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80-564: The commission was established in 1907 and the First Oklahoma Legislature gave the commission authority to regulate public service corporations. Railroad, telephone and telegraph companies were the companies first regulated by the commission, which also collected records of the stockholders, officers and directors of corporations chartered or licensed to do business in Oklahoma. Record collection duties were later split;

160-481: A President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate to preside in the lieutenant governor's absence. The president pro tempore is second in line behind the lieutenant governor to succeed the governor . The president pro tempore is the leader of the senate and serves as leader of the majority party. The president pro tempore is an ex officio voting member of state senate committees. The presiding officer sits in

240-549: A 1941 constitutional amendment requiring legislators to pass a balanced budget. In 1964, three black men, Archibald Hill, E. Melvin Porter , and Curtis Lawson, were elected to the Oklahoma Legislature, the first since A. C. Hamlin left office in 1910. In 1966, voters approved a ballot question that set up annual 90-day legislative sessions. In 1989 another ballot question further limited session by designating

320-571: A bill is submitted to the Governor of Oklahoma who may choose to sign the bill, thereby making it law, or veto it, returning it to the Legislature with his objections. In such a case, the bill only becomes law if each house of the Legislature votes to override the veto with a two-thirds majority. Finally, the Governor may choose to take no action, neither signing nor vetoing the bill. In such

400-474: A case, the Constitution states that the bill automatically becomes law after five days (excluding Sundays). However, if the Legislature adjourns (ends a legislative session) during the five-day period, then the bill does not become law. Thus, the Governor may veto legislation passed at the end of a legislative session simply by ignoring it; the maneuver is known as a pocket veto , and cannot be overridden by

480-455: A chair in the front of the House chamber. The powers of the presiding officer are extensive; one important power is that of controlling the order in which members of the House speak. No member may make a speech or a motion unless they have first been recognized by the presiding officer. The presiding officer may rule on any " point of order " (a member's objection that a rule has been breached), but

560-466: A chair in the front of the Oklahoma Senate chamber. The presiding officer acts as the Oklahoma Senate's mouthpiece, performs duties such as announcing the results of vote, and controls debates by calling on members to speak. The rules of the Senate requires the presiding officer to recognize the first state senator who rises. The presiding officer may rule on any " point of order " (a senator's objection that

640-531: A constitutional convention. Each territory was to elect 55 delegates. The Osage Nation was allowed two delegates, giving a total of 112 delegates. The Oklahoma Constitutional Convention opened in Guthrie on November 20, 1906. William H. Murray was elected chairman of the convention. Charles N. Haskell was elected the majority floor leader by the Democrats, and Henry Asp was elected minority floor leader by

720-469: A date, the state constitution permits the governor to settle the dispute. A proposal may be introduced in the legislature as a bill , a joint resolution , a concurrent resolution , or a simple resolution . Legislative proposals are introduced as bills or joint resolutions. Joint resolutions are the normal method used to propose a constitutional amendment. Concurrent resolutions passed by both houses and simple resolutions passed by only one house do not have

800-429: A disagreement between the two houses of the Legislature, at a regular or special session, with respect to the time of adjournment, the governor may adjourn them to such time as deemed proper, not beyond the day of the next stated meeting of the Legislature. The consent of both bodies is required for the Legislature's final adjournment, or sine die , at the end of each legislative session. If the two houses cannot agree on

880-556: A majority of seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives is known as the majority party; the next-largest party is the minority party. The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is elected by a majority of members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and is the nominee elected by the majority party caucus, unless a coalition of members of both political parties chooses a coalition candidate. Members of

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960-651: A map showing the counties to be established, and elected delegates to go to the United States Congress to petition for statehood. The convention's proposals were then put to a referendum in Indian Territory, in which they were overwhelmingly endorsed. The delegation received a cool reception in Washington . Eastern politicians, fearing the admission of two more Western states, and no doubt unwilling to admit an "Indian" state, put pressure on

1040-400: A member elected or appointed to fill a vacancy in office, but no member who has completed 12 years in office is thereafter eligible to serve an unexpired term. The Oklahoma Legislature is constitutionally required to enact laws barring conflicts of interest for its members. The Oklahoma Ethics Commission currently makes recommendations to state legislators regarding ethical restrictions. In

1120-662: A number of federal programs for compliance in Oklahoma. The commission also oversees the conservation of natural resources, avoiding waste production, abate pollution of the environment, and balancing the rights and needs of the people of Oklahoma with those of the regulated entities. The Public Utility Division acts as the Administrator for the states $ 30 million Universal Services Fund. This fund supports rural telecommunications as well as internet to Oklahoma public schools, libraries, and health centers. Former Oklahoma Secretary of State, Senator, and House Member Brian Bingman won

1200-492: A rule has been breached), but the decision is subject to appeal to the full membership. Each party elects a senator to serve as floor leader. The majority floor leader is an ex officio voting member of state senate committees and sets the schedule of what bills will be heard on the chamber floor. Each party also elect whips to assist the leader. Section 1 of Article V of the Oklahoma Constitution sets forth

1280-461: A runoff election. As of November 2024, the following are the members of the commission: The commission, with an annual budget of over $ 132 million, is one of the larger employers of Oklahoma state government. For fiscal year 2024, the commission was authorized 538 full-time employees. Oklahoma Legislature The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of

1360-399: Is an unlawful combination, monopoly, trust, act, or agreement, in restraint of trade, and enact laws to punish persons engaged in any unlawful combination, monopoly, trust, act, or agreement, in restraint of trade. Section 46 through 53 of Article V of the Oklahoma Constitution places certain limits on the authority and powers of the Legislature. For instance, the Legislature may not meddle in

1440-595: Is broad, except where the constitution limits that authority or reserves it to the people of Oklahoma. The returns of every election for elective state officers go to the Secretary of State and then to the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives . Immediately after the organization of the House, he must open and publish the information in the presence of a majority of each branch of the Legislature, who for that purpose assemble in House chamber. The individuals with

1520-1024: Is incapacitated, dies, or resigns. Other executive offices and departments created in the article are the Secretary of State , the Attorney General , the State Treasurer , the State Auditor and Inspector , the State Superintendent of Public Instruction , the Insurance Commissioner , the Commissioner of Labor , the Department of Mines , the Board of Agriculture , and the Commissioners of

1600-503: Is requested, debates continue even if a majority is not present. Oklahoma Constitution The Constitution of the State of Oklahoma is the governing document of the U.S. State of Oklahoma . Adopted in 1907, Oklahoma ratified the United States Constitution on November 16, 1907, as the 46th U.S. state. At its ratification, the Oklahoma Constitution was the lengthiest governing document of any government in

1680-695: The Cherokees ; William H. Murray , appointed by Chickasaw Governor Douglas H. Johnston to represent the Chickasaws; Chief Green McCurtain of the Choctaws ; Chief John Brown of the Seminoles ; and Charles N. Haskell , selected to represent the Creeks (as General Porter had been elected President). The convention drafted a constitution, drew up a plan of organization for the government, put together

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1760-637: The House of Representatives and the Senate . The article establishes the manner of election and qualifications of members of each House, and includes a unique term limits provision in Section 17A: no member can serve more than 12 years total in the legislature, whether in one chamber or in both chambers. In addition, it provides for free debate in the legislature, limits self-serving behavior by senators and representatives, outlines legislative procedure and indicates

1840-688: The Oklahoma Court on the Judiciary (charged with reviewing Justices and Judges). The Article continues to further describe how Justices and Judges are selected, and how and under what circumstances Justices and Judges are removed from office. Article Eight states that all state elected offices, including Supreme Court Justices, are subject to impeachment for wilful neglect of duty, corruption in office, habitual drunkenness, incompetency, or any offense involving moral turpitude committed while in office. The Oklahoma House of Representatives must bring

1920-732: The Oklahoma House of Representatives . Bills approved by the legislature must be sent to the Governor of Oklahoma for approval. Prior to 1907 statehood, Oklahoma Territory had the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature that met in Guthrie, Oklahoma . Upon statehood, the Oklahoma Constitution established the Oklahoma Legislature. The 1st Oklahoma Legislature met in the Guthrie City Hall Building and elected William H. Murray as

2000-731: The U.S. President , Theodore Roosevelt , who finally ruled that the Indian and Oklahoma Territories would be granted statehood only as a combined state. The hard work of the Sequoyah State Constitutional Convention was not entirely lost, however. When representatives from Indian Territory joined the Oklahoma State Constitutional Convention in Guthrie the next year, they brought their constitutional experience with them. The Sequoyah Constitution served in large part as

2080-480: The U.S. state of Oklahoma . The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 state representatives, each serving a two-year term, and 48 state senators, who serve four-year terms that are staggered so only half of the Oklahoma Senate districts are eligible in each election cycle. Legislators are elected directly by

