{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-1-2559","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 63, § 63-1-2559","heading":"Article X — Establishment of the Interstate Commission","body":"for EMS Personnel Practice.\n\nARTICLE X\n\nEstablishment of the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel\n\nPractice\n\nA. The Compact states hereby create and establish a joint\n\npublic agency known as the Interstate Commission for EMS Personnel\n\nPractice.\n\n1. The Commission is a body politic and an instrumentality of\n\nthe Compact states.\n\n2. Venue is proper and judicial proceedings by or against the\n\nCommission shall be brought solely and exclusively in a court of\n\ncompetent jurisdiction where the principal office of the Commission\n\nis located. The Commission may waive venue and jurisdictional\n\ndefenses to the extent it adopts or consents to participate in\n\nalternative dispute resolution proceedings.\n\n3. Nothing in this Compact shall be construed to be a waiver of\n\nsovereign immunity.\n\nB. Membership, Voting, and Meetings\n\n1. Each member state shall have and be limited to one\n\ndelegate. The responsible official of the state EMS authority or\n\nhis or her designee shall be the delegate to this Compact for each\n\nmember state. Any delegate may be removed or suspended from office\n\nas provided by the law of the state from which the delegate is\n\nappointed. Any vacancy occurring in the Commission shall be filled\n\nin accordance with the laws of the member state in which the vacancy\n\nexists. In the event that more than one board, office, or other\n\nagency with the legislative mandate to license EMS personnel at and\n\nabove the level of EMT exists, the governor of the state will\n\ndetermine which entity will be responsible for assigning the\n\ndelegate.\n\n2. Each delegate shall be entitled to one vote with regard to\n\nthe promulgation of rules and creation of bylaws and shall otherwise\n\nhave an opportunity to participate in the business and affairs of\n\nthe Commission. A delegate shall vote in person or by such other\n\nmeans as provided in the bylaws. The bylaws may provide for\n\ndelegates' participation in meetings by telephone or other means of\n\ncommunication.\n\n3. The Commission shall meet at least once during each calendar\n\nyear. Additional meetings shall be held as set forth in the bylaws.\n\n4. All meetings shall be open to the public, and public notice\n\nof meetings shall be given in the same manner as required under the\n\nrulemaking provisions in Article XII of this Compact.\n\n5. The Commission may convene in a closed, nonpublic meeting if\n\nthe Commission must discuss:\n\na. noncompliance of a member state with its obligations\n\nunder the Compact,\n\nb. the employment, compensation, discipline, or other\n\npersonnel matters, practices, or procedures related to\n\nspecific employees or other matters related to the\n\nCommission's internal personnel practices and\n\nprocedures,\n\nc. current, threatened, or reasonably anticipated\n\nlitigation,\n\nd. negotiation of contracts for the purchase or sale of\n\ngoods, services, or real estate,\n\ne. accusing any person of a crime or formally censuring\n\nany person,\n\nf. disclosure of trade secrets or commercial or financial\n\ninformation that is privileged or confidential,\n\ng. disclosure of information of a personal nature where\n\ndisclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted\n\ninvasion of personal privacy,\n\nh. disclosure of investigatory records compiled for law\n\nenforcement purposes,\n\ni. disclosure of information related to any investigatory\n\nreports prepared by or on behalf of or for use of the\n\nCommission or other committee charged with\n\nresponsibility of investigation or determination of\n\ncompliance issues pursuant to the Compact, or\n\nj. matters specifically exempted from disclosure by\n\nfederal or member state statute.\n\n6. If a meeting, or portion of a meeting, is closed pursuant to\n\nparagraph 5 of this subsection, the Commission's legal counsel or\n\ndesignee shall certify that the meeting may be closed and shall\n\nreference each relevant exempting provision in paragraph 5 of this\n\nifically exempted from disclosure by\n\nfederal or member state statute.