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SENATE FLOOR VERSION
February 23, 2026
AS AMENDED
SENATE BILL NO. 2157 By: Bullard and Burns
[ scenic rivers - Southeast Scenic Rivers Commission
- funds - membership - powers and duties -
promulgation of rules - codification - effective
date ]
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 898 of Title 82, unless there is
created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
This act shall be known and may be cited as the “Southeast
Scenic Rivers Act”.
SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 898.1 of Title 82, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
The Legislature finds that certain free-flowing streams and
rivers of Oklahoma possess such unique natural scenic beauty, water,
fish, wildlife, and outdoor recreation value of present and future
benefit to the people of the state that it is the policy of the
Legislature to preserve those areas for the benefit of the people of
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Oklahoma. For this purpose, the following are hereby designated as
southeast scenic rivers:
1. The Glover River in McCurtain County;
2. The Kiamichi River in Choctaw, Pushmataha, and Le Flore
Counties;
3. The Little River in McCurtain, Pushmataha, and Le Flore
Counties; and
4. The Mountain Fork River in Le Flore and McCurtain Counties.
SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 898.2 of Title 82, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. There is hereby created the Southeast Scenic Rivers
Commission for the management of designated scenic river areas or a
combination of areas for which operating areas for planning and
management have been delineated. The Commission shall be an agency
of the state. State funds for the Commission shall be provided for
by a separate line-item appropriation through the Oklahoma Wildlife
Conservation Commission. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation
Commission shall disburse the funds to the Southeast Scenic Rivers
Commission in the amount and pursuant to the conditions prescribed
by the Legislature.
B. The Commission shall consist of eleven (11) members. The
term of office for each member shall be four (4) years. The
Commission shall be composed of the following members:
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1. Three members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall
be a representative of the Oklahoma Conservation Commission or the
Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission from a list provided by a
Senator or a Representative, chosen by the Governor, representing
the affected county of the scenic river designation;
2. Two members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the
Senate, one of whom shall be a member of a statewide citizens’
conservation or environmental group and one of whom shall be a
member of an accredited state-supported college or university
specializing in agricultural sciences and natural resources from a
list provided by a Senator, chosen by the President Pro Tempore,
representing the affected county of the scenic river designation;
3. Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, one of whom shall be from the membership of a
federally recognized tribe in one of the counties containing the
scenic river area, and one of whom shall be a representative of the
agriculture industry from a list provided by a Representative,
chosen by the Speaker, representing the affected county of the
scenic river designation; and
4. The remaining four members of the Commission shall be
selected from the constituency of the Senator or Representative
chosen by either the President Pro Tempore or Speaker of the House
of Representatives, as follows:
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a. from the registered voters who reside, own real
property, or own permanent residential structures
within six hundred sixty (660) feet of the Glover
River within McCurtain County,
b. from the registered voters who reside, own real
property, or own permanent residential structures
within six hundred sixty (660) feet of the Kiamichi
River within Choctaw, Pushmataha, or Le Flore County,
c. from the registered voters who reside, own real
property, or own permanent residential structures
within six hundred sixty (660) feet of the Little
River within McCurtain, Pushmataha, or Le Flore
County, and
d. from the registered voters who reside, own real
property, or own permanent residential structures
within six hundred sixty (660) feet of the Mountain
Fork River within Le Flore or McCurtain County.
C. The Commission shall promulgate all rules necessary for the
conduct of appointments for Commission members.
D. A vacancy on the Commission shall be filled for the
unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment. Each
appointed member shall serve at the pleasure of his or her
appointing authority. Each appointing member shall not have more
than one selection in the event of an appointment or vacancy.
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E. The Commission shall elect a chair and such other officers
as the Commission deems necessary to conduct the affairs of the
Commission. Six members of the Commission shall constitute a
quorum, and the vote of the majority of members present shall be
necessary for any action to be taken by the Commission. No vacancy
in the membership of the Commission shall impair the rights of a
quorum to exercise and perform all the rights and duties of the
Commission.
F. The Commission shall hold meetings not less than once each
quarter, at such times as may be fixed by call of the chair or as
determined by a majority vote in advance of the meeting. It is the
responsibility of the Commission to encourage the general public to
participate in the formation and adoption of plans, standards,
procedures, and regulations.
G. 1. A Commission member to whom some private benefit, direct
or indirect, financial or otherwise, may come as a result of some
public action shall not be a participant in that action. The
possibility, not actuality, of a conflict of interest shall govern.
