SB 419 Oklahoma Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Attorney General; authorizing certain entities to employ or appoint attorneys. Effective date.

SB 419 amends Oklahoma law to explicitly authorize the State Treasurer to employ or appoint attorneys for legal matters, which was previously unclear under existing statutes. This change directly affects the State Treasurer's office by giving it direct authority to hire legal counsel, aligning it with other state entities like the Tax Commission or Land Office. The bill updates Section 18c of Title 74 by adding the State Treasurer to the list of state officers permitted to employ attorneys, clarifying statutory language without creating new legal duties. The amendment removes ambiguity about the Treasurer’s hiring authority while maintaining existing provisions requiring the Attorney General to handle most other legal matters for state agencies.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2025 Last action Apr 20, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 5 comparisons

What changed between versions

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was revised to reflect its progression from the House to the Senate, resulting in significant changes to the list of state entities authorized to hire attorneys. The Senate version expanded the list of agencies allowed to employ legal counsel and added specific exemptions for certain entities, such as the Office of Juvenile Affairs, which must now rely on specific statutory authorization to hire attorneys. Additionally, the effective date of the act was moved forward from November 1, 2026, to November 1, 2025.

Scope change

The scope of entities authorized to employ or appoint attorneys was expanded in the Senate version compared to the House version, while specific restrictions were added for the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

ELIGIBILITY

The list of state officers, boards, and commissions authorized to hire attorneys was updated and expanded in the Senate version.

A new restriction was added stating that the Office of Juvenile Affairs may only employ attorneys if specifically authorized by law.

TIMELINE

The effective date of the legislation was changed from November 1, 2026, to November 1, 2025.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 17, 2025

How they voted

46–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 49

Mar 17, 2025

D Democratic9

8 Yea 1

88% Yea

R Republican40

38 Yea 2

95% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 20, 2026

Lower · Passed

CR; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Rules Committee

lower

Apr 6, 2026

Committee

Referred to Rules

lower

Apr 1, 2025

Committee

Referred to Civil Judiciary

lower

Mar 18, 2025

Introduced

First Reading

lower

Mar 18, 2025

Upper · Passed

Engrossed to House

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Committee

Referred for engrossment

upper

Mar 17, 2025

Upper · Passed

Measure passed: Ayes: 44 Nays: 0

upper

Mar 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

Reported Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Judiciary committee; CR filed

upper

Feb 3, 2025

Introduced

First Reading

upper

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors