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ENGROSSED SENATE
BILL NO. 1771 By: Thompson of the Senate
and
Tedford of the House
An Act relating to the Oklahoma Workforce Commission;
amending Section 5, Chapter 361, O.S.L. 2023, as
amended by Section 1, Chapter 408, O.S.L. 2025 (40
O.S. Supp. 2025, Section 904), which relates to the
powers, duties, and responsibilities of the
Commission; permitting the Commission to collect
certain data; authorizing the Commission to employ
outside counsel; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY Section 5, Chapter 361, O.S.L.
2023, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 408, O.S.L. 2025 (40 O.S.
Supp. 2025, Section 904), is amended to read as follows:
Section 904. The Oklahoma Workforce Commission shall have the
following powers, duties, and responsibilities:
1. To administer the provisions of the Oklahoma Workforce
Transformation Act or any duty as directed by statute;
2. To establish an office for the Commission within this state;
3. To elect whatever other officers may be necessary to direct
operations of the Commission;
4. To employ or contract for personnel and administrative
support as the Commission deems appropriate to carry out the purpose
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and provisions of the Oklahoma Workforce Transformation Act,
including, but not limited to, a nonprofit corporation to carry out
the Commission’s objectives, an executive director or other chief
executive officer, and any other employees or contractors the
Commission deems appropriate, and to prescribe their duties and fix
their compensation;
5. To administer the Workforce Coordination Revolving Fund
created in Section 255.4 of Title 62 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
6. To administer the Oklahoma Workforce Commission Revolving
Fund created in Section 3 of this act;
7. To approve or disapprove the budget of the Commission;
8. To promulgate rules to carry out the provisions of the
Oklahoma Workforce Transformation Act;
9. To enter into contracts or agreements for studies,
professional services, grant administration and procurement,
research projects, supplies, or any other services the Commission
deems necessary to carry out its purpose, and to incur those
expenses necessary to carry out those purposes;
10. To cooperate with any private, local, state, or national
commission, organization, agency, or group and to make contracts and
agreements for joint programs beneficial to Oklahoma’s workforce
development efforts;
11. To accept donations, grants, contributions, and gifts from
any public or private source and deposit such in the Oklahoma
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Workforce Commission Revolving Fund, created in Section 3 of this
act;
12. To oversee and direct to the extent permitted by law the
activities and administration of the Governor’s Council for
Workforce and Economic Development, including, but not limited to,
the creation and submission of state plans to the federal government
pursuant to the provisions of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act;
13. To collect data from federal, state, and local agencies,
departments, educational institutions, boards, commissions, or any
other entities including, but not limited to:
a. number of participants in workforce development
programming,
b. cost per participant,
c. wages before and after participation in programs,
d. degree or certificate conferred on each participant,
e. number of jobs open needing degrees or certificates,
f. labor force and economic information, and
g. funds allocated for the purpose of workforce
development,
h. expenditures made for the purpose of workforce
development,
i. performance data, and
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j. any other information the Commission deems appropriate
to guide funding decisions, facilitate its work or the
work of workforce development entities in the state,
or to understand the impact of the state’s workforce
efforts and programming;
14. To create and maintain a public dashboard and create
reports with data concerning workforce development efforts in the
state. All state and local agencies, departments, educational
institutions, boards, commissions, and other public entities shall
cooperate with information and data requests from the Commission or
its designees. The Oklahoma Workforce Commission shall serve as the
centralized data and information repository for workforce
development activities for the state;
15. To make recommendations to the Legislature to improve
workforce development programs in the state;
16. To implement programs designed to expand workforce
development; and
17. To work with, use and provide data the legislatively
created map developed to help make decisions on economic development
and workforce needs in the state; and
18. To employ counsel through an outside law firm, to advise or
represent the Commission on the performance of its official duties.
Counsel employed pursuant to this section shall be compensated from
the funds of the Commission.
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SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
Passed the Senate the 4th day of March, 2026.
Presiding Officer of the Senate
Passed the House of Representatives the ____ day of __________,
2026.
Presiding Officer of the House
of Representatives