2. A Commission member, pursuant to paragraph 1 of this
subsection, shall declare his or her interest publicly, abstain from
voting, and refrain from deliberation on the matter. The Commission
member shall not discuss the matter with any fellow member for the
purpose of influencing a decision thereon.
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H. The meetings of the Commission shall be subject to the
Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and the Oklahoma Open Records Act.
I. 1. The Southeast Scenic Rivers Commission shall prepare and
establish minimum standards for planning and other ordinances and
rules for the implementation of this act by counties,
municipalities, or any political subdivisions in the operating area.
2. The standards shall be developed and executed in such a
manner as to protect and enhance the values that caused the area to
be designated a scenic rivers area without limiting other uses that
do not substantially interfere with the protection, public use, and
enjoyment of these values.
3. Primary emphasis on the standards shall be given to
protecting the aesthetic, scenic, historic, archeologic, and
scientific features of the scenic river area with due consideration
being given to the orderly development of the lands adjacent and
contiguous to the scenic river area.
4. Standards set pursuant to the provisions of this act shall
not exceed those established by any other federal or state agency
possessing jurisdiction of the designated area.
Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as authorizing the
Commission the power of eminent domain.
J. The Southeast Scenic Rivers Commission shall have the
additional powers and duties to:
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1. Appoint and fix the salary of an administrator experienced
in land resource planning and management who shall serve at the
pleasure of the Commission and in accordance with its policies,
budgets, powers, and responsibilities. Such administrator may be
commissioned as a peace officer. The administrator may select,
appoint, and employ individuals to fill personnel positions
authorized, budgeted, and deemed necessary by the Commission to
implement the purposes of this act;
2. Act in cooperation with all federal, state, and local
governments and agencies;
3. Coordinate with the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation
Commission for the enforcement of this act;
4. Prepare and adopt a management plan or plans to guide and
control private activities and public programs and to include
varying degrees of protection and development based on the special
attributes of the area;
5. Provide for the review and consideration of the impact on
the natural and aesthetic environment within the designated area
related to any existing or proposed action by public agencies,
private individuals, or any other activity;
6. Accept real and personal property that is granted,
bequeathed, devised, or conveyed to the Southeast Scenic Rivers
Commission to implement the purposes of this act, upon such trusts
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and conditions as may be prescribed by the grantors or devisors,
upon approval of the Commission;
7. Enter into contracts on behalf of the Commission to
implement the purposes of this act, and may accept gifts and grants,
including real or personal property;
8. Identify public or private nuisances that are adverse to the
purposes of this act and take such action as permitted by law to
remove the public nuisances;
9. Own and control public access points to the scenic river
area, issue use permits, and purchase easements and fee title to
land within the designed area. Legal title to the property shall be
held in the name of the Southeast Scenic Rivers Commission;
10. Review any action taken by any local, municipal, or county
authority within the designated area of the Commission in an
administrative adjudicatory proceeding brought upon the petition of
any office or agency of this state, including the administrator, or
of any person acting on behalf of the public interest, to determine
whether such action conforms to the standards promulgated by the
Commission or has an adverse effect upon the proper achievement of
the purposes of this act. Upon a finding that such action does not
conform or does have an adverse effect, the Commission order that
the action be nullified, superseded, or amended to the extent
necessary to produce such conformity or eliminate such adverse
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effect. The Commission may issue such orders as may be necessary to
effectuate its primary order;
11. Hire an attorney or request legal assistance from the
district attorney or the Office of the Attorney General when
appropriate and if there is no conflict of interest;
12. Bring an action in the district court of any county of this
state where service can be obtained on one or more of the
defendants, to enjoin the acts or practices that appear to
constitute a violation of any provision of this act or any rule
promulgated, and to enforce compliance with the provisions of this
act. Upon a proper showing, a restraining order, permanent or
temporary injunction, writ of mandamus, or other appropriate
remedies including damages shall be granted. The court may not
require the administrator or Commission to post a bond; and
13. Suspend the effectiveness of any action taken by a
municipality or county within the designated area of the Commission
when it appears the action has or may have an adverse effect upon
the provisions of this act, whereupon all proceedings thereunder
shall be held in abeyance upon receipt of written notice from the
administrator pending a final determination of the Commission in
regard to such action. If it is determined that such adverse effect
exists, the Commission may nullify, supersede, or amend the action
only to the extent necessary.
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K. The Commission shall promulgate all rules necessary to
implement the provisions of this act.