\n\n6. If a meeting, or portion of a meeting, is closed pursuant to\n\nparagraph 5 of this subsection, the Commission's legal counsel or\n\ndesignee shall certify that the meeting may be closed and shall\n\nreference each relevant exempting provision in paragraph 5 of this\n\nsubsection. The Commission shall keep minutes that fully and\n\nclearly describe all matters discussed in a meeting and shall\n\nprovide a full and accurate summary of actions taken, and the\n\nreasons therefore, including a description of the views expressed.\n\nAll documents considered in connection with an action shall be\n\nidentified in such minutes. All minutes and documents of a closed\n\nmeeting shall remain under seal, subject to release by a majority\n\nvote of the Commission or order of a court of competent\n\njurisdiction.\n\nC. The Commission shall, by a majority vote of the delegates,\n\nprescribe bylaws and/or rules to govern its conduct as may be\n\nnecessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes and exercise the\n\npowers of the Compact, including, but not limited to:\n\n1. Establishing the fiscal year of the Commission;\n\n2. Providing reasonable standards and procedures:\n\na. for the establishment and meetings of other\n\ncommittees, and\n\nb. governing any general or specific delegation of any\n\nauthority or function of the Commission;\n\n3. Providing reasonable procedures for calling and conducting\n\nmeetings of the Commission, ensuring reasonable advance notice of\n\nall meetings, and providing an opportunity for attendance of such\n\nmeetings by interested parties, with enumerated exceptions designed\n\nto protect the public's interest, the privacy of individuals, and\n\nproprietary information, including trade secrets. The Commission\n\nmay meet in closed session only after a majority of the membership\n\nvotes to close a meeting in whole or in part. As soon as\n\npracticable, the Commission must make public a copy of the vote to\n\nclose the meeting revealing the vote of each member with no proxy\n\nvotes allowed;\n\n4. Establishing the titles, duties, and authority and\n\nreasonable procedures for the election of the officers of the\n\nCommission;\n\n5. Providing reasonable standards and procedures for the\n\nestablishment of the personnel policies and programs of the\n\nCommission. Notwithstanding any civil service or other similar laws\n\nof any member state, the bylaws shall exclusively govern the\n\npersonnel policies and programs of the Commission;\n\n6. Promulgating a code of ethics to address permissible and\n\nprohibited activities of Commission members and employees;\n\n7. Providing a mechanism for winding up the operations of the\n\nCommission and the equitable disposition of any surplus funds that\n\nmay exist after the termination of the Compact after the payment\n\nand/or reserving of all of its debts and obligations;\n\n8. The Commission shall publish its bylaws and file a copy\n\nthereof, and a copy of any amendment thereto, with the appropriate\n\nagency or officer in each of the member states, if any;\n\n9. The Commission shall maintain its financial records in\n\naccordance with the bylaws; and\n\n10. The Commission shall meet and take such actions as are\n\nconsistent with the provisions of this Compact and the bylaws.\n\nD. The Commission shall have the following powers:\n\n1. The authority to promulgate uniform rules to facilitate and\n\ncoordinate implementation and administration of this Compact. The\n\nrules shall have the force and effect of law and shall be binding in\n\nall member states;\n\n2. To bring and prosecute legal proceedings or actions in the\n\nname of the Commission, provided that the standing of any state EMS\n\nauthority or other regulatory body responsible for EMS personnel\n\nlicensure to sue or be sued under applicable law shall not be\n\naffected;\n\n3. To purchase and maintain insurance and bonds;\nl have the force and effect of law and shall be binding in\n\nall member states;\n\n2. To bring and prosecute legal proceedings or actions in the\n\nname of the Commission, provided that the standing of any state EMS\n\nauthority or other regulatory body responsible for EMS personnel\n\nlicensure to sue or be sued under applicable law shall not be\n\naffected;\n\n3. To purchase and maintain insurance and bonds;\n\n4. To borrow, accept, or contract for services of personnel,\n\nincluding, but not limited to, employees of a member state;\n\n5. To hire employees, elect or appoint officers, fix\n\ncompensation, define duties, grant such individuals appropriate\n\nauthority to carry out the purposes of the Compact, and to establish\n\nthe Commission's personnel policies and programs relating to\n\nconflicts of interest, qualifications of personnel, and other\n\nrelated personnel