The Oklahoma Veterans Commission shall consist of nine (9) members all of whom shall be honorably discharged veterans; provided, one of the members shall be a veteran of the Vietnam Conflict and two shall be veterans of the Persian Gulf Wars. The members shall be selected in the following manner: The state executive board or committees of the veterans’ organizations named in this section shall each submit to the Governor a list of five persons qualified to serve as members of the Oklahoma Veterans Commission. All appointments shall be broadly representative of the veterans of this state in terms of age, gender, and race or ethnicity. The list shall be submitted to the Governor not later than three (3) months prior to the expiration of the terms of office of the members of the Oklahoma Veterans Commission. The Governor shall name one member from each of the following Veterans’ groups: the American Legion; the Veterans of Foreign Wars; the Disabled American Veterans; the Paralyzed Veterans of America; the Military Order of the Purple Heart; and the National Guard Association of Oklahoma. The members representing the American Legion and the Paralyzed Veterans of America shall take office no later than July 1, 2015. The members representing the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Military Order of the Purple Heart shall take office no later than July 1, 2016. The members representing the Disabled American Veterans and the National Guard Association of Oklahoma shall take office no later than July 1, 2017. The Governor shall also appoint three members at large.
The executive officer of each veterans’ organization operating within this state shall, on or before January 1 of the year in which the organization’s appointee’s term expires, submit to the Secretary of State, the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a copy of the performance audit and the financial audit of the organization for the immediately preceding fiscal year of the organization. Such audits shall be conducted in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States and shall clearly show the total paid membership of the organization and shall be certified to by a certified public accountant. Failure to comply with this section shall render the organization ineligible to submit a nominee to the Governor. The members of the Commission shall be appointed by the Governor with advice and consent of the Senate, and shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor. When a vacancy on the Oklahoma Veterans Commission occurs, the organization which is represented by the vacant position shall submit a list of five names to the Governor. The Governor shall choose a replacement from that list. No person shall be appointed by the Governor who is related by affinity or consanguinity within the third degree to any person employed by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs.
Before any member appointed as provided herein shall enter upon his or her duties as a member of the Commission, he or she shall take and subscribe to the oath of office as required by the Constitution of this state.
Present members of the Commission shall continue in office until the expiration of their terms and until their successors are appointed and enter upon the duties of their offices. Appointments shall be made for a three-year period. Any vacancy on the Commission resulting from any cause shall be filled by appointment by the Governor for the remainder of the term as provided in this section.
No member of the Oklahoma Veterans Commission shall be employed by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs during the time of his or her service on the Oklahoma Veterans Commission nor shall any person who served as a member of the Oklahoma Veterans Commission be employed by the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs subsequent to his or her service on the Commission for a period of two (2) years.
Added by Laws 1947, p. 579, § 2, emerg. eff. April 24, 1947. Amended by Laws 1970, c. 100, § 1, emerg. eff. March 30, 1970; Laws 1970, c. 142, § 1, emerg. eff. April 7, 1970; Laws 1970, c. 254, § 6, emerg. eff. April 21, 1970; Laws 1976, c. 10, § 1, emerg. eff. Feb. 16, 1976; Laws 1981, c. 169, § 2, emerg. eff. May 13, 1981; Laws 1985, c. 295, § 3, emerg. eff. July 24, 1985; Laws 2014, c. 68, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2014; Laws 2014, c. 212, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2014; Laws 2014, c. 262, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2014; Laws 2021, c. 127, § 1, eff. July 1, 2021.