of their employees acting within the scope of their employment, whether performing governmental or proprietary functions, shall be immune from liability f…

for medically indigent persons - Rules - Claims not to affect insurance rates. A. 1. The State Department of Health, or a city-county health department, may enter into agreements with charitable health care providers in which the provider stipulates to the State Department of Hea…

Rendition of professional services without compensation - Rules - Status of provider as employee of state - Professional liability insurance of providers. A. 1. The State Department of Health may enter into agreements with community health care providers in which the provider sti…

A. The state or a political subdivision shall be liable for loss resulting from its torts or the torts of its employees acting within the scope of their employment subject to the limitations and exceptions specified in The Governmental Tort Claims Act and only where the state or …

prison facilities - Public trusts - Action or recovery barred. Nothing in the Governmental Tort Claims Act shall be construed as allowing an action or recovery against this state, against any city, town or county that is the sole beneficiary of a public trust, or against any empl…

OS 51-154v1 (HB 2235, Laws 2025, c. 292, § 2) OS 51-154v2 (SB 1168, Laws 2025, c. 314, § 2)

convictions resulting in imprisonment - Punitive or exemplary damages - Joinder of parties - Several liability. A. The total liability of the state and its political subdivisions on claims within the scope of The Governmental Tort Claims Act, arising out of an accident or occurre…

convictions resulting in imprisonment - Punitive or exemplary damages - Joinder of parties - Several liability. A. The total liability of the state and its political subdivisions on claims within the scope of The Governmental Tort Claims Act, arising out of an accident or occurre…

The state or a political subdivision shall not be liable if a loss or claim results from: 1. Legislative functions; 2. Judicial, quasi-judicial, or prosecutorial functions, other than claims for wrongful criminal felony conviction resulting in imprisonment provided for in Section…

Limitation. Nothing contained in this act shall be construed as allowing an action or recovery against the state or any of its officers or employees on a claim or cause of action founded upon any loss occurring from a defect or dangerous condition on any road, street or highway w…

A. Except as provided in subsection C, D or E of this section, the state or any political subdivision of the state or an independent contractor of the state shall have no liability for losses from any failure or malfunction occurring before December 31, 2002, which is caused dire…

Notice - Wrongful death. A. Any person having a claim against the state or a political subdivision within the scope of Section 151 et seq. of this title shall present a claim to the state or political subdivision for any appropriate relief including the award of money damages. B.…

A. A person may not initiate a suit against the state or a political subdivision unless the claim has been denied in whole or in part. A claim is deemed denied if the state or political subdivision fails to approve the claim in its entirety within ninety (90) days, unless the sta…

Liability insurance - Public records. A. The state or a political subdivision, after conferring with authorized legal counsel, may settle or defend against a claim or suit brought against it or its employee under The Governmental Tort Claims Act subject to any procedural requirem…

A. Judgments recovered against the state or political subdivisions under the provisions of this act shall be enforced in the same manner and to the same extent as judgments are now enforced against the state or political subdivisions under the law except as herein provided. B. If…

51 O.S. § 16 Repealed by Laws 2015, c. 220, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2015

The state or political subdivision shall have the right to recover from an employee for any claim or action under this act or any other claim or action any payments made by it for any judgment or settlement, or portion thereof, and costs or fees by or on behalf of an employee's d…

51 O.S. § 161 Repealed by Laws 1984, c. 226, § 16, eff. Oct. 1, 1985

Payment of settlements and judgments. When the state has a duty to defend any action pursuant to the provisions of this act, it shall be the duty of the Attorney General to defend all such actions, unless an agency of the state is authorized by law to employ its own attorneys, in…

employees - Punitive or exemplary damages - Privileges and immunities not waived. A. The state or any political subdivision, subject to procedural requirements imposed by this section, other applicable statute, ordinance, resolution, or written policy, shall: 1. Provide a defense…

process. A. Venue for actions against the state within the scope of this act shall be either the county in which the cause of action arose or Oklahoma County, except that a constitutional state agency, board or commission may, upon resolution filed with the Secretary of State, de…

procedure. The laws and statutes of the State of Oklahoma and the Rules of Civil Procedure, as promulgated and adopted by the Supreme Court of Oklahoma insofar as applicable and to the extent that such rules are not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, shall apply to and…