2160-669: The " Five Civilized Tribes ". The representatives met again in 1903 to organize a constitutional convention . The Sequoyah Constitutional Convention met in Muskogee , on August 21, 1905. General Pleasant Porter , Principal Chief of the Creek Nation , was selected as president of the convention. The elected delegates decided that the executive officers of the Five Civilized Tribes would also be appointed as vice-presidents: William Charles Rogers , Principal Chief of

2240-466: The 2024 Corporation Commissioner statewide vote. His term will commence on January 13, 2025, replacing longtime and longest running incumbent Corporation Commissioner in US history, Bob Anthony . Commissioner Anthony could not rerun for office due to the 12-year term limit enacted in 2010 after voters approved Oklahoma State Question 747. Bingman ran for Corporation Commissioner in 2016 and lost to Anthony after

2320-483: The House and the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate in the Senate. Alternatively, bills may be sent to select committees . Each standing and select committee is led by a chairman (who belongs to the majority party) and a ranking member (who belongs to the minority party). Committees are permitted to hold hearings and collect evidence when considering bills. They may also amend the bill, but

2400-471: The Land Office. Article Seven describes the court system (the judicial branch ), which is unique in that it establishes two courts of last resort (only neighboring state Texas has a similar system). The Article vests the judicial power in a Supreme Court , a Court of Criminal Appeals , a Worker's Compensation Court, a Court of Tax Review, and such intermediate, trial level and municipal courts as

2480-517: The Legislature from regulating the carrying of weapons. Article Three deals with suffrage in the State of Oklahoma. All peoples of the age of 18 are qualified electors in the state and a State Elector Board is established charged with the supervision of such elections as the Legislature shall direct. No elector in Oklahoma may vote in any election unless previously registered to do so with the state, and all elections must be “free and equal,” as no “power, civil or military, shall ever interfere to prevent

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2560-572: The Legislature, at its discretion, may establish. As written in the Constitution, the Legislature is given the enumerated power to dissolve any court in Oklahoma at any time, except the Supreme Court. All civil judgments are reviewable by the Supreme Court and all criminal judgement are reviewable by the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Article also creates the Oklahoma Court of Impeachment (charged with removal all elected officials from office) and

2640-598: The Legislature. In 2010, Republicans gained a large majority of 32 seats in the Oklahoma Senate and 70 seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives . Currently, Republicans have a supermajority in both chambers (72 of 101 seats in the House and 40 of 48 seats in the Senate). To serve in the Oklahoma Senate , an individual must be at least 25 years of age, and to serve in the Oklahoma House of Representatives , an individual must be at least 21 years of age. State legislators must also be qualified electors and residents in

2720-485: The Oklahoma Legislature was moved to Oklahoma City in 1910. The Democratic Party held the majority of seats in the legislature until the Ninth Legislature from 1921–1922, when a Republican Party majority took over. The 1921 session was also notable because it included Oklahoma's first female state legislators, Representative Bessie McColgin and Senator Lamar Loomey. This occurred shortly after women earned

2800-466: The Oklahoma Legislature. A constitutional amendment approved by voters implemented term limits for the Legislature. Legislators are limited to a total of 12 years in both chambers. The 12-year term limit is a cumulative term limit of service in either chamber, consecutive or non-consecutive. The 12-year limit does not include any service prior to adoption of the amendment. In addition, the limit does not include those years of an unexpired term served by

2880-603: The Republicans. William Jennings Bryan came to encourage the delegates to write, "the very best constitution ever written." Bryan proposed that they accomplish this by consulting previously written state constitutions. The delegates not only complied, but also consulted the proceedings of the Sequoyah Convention, and the U.S. Constitution. Having completed a draft document, they adjourned March 15, 1907. There were two additional week-long sessions called to finish

2960-487: The State House of Representatives. Now though, the less-populated rural counties form multi-county districts. House District 61, for example, includes the entirety of Cimarron , Texas , Beaver and Harper counties as well as parts of the counties of Ellis and Woodward . The Senate consists of 48 members, representing single-member districts that are drawn to reflect equal populations. The political party with

3040-589: The State of Oklahoma was made up of the Oklahoma Territory (to the west), and the Indian Territory (to the east). Indian Territory, as its name suggests, had a large Native American population; the territory itself had been reduced over time to its then size. The movement to secure statehood for Indian Territory began in 1902 with a convention in Eufaula , consisting of representatives of

3120-466: The State of Oklahoma, public school are established to be taught only in English, and that suffrage shall never be revoked due to “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Article Two enumerates the rights of all citizens of the State of Oklahoma. These include that all political power derives from the people, the inherent rights “to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the enjoyment of

