{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-1-106v1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 63, § 63-1-106v1","heading":"State Commissioner of Health - Qualifications - Powers","body":"and duties.\n\nA. The State Commissioner of Health shall serve at the pleasure\n\nof the Governor, and shall have skill and experience in public\n\nhealth duties and sanitary sciences and shall meet at least one of\n\nthe following qualifications:\n\n1. Possession of a Doctor of Medicine Degree and a license to\n\npractice medicine in this state;\n\n2. Possession of an Osteopathic Medicine Degree and a license\n\nto practice medicine in this state;\n\n3. Possession of a Doctoral degree in Public Health or Public\n\nHealth Administration; or\n\n4. Possession of a Master of Science Degree and a minimum of\n\nfive (5) years of supervisory experience in the administration of\n\nhealth services.\n\nB. The Commissioner shall be exempt from all qualifications\n\nenumerated in subsection A of this section if the Commissioner\n\npossesses at least a master’s degree and has experience in\n\nmanagement of state agencies or large projects.\n\nC. The Commissioner shall have the following powers and duties,\n\nunless otherwise directed by the Governor:\n\n1. Have general supervision of the health of the citizens of\n\nthe state; make investigations, inquiries and studies concerning the\n\ncauses of disease and injury, and especially of epidemics, and the\n\ncauses of mortality, and the effects of localities, employment,\n\nconditions and circumstances on the public health; investigate\n\nconditions as to health, sanitation and safety of schools, prisons,\n\npublic institutions, mines, public conveyances, camps, places of\n\ngroup abode, and all buildings and places of public resort, and\n\nrecommend, prescribe and enforce such measures of health, sanitation\n\nand safety for them as the Commissioner deems advisable; take such\n\nmeasures as deemed necessary by the Commissioner to control or\n\nsuppress, or to prevent the occurrence or spread of, any\n\ncommunicable, contagious or infectious disease, and provide for the\n\nsegregation and isolation of persons having or suspected of having\n\nany such disease; designate places of quarantine or isolation;\n\nadvise state and local governments on matters pertaining to health,\n\nsanitation and safety; and abate any nuisance affecting injuriously\n\nthe health of the public or any community. Any health information\n\nor data acquired by the Commissioner from any public agency, which\n\ninformation or data is otherwise confidential by state or federal\n\nlaw, shall remain confidential notwithstanding the acquisition of\n\nthis information by the Commissioner;\n\n2. Be the executive officer and supervise the activities of the\n\nState Department of Health, and act for the Department in all\n\nmatters except as may be otherwise provided in this Code; administer\n\noaths at any hearing or investigation conducted pursuant to this\n\nCode; and enforce rules and standards adopted by the Commissioner.\n\nAll rules adopted by the Commissioner are subject to the terms and\n\nconditions of the Administrative Procedures Act;\n\n3. Appoint an Assistant State Commissioner of Health and fix\n\nthe qualifications, duties and compensation of the Assistant State\n\nCommissioner of Health; and employ, appoint and contract with, and\n\nfix the qualifications, duties and compensation of, such other\n\nassistants, doctors, engineers, attorneys, sanitarians, nurses,\n\nlaboratory personnel, administrative, clerical and technical help,\n\ninvestigators, aides and other personnel and help, either on a full-\n\ntime, part-time, fee or contractual basis, as shall be deemed by the\n\nCommissioner necessary, expedient, convenient or appropriate to the\n\nperformance or carrying out of any of the purposes, objectives or\n\nprovisions of this Code, or to assist the Commissioner in the\n\nperformance of official duties and functions;\n\n4. Cause investigations, inquiries and inspections to be made,\n\nand hold hearings and issue orders pursuant to the provisions of the\n\nAdministrative Procedures Act, to enforce and make effective the\nt or appropriate to the\n\nperformance or carrying out of any of the purposes, objectives or\n\nprovisions of this Code, or to assist the Commissioner in the\n\nperformance of official duties and functions;\n\n4. Cause investigations, inquiries and inspections to be made,\n\nand hold hearings and issue orders pursuant to the provisions of the\n\nAdministrative Procedures Act, to enforce and make effective the\n\nprovisions of this Code, and all rules and standards adopted by the\n\nCommissioner pursuant to law and the Commissioner or the\n\nrepresentative of the Commissioner shall have the right of access to\n\nany premises for such purpose at any reasonable time, upon\n\npresentation of identification;\n\n5. Authorize persons in the State Department of Health to\n\nconduct investigations, inquiries and hearings, and