{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-56-56-162","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 56, § 56-162","heading":"Duties and powers of the Director","body":"A. The Governor shall have the power and duty to select a\n\nDirector of Human Services who shall serve as executive and\n\nadministrative officer of the Department of Human Services. The\n\nDirector shall be appointed wholly on the basis of ability, training\n\nand experience qualifying him or her for public welfare\n\nadministration. The Director shall serve, subject to the\n\nconfirmation of the Senate, at the pleasure of the Governor. The\n\nsalary of the Director shall be fixed by the Governor.\n\nB. The Director shall formulate the policies and adopt rules\n\nand regulations for the effective administration of the duties of\n\nthe Department.\n\nC. 1. The Director shall take the appropriate steps to ensure\n\nrules and policies are promulgated to conduct appropriate background\n\nsearches of individuals both prior to and, if necessary, during\n\ntheir employment with the Department. The job categories within the\n\nDepartment that are subject to background searches prior to\n\nemployment shall be determined at the Director’s discretion. Such\n\nbackground checks shall include, but not be limited to:\n\na. a search of the Oklahoma State Courts Network,\n\nincluding Oklahoma District Court records,\n\nb. a search of the Restricted Registry maintained by the\n\nDepartment pursuant to Section 405.3 of Title 10 of\n\nthe Oklahoma Statutes,\n\nc. a search of the Department of Corrections files\n\nmaintained by the Department pursuant to the Sex\n\nOffender Registration Act,\n\nd. a search of the Department of Corrections Violent\n\nOffender Registry, also known as the Mary Rippy\n\nViolent Crime Offender Registry,\n\ne. a search of all applicable out-of-state child abuse\n\nand neglect registries if the subject of the search\n\nhas not lived continuously in Oklahoma for the past\n\nfive (5) years,\n\nf. a search of the community services worker registry\n\nmaintained by the Department pursuant to Section\n\n1025.3 of this title; and\n\ng. a fingerprint-based national criminal history record\n\ncheck. The Department may directly request a national\n\ncriminal history record check as defined by Section\n\n150.9 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes from the\n\nOklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for the purpose\n\nof investigating the criminal history of any employee\n\nor applicant of the Department.\n\n2. In addition, the Director shall ensure rules and policies\n\nare promulgated to conduct a search of the Department’s records of\n\nabuse and neglect both prior to and, if necessary, during the\n\nemployment of any person with the Department and whose scope of\n\nemployment will bring that individual into direct contact with any\n\nvulnerable population.\n\nD. The Director shall require and set the amount of the bond\n\nfor employees.\n\nE. The Director shall cooperate with the federal Department of\n\nHealth and Human Services, or other similar agencies created by\n\nCongress, in any reasonable manner as may be necessary to qualify\n\nfor federal aid to states in providing assistance to needy persons\n\nin conformity with the provisions of this title, including the\n\nmaking of reports in the form and containing information as a\n\nfederal agency may from time to time require, and comply with any\n\nother similar federal agency requirements necessary to ensure the\n\ncorrectness and verification of the reports.\n\nF. The Director shall publish an annual report, not later than\n\nfour (4) months after the close of each fiscal year. The report\n\nshall be presented to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of\n\nRepresentatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Annual\n\nreports shall provide information about the operations and programs\n\nadministered by the Department and shall include, but shall not be\n\nlimited to:\n\n1. Statistical information regarding services provided and the\n\nnumber of persons served by Department programs;\n\n2. Financial data including a reasonable amount of detailed\n\ninformation regarding revenues and expenditures and a breakdown and\nAnnual\n\nreports shall provide information about the operations and programs\n\nadministered by the Department and shall include, but shall not be\n\nlimited to:\n\n1. Statistical information regarding services provided and the\n\nnumber of persons served by Department programs;\n\n2. Financial data including a reasonable amount of detailed\n\ninformation regarding revenues and expenditures and a breakdown and\n\ncomparison of the Department budget with actual expenditures;\n\n3. Status of the workforce and productivity of the Department;\n\n4. Information about Department efforts to ensure program\n\naccountability and service delivery quality and integrity;\n\n5. Demographic data and trends and their anticipated impact on\n\ndemand for services; and\n\n6. Information regarding public and private institution-based\n\nservices.\n\nG. The Director shall assume the statutory duties of the\n\nCommission for Human Services.\n\nAdded by State Question No. 226, Initiative Petition No. 155, § 2,\n\nadopted at election held July 7, 1936. Amended by Laws 1939, p. 86,\n\n§ 2, emerg. eff. May 9, 1939; Laws 2012, c. 344, § 1, eff. Nov. 7,\n\n2012; Laws 2018, c. 30, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2018; Laws 2021, c. 43, §\n\n1, eff. Nov. 1, 2021.","path":["OK Code","Title 56"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os56.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"ba52dfdf70a95b4686e2ce6c01cc9ed19dd35d949fdd346a5a0697065ed1eb2f","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-56-56-161","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-56-56-162.1"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}