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Do you need to Renew a Registration or File an Entirely New Registration?

All current Calendar Year 2024 lobbyist or liaison registrations automatically expire December 31, 2024. This expiration will not prevent currently registered lobbyists and liaisons from filing their final report for registration year 2024 which is due between January 1 and January 15, 2025.

 

New Lobbyists or Liaisons:  If you have not been registered to lobby in Oklahoma since Calendar year 2015, or if you have never registered in Oklahoma, you must register with the Commission between December 1, 2024 and January 15, 2025 if you are going to engage in lobbying activities in 2025.

Laws

The Oklahoma Ethics Commission, created in Article 29 is required to enact Ethics Laws/Rules of conduct for state officers, state employees, campaigns for elective state office, and campaigns for initiatives and referenda, including civil penalties for violations of the Rules. The Commission may also offer binding interpretations of its Rules.

Annotated Rules: Ethics rules with relevant comments, references, and examples.

Ethics Laws: A compilation of laws that include civil statutes, criminal statutes, and Ethics Rules.


State Ethics Laws

Annotated Rules: Ethics rules with relevant comments, references and examples.

Ethics Laws: A compilation of laws that include civil statues, criminal statutes and Ethics Rules.

Laws governing the Ethics Commission, the conduct of state officers and state employees, campaigns for state office and state questions, and lobbying, include, but are not limited to, the following:

State Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules

Prior Rules and Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules

Political Subdivisions

SB 1745 - became effective January 1, 2015

The Commission may enact, modify, or repeal Ethics Rules after a public hearing on the proposed changes and will submit promulgated (adopted) changes of the Ethics Rules to the Governor and Legislature in February, on the 2nd Day of the legislative session. Public Hearings will be listed on Meeting Agendas that are posted on the homepage. You may also sign up to receive meeting agendas by subscribing to email or text updates (messaging rates apply) here: Oklahoma Ethics Commission (govdelivery.com).

Written comments relevant to the proposed amendment may be sent via email to ethics@ethics.ok.gov with subject line “RULE COMMENT”, or delivered to Oklahoma Ethics Commission, 2300 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Room G-27, Oklahoma City, OK 73105 through mail or in person.  To ensure written comments are received timely to be presented to the Commission, comments should be delivered as provided above and received by the Commission prior to the hearing date that public comment for the amendment is provided.

 

2025 Proposed Rule Amendments

 

2023 Amendments

Request by A.J. Ferate, as Chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party: 2024 ERC 01 Letter

The Commission may issue official advisory opinions interpreting these Rules as provided by Article XXIX, Section 5 of the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma and as requested by specific individuals.

  • The Commission shall provide notice of at least thirty (30) days of a hearing on an advisory opinion.  
  • At least five (5) days before the hearing, comments and/or draft advisory opinions by Commission employees shall be made available to the public for comment.  
  • The Commission shall accept both written and oral comments about the draft advisory opinions and/or comments.  
  • Official advisory opinions shall be binding on the Commission.  
  • Failure of an individual to request an advisory opinion shall have no relevance in any subsequent proceeding involving that individual.  

The Commission shall not consider an advisory opinion on an issue that is pending before a court of law or before another agency of the State of Oklahoma.  Any person with knowledge of such pending matter shall disclose such pending matter to the Commission.

Send Advisory Opinions to the Commission by e-mail at ethics@ethics.ok.gov or by mail at 2300 N Lincoln Blvd., Room G-27, Oklahoma City, OK 73105.

Advisory Opinions Issued by Commission

 

Advisory Opinion Requests

  • SM 2022-01 - Local Government - Deadlines - Office Closures - Next Business Day Filing
  • SM 2021-01 - HB 2087 Office Holder Expense for Caucus Fund and/or Highway or Bridge Signs
  • SM 2017-01 - State Employee Advocating Legislation
  • SM 2017-02 - Consulting Expenses
  • SM 2017-03 - Infrequently Occurring Occasions
  • SM 2017-04 - Generally One Candidate Committee at a Time
  • SM 2015-01 - Tickets to receptions, etc. provided by lobbyists
  • SM 2015-02 - Gifts to the State
  • SM 2015-03 - Lobbyist principal professional organizations
  • SM 2015-04 - Purchases directly by a lobbyist principal
  • SM 2015-05 - Meal to spouses or family of a legislator
  • SM 2015-06 - Tickets to entertainment events

Political Subdivision Laws

Senate Bill 1745 (2014) authorized establishment of a Political Subdivision Enforcement Division within the Ethics Commission, a revolving fund specifically for that Division to be used for enforcement of campaign finance and financial disclosure laws at the local government level, and compels the Commission to enforce the Political Subdivision Laws so long as the fund has at least $100,000. This law attempts to make uniform campaign finance and financial disclosure laws consistent at the Local and State levels of government in Oklahoma. As such, the correseponding laws of Counties, Municipalities, and School & Technology Center Districts were adjusted to reflect these changes.

County Disclosure Act (Updated 2014)

19 O.S. 2021, Section 138.11-138-19 is known as the County Campaign Finance and Financial Disclosure Act

  • County Campaign Committee must file a notorized statement of organization and provide a Fifty Dollars ($50.00) nonrefundable processing fee to the County Election Board.
  • County Political Committee must file a notorized statement of organization with the County Election Board.

 

  • All candidates for county office and all elected county officers are required to file a notarized statement of financial interests, referred to as Personal Financial Disclosure (PFDs) with the county election board

Municipal Disclosure Act (Updated 2014)

11 O.S. 2021 56-101 through 110 is known as the Municipal Campaign Finance and Financial Disclosure Act. 

  • The Municipal Disclosure Act is limited to municipalities with a population of more than ten thousand (10,000) and a general fund expenditure budget in excess of Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000.00).
  • Both the Campaign Committee and the Municipal Political Committee file a Statement of Organization with the Municipal Clerk.

 

  • All candidates for municipal office and all elected municipal officersare required to file a notarized statement of financial interests, referred to as Personal Financial Disclosure (PFDs) with the county election board

 

School & Technology Center Disclosure Act (Updated 2014)

  • Both the Campaign Committee and the School District Political Committee file a Statement of Organization with the School District Clerk.

 

  • All candidates for school district office and all elected school district officers must file a statement of financial interests, referred to as Personal Financial Disclosure (PFDs) with the School District Clerk
Last Modified on Feb 10, 2025
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