to perform other\n\nacts that the Commissioner is authorized or required to conduct or\n\nperform personally;\n\n6. Except as otherwise provided by law, all civil and criminal\n\nproceedings under this Code shall be initiated and prosecuted by the\n\ndistrict attorney where the violation takes place;\n\n7. Issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses and the\n\nproduction of books and records at any hearing to be conducted by\n\nthe Commissioner and issue subpoenas for the testimony of\n\nindividuals or for the production of records in connection with an\n\ninvestigation conducted by the Office of Client Advocacy within the\n\nState Department of Health; and if a person disobeys any such\n\nsubpoena, or refuses to give evidence before, or to allow books and\n\nrecords to be examined by, the Commissioner after such person is\n\ndirected to do so, the Commissioner may file a contempt proceeding\n\nin the district court of the county in which the premises involved\n\nare situated, or, if no premises are involved, of the county in\n\nwhich such person resides or has a principal place of business, and\n\na judge of such court, after a trial de novo, may punish the\n\noffending person for contempt;\n\n8. Unless otherwise required by the terms of a federal grant,\n\nsell, exchange or otherwise dispose of personal property that has\n\nbeen acquired by the State Department of Health, or any of its\n\ncomponents, when such property becomes obsolete or is no longer\n\nneeded; any money derived therefrom shall be deposited in the Public\n\nHealth Special Fund;\n\n9. Sell films, educational materials, biological products and\n\nother items produced by the State Department of Health; and all\n\nproceeds therefrom shall be deposited in the Public Health Special\n\nFund;\n\n10. Revoke or cancel, or suspend for any period up to one (1)\n\nyear, any license or permit issued under or pursuant to this Code,\n\nor by the Commissioner, when the Commissioner determines that ground\n\ntherefor as prescribed by this Code exists, or that the holder of\n\nsuch license or permit has violated any law, or any of the\n\nprovisions of this Code, or any rules or standards of the\n\nCommissioner filed with the Secretary of State, but the Commissioner\n\nshall first afford the holder an opportunity to show cause why the\n\nlicense or permit should not be revoked, canceled or suspended,\n\nnotice of such opportunity to be given by certified United States\n\nMail to the holder of the license or permit at the last-known\n\naddress of such holder;\n\n11. Accept, use, disburse and administer grants, allotments,\n\ngifts, devises, bequests, appropriations and other monies and\n\nproperty offered or given to the State Department of Health, or any\n\ncomponent or agency thereof, by any agency of the federal\n\ngovernment, or any corporation or individual;\n\n12. Be the official agency of the State of Oklahoma in all\n\nmatters relating to public health which require or authorize\n\ncooperation of the State of Oklahoma with the federal government or\n\nany agency thereof; coordinate the activities of the State\n\nDepartment of Health with those of the federal government or any\nhereof, by any agency of the federal\n\ngovernment, or any corporation or individual;\n\n12. Be the official agency of the State of Oklahoma in all\n\nmatters relating to public health which require or authorize\n\ncooperation of the State of Oklahoma with the federal government or\n\nany agency thereof; coordinate the activities of the State\n\nDepartment of Health with those of the federal government or any\n\ndepartment or agency thereof, and with other states, on matters\n\npertaining to public health, and enter into agreements for such\n\npurpose, and may accept, use, disburse and administer, for the\n\noffice of the Commissioner or for the State Department of Health,\n\nfor any purpose designated and on the terms and conditions thereof,\n\ngrants of money, personnel and property from the federal government\n\nor any department or agency thereof, or from any state or state\n\nagency, or from any other source, to promote and carry on in this\n\nstate any program relating to the public health or the control of\n\ndisease, and enter into agreements for such purposes;\n\n13. Appoint commissioned peace officers, certified by the\n\nCouncil on Law Enforcement Education and Training, to investigate\n\nviolations of the Public Health Code and to provide security to\n\nDepartment facilities; and\n\n14. Pursuant to Section 1-106.4 of this title, appoint a Chief\n\nMedical Officer who reports directly to the Commissioner.","path":["OK Code","Title 63"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os63.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"aa397936644a5ab2ecdd067205f126c702e8d48ef4205bfe051b8d350154e7c6","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-1-106.4","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-1-106v2"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}