SB 1327: Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission; transferring certain duties to the Commission; authorizing the Commission to appoint Executive Director. Effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill restructures the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission by transferring its duties to the Executive Director of the Department, making the Commission an advisory body rather than an operational one. The changes clarify the appointment process, require members to have specific industry experience, and establish new rules for meetings and organization.

Scope change

The bill shifts operational authority from the Commission to the Executive Director, while retaining the Commission as an advisory entity with specific membership requirements.

SCOPE

Transferred all duties and powers previously held by the Commission to the Executive Director of the Department.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a requirement that Commission members must demonstrate experience in fields like hospitality, venue management, and tourism promotion.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the appointment process to require Governor appointment with Senate consent and clarified term limits and vacancy procedures.

Established new organizational rules, including the requirement to appoint a chair, vice chair, and secretary, and set meeting frequency.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date of the act to November 1, 2026.

SB1327 (3-10-26) (JECH) FA1.PDF → Floor (House) · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill fundamentally restructures the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission by transferring its operational authority to the Executive Director and the Department, while reducing the Commission's role to an advisory body. The bill also clarifies member qualifications, appointment processes, and meeting requirements.

Scope change

The scope of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission was significantly reduced from an operational entity to an advisory body, with its powers and duties transferred to the Executive Director of the Department.

REQUIREMENT

The Commission's duties and powers were transferred to the Executive Director, making the Commission an advisory body only.

Commission membership was reduced from nine members (including the Lieutenant Governor) to eight appointed members, with the Lieutenant Governor serving as an ex officio voting member.

Appointment rules were clarified to ensure one member is from each congressional district, with remaining members appointed at-large, and members serve at the pleasure of the Governor.

New requirements were added for Commission members to take oaths of office and file them with the Secretary of State.

The bill establishes specific organizational rules, including the appointment of a chair, vice chair, and secretary by the Governor, and mandates quarterly meetings.

Members are prohibited from seeking federal, state, or county office while serving on the Commission.

The Executive Director's appointment process was clarified to require the advice and consent of both the Senate and the Commission.

ELIGIBILITY

Appointed members must demonstrate experience in specific fields such as hospitality, venue management, tourism promotion, real estate, outdoor recreation, marketing, and financial operations.

Enrolled (final version) → SB1327 (3-10-26) (JECH) FA1.PDF · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill underwent a procedural transition from its final enrolled version to a floor amendment version, resulting in the removal of the Governor's signature and approval blocks. A new floor amendment was added to formally insert specific experience requirements for commission members, while the document's header and footer were updated to reflect the Senate floor amendment process.

TECHNICAL

Removed the 'Office of the Governor' signature block and approval date fields, indicating the bill is no longer in its final signed state.

Added a new 'Senate Chamber' header and 'Floor Amendment' footer, marking the document as a working version submitted to the Senate floor.

Inserted a formal amendment motion text on Page 2 to codify the experience requirements for commission members, which were previously present in the enrolled version.

Engrossed → Enrolled (final version) · 2 edits · Apr 29, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized as an Enrolled version, adding standard signatures and approval dates while removing the 'Engrossed' draft header. Substantively, the text of the law remains identical to the previous version, with no changes to the Commission's structure, member qualifications, or effective date.

Scope change

No change in scope or applicability; the bill's legal content is identical to the Engrossed version.

TECHNICAL

The document header was changed from 'Engrossed' to 'Enrolled' to reflect final passage, and standard signature lines for the Senate, House, and Governor were added.

The effective date section and signature page were updated to include specific dates (March 11 and April 28, 2026) and blank lines for official signatures, which were absent in the draft version.

Introduced → Engrossed · 3 edits · Mar 12, 2026

MINOR

The bill was updated from its introduced draft to its engrossed version, incorporating changes to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission. The most significant policy change is the addition of new experience requirements for appointed commission members, ensuring they have backgrounds in fields like hospitality, tourism, and real estate. The text also includes minor formatting adjustments and page number updates typical of the legislative process.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's requirements was expanded to include specific experience criteria for commission members, whereas the original draft did not specify these qualifications.

ELIGIBILITY

New Section B requires appointed commission members to demonstrate experience in specific fields directly related to economic growth and tourism development, including hospitality management, venue management, tourism promotion, real estate development, outdoor recreation, marketing and branding, and financial operations.

TECHNICAL

The bill text was reformatted to reflect its status as an 'Engrossed' version, including updated headers, page numbers, and the addition of signatures indicating passage by the Senate and House.

Minor text adjustments were made to Section 2203, such as changing the description of the commission's role and renumbering subsections to accommodate the new experience requirement.

Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission; transferring certain duties to the Commission; authorizing the Commission to appoint Executive Director. Effective date.

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