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

• 2022 Annotated Ethics Rules - (Updated November 1, 2022)
• 2022 Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules - (Updated November 1, 2022)
• 2021 Annotated Ethics Rules - (Updated January 1, 2021)
• 2022 Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules - (Updated April 15, 2022)

Prior Rules and Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules

Political Subdivisions

• County Campaign Finance and Financial Disclosure Act
• Municipal Campaign Finance and Financial Disclosure Act
• Technology Center, District and Independent School District Finance and Financial Disclosure Act

SB 1745 - became effective January 1, 2015

• 2021 Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules - (Updated January 1, 2021)
• 2019 Annotated Ethics Rules - (Updated August 14, 2019)
• 2019 Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules - (Updated August 15, 2019)
• 2018 Annotated Ethics Rules - (Updated July 1, 2018)
• 2018 Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules - (June 25, 2018)
• 2018 Rule Changes - (Effective May 3, 2018)
• 2017 Annotated Ethics Rules - (Updated July 1, 2017)
• 2017 Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules - (Updated July 1, 2017)
• 2017 Amendments to the Ethics Rules
• 2016 Annotated Ethics Rules - (Updated July 1, 2016)
• 2016 Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules - (Updated July 1, 2016)
• 2016 Amendments to the Ethics Rules
• 2015 Annotated Ethics Rules - (Updated July, 2015)
• 2015 Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules - (Updated July 1, 2015)
• 2014 Ethics Constitutional Provisions, Statutes and Rules - (Effective May 24, 2014)

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.

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• 2025 Proposed Rule Amendments
  
  • _{Public Comments:}  
    • _{Proposal for Ethics Rule Changes by AJ Ferate, Of Counsel, Spencer Fane LLP}
      

2023 Amendments

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

• _{Ethics Commission Presentation: 2024 ERC 01 Political Party Committee Overview}

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 2023-01 (Cite as: 2023 OK Ethics 01) - Campaign Finance Rules regarding dependent care expenses
  
• Advisory Opinion 2019-01(Cite as: 2019 OK Ethics 01) - Campaign Finance Rules regarding candidate committee mandatory dissolution.
• Advisory Opinion 2018-01(Cite as: 2018 OK Ethics 01) - Lobbyist Rules application to certain gifts.
  • RESCINDED, 12/11/2020, see Promulgated Rule Amendment 2021-02
• Advisory Opinion 2017-02(Cite as: 2017 OK Ethics 02) - Campaign Finance Rules as applied to disclosure on reusable campaign.
• Advisory Opinion 2017-01(Cite as: 2017 OK Ethics 01) - Conflicts of Interest as applied to purchases of State Bonds by Members of the Council of Bond Oversight.
• Advisory Opinion 2015-01(Cite as: 2015 OK Ethics 01) - Campaign Finance Rules as applied to radio show host.

Advisory Opinion Requests

• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2023-01: request from Jessica Garvin, Oklahoma State Senator District 43. (Opinion issued as 2023-01)
  
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2020-05, request from Don Schooler, Oklahoma Department of Labor.
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2020-03, request from MaryAnn Nelson-Sutterfield, Stewart Title of Oklahoma, Inc.
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2020-02, request from Ashlyn Pratt, Campaign Technologies.
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2020-01, request from Patrick O'Keefe, Right.us.
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2019-02, request from Senator Nathan Dahm, candidate committee.
  • Comments, written comments submitted to Commission and read by staff during the February 14, 2020, public hearing.
  • 3/13/2020: Stayed pending end of legislative session.
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2018-01, request from Stephanie Hoskin, Treasurer, Friends of Chuck Hoskins. (Opinion issued as 2019-01)
  
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2017-03, request from Paul Sherman, Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice. (Opinion issued as 2018-01)
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2017-02, request from Sharon Caldwell, CMA Strategies. (Opinion issued as 2017-02)
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2017-01, request from James Joseph, Oklahoma State Bond Advisor. (Opinion issued as 2017-01)
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2016-01, request from Pam Pollard, Chairman, Oklahoma Republican Party. (No Opinion Issued)
• Advisory Opinion Request AOR-2015-03, request from Scott Fetgatter, candidate. (Opinion issued as 2015-01)

• 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

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 Municipal Clerk

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