3200-414: The U.S. All U.S. state constitutions are subject to federal judicial review ; any provision can be nullified if it conflicts with the U.S. Constitution. The constitution has been regularly amended, beginning with an amendment approved in the same election in which it was ratified. More than 150 constitutional amendments have been approved by Oklahoma voters. From 1890 onward, the land that now forms

3280-435: The adjourned Legislature. No bill may become a law after the final adjournment of the Legislature unless approved by the governor within fifteen days after such adjournment. The Oklahoma Constitution specifies that a majority of members constitutes a quorum to do business in each house. The rules of each house provide that a quorum is assumed to be present unless a quorum call demonstrates the contrary. Thus, if no quorum call

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3360-450: The affairs of local government in the realm of day-to-day business, such as street lay out or school districts. Legislators may not appropriate public money for a Bureau of Immigration in Oklahoma, nor exempt property in Oklahoma from taxation except as granted by the state constitution. The Legislature may not pass laws granting exclusive rights, privileges, or immunities. Legislatures are identified by consecutive numbers and correspond with

3440-512: The basis for the constitution of the State of Oklahoma, which came into being with the merger of the two territories in 1907. The final nail in the coffin of the proposed State of Sequoyah was an Enabling Act passed by Congress on June 6, 1906 that provided for a single state to be created from the so-called "Twin Territories." The act further specified that elections would be held in both territories on November 6, 1906 to elect delegates for

3520-423: The bill. If the second house amends the bill, then the differences between the two versions must be reconciled in a conference committee , an ad hoc committee that includes both senators and representatives. In many cases, conference committees have introduced substantial changes to bills and added un-requested spending, significantly departing from both the House and Senate versions. After passage by both houses,

3600-540: The call, signed by two-thirds of the members of the Senate and two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives when it is filed with the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall issue jointly an order for the convening of the special session. However, the Legislature may not prevent the calling of a special session by the governor. In cases of

3680-579: The charges against the individual with the Oklahoma Senate serving as the Court on Impeachment , with the Chief Justice of Oklahoma serving as the court's judge . If charged with impeachment and found guilty, the official’s term is immediately suspended. The final section of the Oklahoma Constitution deals with laws and other ordinances in place in the Territory of Oklahoma before its admission to

3760-453: The commission keeping records only for public service companies. The commission added pipelines, water, heat, light and power in early years. The commission began regulating oil and gas in 1914 and was given additional regulatory power over the industry the following year. Candidates for the commission must be a citizen of Oklahoma for over two years before their election, at least 30 years of age and have no interest in any entity regulated by

3840-403: The commission. Commissioners serve a six-year term. The terms are staggered so that one commissioner is up for re-election every two years, in even-numbered years. The chair of the commission is determined by the three commissioners. In case of vacancy the Governor of Oklahoma appoints a replacement, to stand until the next general election. The commissioner elected at that election will serve

3920-405: The committee, the bill reaches the floor of the full house. The house may debate and amend the bill; the precise procedures used by the House of Representatives and the Senate differ. A final vote on the bill follows. Once a bill is approved by one house, it is sent to the other, which may pass, reject, or amend it. In order for the bill to become law, both houses must agree to identical versions of

4000-473: The consent of the other house. The provision was intended to prevent one house from thwarting legislative business simply by refusing to meet. To avoid obtaining consent during long recesses, the House or Senate may sometimes hold pro forma meetings, sometimes only minutes long, every three days. The Constitution prevents the Legislature from meeting any place outside the Oklahoma Capitol. However,

4080-645: The constitution consists of twenty-nine articles, with the first eight pertaining to the state’s government. Article One establishes how the state of Oklahoma is to relate to the United States federal government, stating that the US Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land. By this article, religious freedom is established, polygamy is forbidden, the debts of Oklahoma Territory are acquired by

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4160-440: The decision is subject to appeal to the whole House. The speaker is the chair of their party's steering committee, which chooses the chairperson of standing committees. The speaker determines which committees consider bills and appoints members of committees. The speaker is also an ex officio voting member on committees. Under the speaker is a speaker pro tempore who assumes the duties of the speaker in their absence. The speaker and

4240-472: The district they represent during their time in office. To file as a candidate for legislative office, a person must have been a registered voter and a resident residing within the district for at least six months immediately preceding the filing period prescribed by law. The Oklahoma Constitution prohibits state legislators from also serving as another officer of the United States or Oklahoma state government. A felony conviction also disqualifies election to

