Oklahoma Attorney General - www.oag.ok.gov
About the Office
The attorney general's office has been part of Oklahoma's state government since 1907 when Charles West became Oklahoma's first Attorney General. The current Attorney General, Drew Edmondson, is the fifteenth person to hold the office. He was first elected to the post in 1994.
By statute, the attorney general's office provides legal counsel and representation for state agencies and employees. The office also represents the interests of Oklahoma consumers, the state's natural resources and Oklahoma crime victims. Click here to learn more about the duties of the office's sections and units.
Frequently Asked Questions
Attorney General Opinions
Who can ask the Attorney General for an official opinion?
74 O.S. § 18b
(A(5))
provides the following language:
The duties of the Attorney General as the chief law officer of the state shall be... To give an opinion in writing upon all questions of law submitted to the Attorney General by the Legislature or either branch thereof, or by any state officer, board, commission or department, provided, that the Attorney General shall not furnish opinions to any but district attorneys, the Legislature or either branch thereof, or any other state official, board, commission or department, and to them only upon matters in which they are officially interested.
Attorneys in the State of Oklahoma
Where can I file a complaint against an attorney licensed in the State of Oklahoma?
The Oklahoma Bar Association was created in 1939 by the Oklahoma Supreme Court to assist the Court in the regulation of the practice of law. The association is located at 1901 N Lincoln Blvd, and can be contacted at the following address:
P.O. Box 53036
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3036
Phone: 800-522-8065 or 405-416-7000 ; Fax: 405-416-7001
Child Support
Can the Attorney General enforce non-payment of child support?
The Attorney General has no statutory authority with regards to the enforcement of child support in the State of Oklahoma. The enforcement of child support may be enforced through local district attorneys office. However, when there is no contract between state agencies, the
Oklahoma Department of Human Services
has the authority to enforce child support.
The
Child Support Enforcement Division
of DHS can be contacted at the following address:
Sequoyah Building, 2400 N Lincoln Blvd.,
P.O. Box 25352,
Oklahoma City, OK 73125.
Phone: 405-521-3646 ; Fax: 405-521-6458
Concealed Handguns
Is my out-of-state concealed weapon permit valid when I travel through Oklahoma?
21 O.S.
§
1290.26
provides the following:
The State of Oklahoma hereby recognizes any valid concealed carry weapons permit or license issued by another state.
Any person entering this state in possession of a firearm authorized for concealed carry upon the authority and license of another state is authorized to continue to carry a concealed firearm and license in this state; provided the license from the other state remains valid. The firearm must be carried fully concealed from detection and view, and upon coming in contact with any peace officer of this state, the person must disclose the fact that he or she is in possession of a concealed firearm pursuant to a valid concealed carry weapons permit or license issued in another state.
Any person who is twenty-one (21) years of age or older having a valid firearm license from another state may apply for a concealed handgun license in this state immediately upon establishing a residence in this state.
Oklahoman travelling out-of-state? -
OSBI
District Attorneys
Are the District Attorneys in the State of Oklahoma under the jurisdiction of the Attorney General?
No, the 27 District Attorneys in the state answer to the registered voters in their respective judicial districts. The Attorney General has no statutory authority regarding a district attorney's decision to prosecute or not prosecute a criminal case.
District Attorneys are required to be licensed in the State of Oklahoma and complaints are investigated by the
Oklahoma Bar Association
.
Duties of Attorney General
What are the duties of the Attorney General?
The Attorney General and assistant attorneys general have many duties and responsibilities representing state boards and agencies.
The Attorney Generals' Office is comprised of the following specialized sections: Consumer Protection, Criminal Appeals, Environmental Protection, General Counsel, Litigation, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, MultiCounty Grand Jury, Workers Compensation Fraud Unit, Public Utility Regulation, and Victim Services.
You can visit our website and click on our "Sections & Units" section to learn more about the functions of the attorney general's specialized divisions. Also, you may visit our website and submit this query in our legal research section for O.S. Title 74 section 18 et seq. to learn more about the duties of the Attorney General.
Jail Inspections
Who should I contact regarding State and County jail conditions in Oklahoma?
You may contact Oklahoma State Jail Inspector, Don Garrison at the following address:
1000 N.E. 10th St.,
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73117-1299
Telephone; 405-271-6868.
Legislative Bills
Where do I obtain a copy of a legislative Senate or House bill?
You may mail your request to:
State Capitol Bldg.
Attn: Bill Distribution Office
2300 N Lincoln Blvd, RM 310
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Municipalities and Town Governments
Are there state agencies to ensure that cities are operating within statutory requirements?
There are many state and local agencies that have statutory authority to investigate or audit allegations of wrongdoing within a municipality or township. If you have questions regarding the statutory operation of a municipality or township or you are wanting information concerning city ordinances, you should contact the
Oklahoma Municipal League
at the following address: 201 NE 23rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73105. Telephone: 405-528-7515
Open Meeting and Open Records
Where do I find information regarding open records?
You may submit your query in the legal research section located on our web page (
http://oklegal.onenet.net/
) for O.S. Title 51 section 24A.1, entitled the Open Records Act. You may purchase a copy of the booklet that pertains to Open Meetings and Open Records in Oklahoma. A copy of the Oklahoma Open Meeting and Open Records laws from the Oklahoma Press Service, Inc., 3601 North Lincoln Blvd. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 73105-5499 or you may visit their web site;
http://www.OkPress.com/
Raffles
Are raffles legal for non-profit organizations?