SECTION 4. AMENDATORY 29 O.S. 2021, Section 3-103, as
amended by Section 1, Chapter 6, O.S.L. 2024 (29 O.S. Supp. 2025,
Section 3-103), is amended to read as follows:
Section 3-103. A. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation
Commission shall constitute an advisory, administrative and
policymaking board for the protection, restoration, perpetuation,
conservation, supervision, maintenance, enhancement, and management
of wildlife in this state as provided in the Oklahoma Wildlife
Conservation Code.
B. The Director shall consult with the Commission regarding the
administration of the affairs of the Department of Wildlife
Conservation. The Commission is authorized and empowered to require
from the Director complete reports and information relative to the
affairs of the Department at the time and in the manner the
Commission may deem advisable.
C. The Commission shall meet in regular session at least nine
times per year not to exceed one meeting per month with not more
than two consecutive calendar months between meetings and in special
sessions as may be called by the Chair or a majority of the
Commission. The Commission may hold any regular or special session
at any location within this state. Should a location be chosen
other than Commission headquarters in Oklahoma City for a regular or
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special meeting, notice shall be posted at Commission headquarters
in Oklahoma City and advertised in the local newspaper of the city
in which the meeting is to be held, at least one time during each of
the two (2) weeks prior to the meeting. The advertisements shall
include time, date, and address of location of the meeting.
D. In addition to the other powers and duties prescribed by
law, the Commission shall:
1. Institute an affirmative action plan for hiring women and
minorities throughout the agency;
2. Elect a chair, vice chair, and secretary, who shall perform
the duties required of them by statutes, rules of the Commission,
and the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma. The chair, vice
chair, and secretary shall receive no extra compensation;
3. 2. Appoint a Director, and determine the qualifications of
the Director and all assistants and employees. A Commissioner shall
not be eligible for employment in any position within the
Department;
4. 3. Prescribe rules and policies for the transaction of its
business and the control of the Department;
5. 4. Develop and implement a plan to provide step raises for
Commission employees so that discrepancies of pay levels within a
pay grade are eliminated;
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6. 5. Acquire by purchase, lease, gift, or devise, waters, real
property, and personal property incident to the exercise of its
functions and to maintain, operate, and dispose of the same;
7. 6. Acquire real property by condemnation only when the
Attorney General or other counsel deems it an appropriate means of
clearing title from willing or unavailable sellers;
8. 7. Supervise the establishment, extension, improvement, and
operation of the wildlife refuges, propagation areas or stations,
public hunting areas, public fishing areas, game management areas,
and fish hatcheries;
9. 8. Prescribe the manner of cooperation with the Oklahoma
Tourism and Recreation Department, colleges and universities within
the state, other state agencies, any agency of the federal
government, and any city, town, school district, or any other agency
or organization in study of conservation and propagation of wildlife
and in the establishment, maintenance, and operation of visual
educational facilities, recreational facilities, and hunting and
fishing facilities, in the study and propagation of wildlife;
9. Prescribe the manner of cooperation with the Southeast
Scenic Rivers Commission created in Section 3 of this act;
10. Supervise the letting of all contracts and purchases for
the Department, with all purchases of personal property to be made
through the Office of Management and Enterprise Services;
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11. Authorize all claims or expenditures prior to incurring
payment except as otherwise provided in this Code;
12. Prescribe rules on the use of Department-owned vehicles by
the Director, department heads and other essential employees as the
Commission deems necessary in order to perform their duties;
13. Prescribe rules for the sale of all regular or special
licenses;
14. Publicize and encourage the conservation and appreciation
of wildlife and all other natural resources;
15. Regulate the seasons and harvest of wildlife;
16. Promulgate rules to sell fishing and hunting licenses via
the Internet;
17. Annually report to the Governor and the Legislature on the
complete operation, activities, and plans of the Department,
together with such recommendations for future activities as the
Commission may deem to be in the best interest of the state; and
18. Provide the Governor and the Legislature with an annual
inventory of all property and equipment.
E. Five (5) years after the effective date of this act, and
every five (5) years thereafter, the Commission shall prepare a
report for the Legislature with proposed licensing fees based on the
latest Consumer Price Index year-to-date percent change release as
of the date of the annual average county wage data release from the
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Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce for
Legislature approval or rejection.
SECTION 5. This act shall become effective November 1, 2026.
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE AND WILDLIFE
February 23, 2026 - DO PASS AS AMENDED