4320-503: The draft before it was put before the voters on September 17, 1907. Eligible voters approved their new Constitution a 71 percent yes vote. Satisfied with the proposed document, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the necessary papers November 16, 1907, and announced, "Oklahoma is now a state." Members of the Oklahoma Constitutional convention included: The Oklahoma Constitution Preamble reads: The remainder of

4400-508: The election of the members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Terms have two sessions; the first takes place in the year immediately following the election and the second takes place the next year. Under the Oklahoma Constitution , legislative sessions must begin at noon on the first Monday in February of every odd-numbered year, cannot exceed one hundred and sixty days, and must be finally adjourned by no later than five o'clock p.m. on

4480-464: The election or appointment of a state printer; the power to establish a State Geological and Economic Survey; and the power to create a Board of Health, Board of Dentistry, Board of Pharmacy, and Pure Food Commission. The Legislature must every 10 years, beginning in 1907 (the date of Oklahoma entrance to the Union), make, revise, digest, and announce the laws of Oklahoma. The Legislature shall define what

4560-510: The entire House of Representatives and one-half of the Senate (those who were chosen in the previous election) are sworn in. The House of Representatives also elects a Speaker to preside over debates. The President pro tempore of the Senate, by contrast, holds office continuously; normally, a new President pro tempore is only elected if the previous one retires, or if there is a change in the majority party. The Oklahoma Constitution forbids either house adjourning for more than three days, without

4640-399: The event of a vacancy in the state legislature, the governor issues writs of election to fill such vacancies. The House of Representatives consists of 101 members, representing single-member districts that are drawn to reflect equal populations. Until the U.S. Supreme Court 's 1964 ruling in the case of Reynolds v. Sims , each of Oklahoma's 77 counties was guaranteed at least one seat in

4720-441: The first Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives . The first three staff members appointed by Murray were a Union veteran, a Confederate veteran, and an African-American man, Jim Noble. The 2nd Oklahoma Legislature included Oklahoma's first black member, A. C. Hamlin , but passed legislation that made it nearly impossible for African-Americans to seek elective office, which limited him to one term. The meeting place of

4800-412: The force of law . Instead, they serve to express the opinion of the Legislature, or either house thereof, or to regulate procedure . Bills and other proposals may be introduced by members of either house. The exception is "bills for raising Revenue" that must originate in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, per Article V, Section 33A of the Oklahoma Constitution . The Oklahoma Senate, though, retains

4880-491: The free exercise of the right of suffrage,” and “electors shall be privileged from arrest during their attendance on elections and while going to and from the same” except in cases of treason against the state. Article Four established the Government of Oklahoma under the doctrine of separation of powers and reads: Article Five establishes the legislative branch of government, Oklahoma Legislature , which includes

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4960-406: The full house holds the power to accept or reject committee amendments. After considering and debating a measure, the committee votes on whether it wishes to report the measure to the full house. A decision not to report a bill amounts to a rejection of the proposal. Both houses provide for procedures under which the committee can be bypassed or overruled, but the practice is uncommon. If reported by

5040-487: The gains of their own industry,” the right to peaceful assembly, a ban on the interference with suffrage, the definition of treason, the right to trial by jury, that marriage in the State of Oklahoma is defined as being between a man and a woman, and many others. The right of a citizen to keep and bear arms in defense of his home, person, or property, or in aid of the civil power, when thereunto legally summoned, shall never be prohibited; but nothing herein contained shall prevent

5120-432: The governor is empowered to convoke the legislature at or adjourn it to another place, when, in his opinion, the public safety or welfare, or the safety or health of the members require it. However, such a change or adjournment requires consent by a two-thirds vote of all the members elected to each branch. The Legislature may be called into special session by a written call for such purposes as may be specifically set out in

5200-411: The highest number of votes for each seat are then declared duly elected. In the event of a tie, the legislature holds the power to break deadlocks. If two or more candidates have an equal number of votes, the legislature may elect one of them to office by means of a joint ballot. The non-legislative functions of the Oklahoma Legislature include the power to establish a state printing plant and provide for

5280-454: The house. Under Section 6 of Article VI of the Oklahoma Constitution, the speaker is third in line behind the lieutenant governor and president pro tempore of the state senate to succeed the governor . The speaker has a role both as a leader of the House and the leader of the majority party. They are the presiding officer of the House, but may appoint another member to serve as the presiding officer in their absence. The presiding officer sits in