For certain organizations, yes. Please view the following state statutes that define the law:
Lottery Defined -- Consideration -- Organizations permitted to issue tickets
(Text as amended by Laws 2004, HB 2445, c. 275, § 4, effective when HB 1278 of the 1st Session of the 49th Oklahoma Legislature (SQ 705) was approved by the people at the general election held November 2, 2004):
A. A lottery is any scheme for the disposal or distribution of property by chance among persons who have paid, or promised, or agreed to pay any valuable consideration for the chance of obtaining such property, or a portion of it, or for any share of or interest in such property, upon any agreement, understanding or expectation that it is to be distributed or disposed of by a lot or chance, whether called a lottery, a raffle, or a gift enterprise, or by whatever name the same may be known. "Valuable consideration" shall be construed to mean money or goods of actual pecuniary value. Provided, it shall not be a violation of the lottery or gambling laws of this state for:
1. A bona fide resident merchant or merchants of a city or town, acting in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce or Commercial Club of this state thereof, to issue free of charge numbered tickets on sales of merchandise, the corresponding stub of one or more of which tickets to be drawn or chosen by lot by a representative or representatives of said Chamber of Commerce or of said Commercial Club in the manner set forth on said tickets, the numbered stub or stubs so drawn to entitle the holder of the corresponding numbered issued ticket to a valuable prize donated by said merchant;
2. A bona fide community chest welfare fund on a military post or reservation to issue numbered tickets in conjunction with voluntary contributions to said fund, the corresponding stub or stubs of one or more of said tickets to be drawn by lot under the supervision of a military commander, the stub or stubs so drawn entitling the ticket holder to a prize of some value. Provided however, that no person shall sell tickets or receive contributions to said fund off the military reservation; or
3. a. A qualified organization to raise funds by issuing numbered tickets in conjunction with voluntary contributions to the qualified organization, the corresponding stub or stubs of one or more of the tickets to be drawn by lot under the supervision of an official of the qualified organization, the stub or stubs so drawn entitling the ticket holder to a prize. As used in this paragraph, "qualified organization" means:
(1) a church,
(2) a public or private school accredited by the State Department of Education or registered by the State Board of Education for purposes of participating in federal programs,
(3) a student group or organization affiliated with a public or private school qualified pursuant to division (2) of this subparagraph,
(4) a parent-teacher association or organization affiliated with a public or private school qualified pursuant to division (2) of this subparagraph,
(5) fire departments,
(6) police departments,
(7) organizations that are exempt from taxation pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of Section 501 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, as amended, 26 U.S.C., Section 501(c) et seq., or
(8) an "organization" as such term is defined in paragraph 20 of Section 402 of Title 3A of the Oklahoma Statutes.
b. Any raffle conducted by a qualified organization shall be conducted by members of the qualified organization without compensation to any member. The organization shall not hire or contract with any person or business association, corporation, partnership, limited partnership or limited liability company to conduct a raffle, to sell raffle tickets or to solicit contributions in connection with a raffle on behalf of the organization.
B. If the Oklahoma Education Lottery Act ceases to have the force and effect of law pursuant to Section 36 of the Oklahoma Education Lottery Act, the provisions of paragraph 3 of subsection A of this section shall cease to have the force and effect of law.
Oklahoma Charity Games Act -- Definitions
20. "Organization" means a religious, charitable, labor, fraternal, educational, or other type of association or any branch, lodge, chapter, or auxiliary of such association which:
a. operates without profit to its members,
b. has been in existence and been operating as a nonprofit organization for not less than two (2) years prior to applying for an organization license,
c. is exempt from taxation pursuant to the provisions of paragraphs (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), or (19) of subsection (c) of Section 501 or paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Section 509 of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, 26 U.S.C.,Section 501(c) et seq. or Section 509(a)(1), and
d. formulates bylaws which clearly identify and establish:
(1) method of electing officers and their duties,
(2) method by which members are elected, initiated or admitted,
(3) the rights and privileges of each member,
(4) that each member has one vote, and
(5) that membership rights are personal to the member and not assignable;
Removal from unwanted mailing and telemarketing lists.
Who should I contact to remove my name from unwanted direct mailing and telephone telemarketing lists?
To remove your name from direct mailing lists, you may contact the following:
Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 9008
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008
To remove your name from telephone telemarketing lists, you may contact the following:
Telephone Preference Service
P.O. Box 9014
Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014
Direct Marketing Association
1111 19th Street, N.W. Suite 1100
Washington, D.C. 20036
202-955-5030
consumer@the-dma.org
Reporting Crimes
Where do I report a crime?
The Attorney Generals office has specialized investigative divisions that have statutory authority regarding certain crimes. However, you must first report any allegations of criminal activity to local law enforcement authorities to be investigated. When that agency completes the investigation, their findings will be forwarded to the district attorney's office in that judicial district.
The agency's report will be reviewed by the district attorney or an assistant district attorney who will determine who will be charged with what crimes. Further, the Attorney General for the State of Oklahoma has no statutory authority regarding a district attorney's decision to charge or not charge a person with a crime. The Attorney Generals Office routinely works with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Representation of State Officers, employees and agencies in civil litigation.
How do State employees, officials and agencies request representation by the
Oklahoma Attorney General when sued civilly for work related activities?
The Litigation Section has adopted procedures for requesting representation. The procedures and guidelines for representation are found at the following hyperlinks:
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT FOR REPRESENTATION OF STATE OFFICIALS AND STATE EMPLOYEES SUED IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES.
LITIGATION REPORT GUIDELINES
Procedures For Requesting Representation
Tobacco Settlement
What are other states doing with monies received in the tobacco settlement?
Information on what the other states are doing with tobacco settlement funds can be obtained from the American Legacy Foundation, a foundation created by the Master Settlement Agreement. The foundation administers a separate fund to do counter-advertising and other anti-smoking programs. The foundation email address is: info@americanlegacy.org