5360-515: The last Friday in May of each year. The first session cannot exceed 160 days. In odd numbered years following an election, the legislature must meet on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January for the sole purpose of determining the outcome of the statewide elections. This meeting must begin at noon and must be adjourned by five o'clock p.m. on the same day. At the beginning of each new term,

5440-422: The minority party elect a caucus leader known as the minority leader. The speaker appoints committee chairs and other leadership roles; the minority leader appoints corresponding minority party roles such as "ranking members" of committees. The Oklahoma Constitution does not specify the duties and powers of the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. They are instead regulated by the rules and customs of

5520-512: The minority party: the minority leader and ranking members of committees. The Oklahoma Constitution provides that the lieutenant governor serves as the President of the Senate and holds a vote which can only be cast to break a tie. By convention, the lieutenant governor only attends important ceremonial occasions like the swearing-in of new senators or when his vote is needed to break a tie. The constitution also authorizes state senators to elect

5600-428: The party leadership desires. The political party with a majority of seats is known as the majority party; if two or more parties in opposition are tied, the lieutenant governor's affiliation determines which is the majority party in the Oklahoma Senate . The next-largest party is known as the minority party. The president pro tem, floor leader and committee chairs represent the majority party; they have counterparts in

5680-596: The people from single member districts of equal population. The Oklahoma Legislature meets annually in the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City . The Oklahoma Constitution vests all legislative powers of the state government in the state legislature, which exercises legislative power by enacting Oklahoma law . The legislature may legislate on any subject and has certain " necessary and proper " powers as may be required for carrying into effect

5760-429: The power to amend or reject them. Bills go through multiple stages in each house. The first stage involves consideration by a standing committee , which has jurisdiction over a particular subject matter, such as agriculture or appropriations. The number of committees, their subject areas, their chairs and membership, and the bills assigned to them are designated by the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives in

5840-438: The powers of the Legislature. The state's legislative authority is vested within the state legislature as well as other powers. The most important among these powers are the powers to levy and collect taxes, borrow money, and to raise and maintain the militia of the state. The Oklahoma Legislature is authorized to pass laws as they are necessary for carrying into effect the Oklahoma Constitution. The legislature's power to legislate

5920-404: The powers of the legislative branch. Article Six describes the governorship (the executive branch ): procedures for the selection of the governor, qualifications for office, the oath to be affirmed and the powers and duties of the office. It also provides for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma , and specifies that the lieutenant governor succeeds to the governorship if the governor

6000-474: The provisions of the Oklahoma Constitution . The powers of the legislature are only limited by the powers reserved to the people , namely initiative and referendum . The Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives are co-equal houses, but each chamber has exclusive powers. The Oklahoma Senate 's advice and consent is required for gubernatorial appointments to high-level executive positions. Bills for raising revenue may only originate in

6080-625: The remaining unexpired term, so as to maintain the staggered term system. The Commission regulates and enforces the laws and supervised the actives associated with: Early emphasis for the commission was on regulation of railroad routes and rates. Through changes by the Legislature, and the change in services considered essential to the public welfare, the commission presently regulates public utilities, oil and gas industry (exploration, drilling, production and waste disposal), motor carrier transport, and petroleum products industry (transportation, storage, quality and dispensing). The commission also monitors

6160-413: The right to vote in Oklahoma in 1918 through a constitutional amendment approved by voters. Legislators voted in 1923 to impeach Governor Jack C. Walton for trying to block the legislature from holding special session and administrative practices that included payroll padding, pardons, removal of college administrators, and a large increase in the governor's salary. Governor Henry S. Johnston became

6240-415: The second governor to be impeached by legislators, with members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives voting eleven articles of impeachment against him, which ultimately led to his expulsion from office. In the 1930s, traditionally Republican counties shifted heavily towards Democrats, giving Democrats a large majority in the Legislature. Bipartisan opposition to deficit spending in the late 1930s led to

6320-504: The sine die adjournment day, or last day of session, as the last Friday in May. Combined with the 90-day requirement, this moved the session start day to February, leaving the original start day in January as an organizational day. Beginning in the 1960s, the Republican party made gains in voter registration and state legislative seats. By 1990, the party counted about a third of voters by registration and had similar representation in

6400-474: The speaker pro tempore are also ex officio voting members on committees. Each party elects a floor leader, who is known as the majority leader or minority leader . While the minority leader is the full leader of their party, the same is not true of the majority leader. Instead, the speaker is the head of the majority party; the majority leader is only the second-highest official. Each party also elect whips , who works to ensure that their party's members vote as

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