matters;\n\n6. To accept any and all appropriate donations and grants of\n\nmoney, equipment, supplies, materials, and services, and to receive,\n\nutilize, and dispose of the same; provided that at all times the\n\nCommission shall strive to avoid any appearance of impropriety\n\nand/or conflict of interest;\n\n7. To lease, purchase, accept appropriate gifts or donations\n\nof, or otherwise to own, hold, improve, or use, any property, real,\n\npersonal, or mixed; provided that at all times the Commission shall\n\nstrive to avoid any appearance of impropriety;\n\n8. To sell, convey, mortgage, pledge, lease, exchange, abandon,\n\nor otherwise dispose of any property real, personal, or mixed;\n\n9. To establish a budget and make expenditures;\n\n10. To borrow money;\n\n11. To appoint committees, including advisory committees,\n\ncomprised of members, state regulators, state legislators or their\n\nrepresentatives, and consumer representatives, and such other\n\ninterested persons as may be designated in this Compact and the\n\nbylaws;\n\n12. To provide and receive information from, and to cooperate\n\nwith, law enforcement agencies;\n\n13. To adopt and use an official seal; and\n\n14. To perform such other functions as may be necessary or\n\nappropriate to achieve the purposes of this Compact consistent with\n\nthe state regulation of EMS personnel licensure and practice.\n\nE. Financing of the Commission\n\n1. The Commission shall pay, or provide for the payment of, the\n\nreasonable expenses of its establishment, organization, and ongoing\n\nactivities.\n\n2. The Commission may accept any and all appropriate revenue\n\nsources, donations, and grants of money, equipment, supplies,\n\nmaterials, and services.\n\n3. The Commission may levy on and collect an annual assessment\n\nfrom each member state or impose fees on other parties to cover the\n\ncost of the operations and activities of the Commission and its\n\nstaff, which must be in a total amount sufficient to cover its\n\nannual budget as approved each year for which revenue is not\n\nprovided by other sources. The aggregate annual assessment amount\n\nshall be allocated based upon a formula to be determined by the\n\nCommission, which shall promulgate a rule binding upon all member\n\nstates.\n\n4. The Commission shall not incur obligations of any kind prior\n\nto securing the funds adequate to meet the same, nor shall the\n\nCommission pledge the credit of any of the member states, except by\n\nand with the authority of the member state.\n\n5. The Commission shall keep accurate accounts of all receipts\n\nand disbursements. The receipts and disbursements of the Commission\n\nshall be subject to the audit and accounting procedures established\n\nunder its bylaws. However, all receipts and disbursements of funds\n\nhandled by the Commission shall be audited yearly by a certified or\n\nlicensed public accountant, and the report of the audit shall be\n\nincluded in and become part of the annual report of the Commission.\n\nF. Qualified Immunity, Defense, and Indemnification\n\n1. The members, officers, executive director, employees, and\ns established\n\nunder its bylaws. However, all receipts and disbursements of funds\n\nhandled by the Commission shall be audited yearly by a certified or\n\nlicensed public accountant, and the report of the audit shall be\n\nincluded in and become part of the annual report of the Commission.\n\nF. Qualified Immunity, Defense, and Indemnification\n\n1. The members, officers, executive director, employees, and\n\nrepresentatives of the Commission shall be immune from suit and\n\nliability, either personally or in their official capacity, for any\n\nclaim for damage to or loss of property or personal injury or other\n\ncivil liability caused by or arising out of any actual or alleged\n\nact, error, or omission that occurred, or that the person against\n\nwhom the claim is made had a reasonable basis for believing occurred\n\nwithin the scope of Commission employment, duties, or\n\nresponsibilities; provided that nothing in this paragraph shall be\n\nconstrued to protect any such person from suit and/or liability for\n\nany damage, loss, injury, or liability caused by the intentional or\n\nwillful or wanton misconduct of that person.\n\n2. The Commission shall defend any member, officer, executive\n\ndirector, employee, or representative of the Commission in any civil\n\naction seeking to impose liability arising out of any actual or\n\nalleged act, error, or omission that occurred within the scope of\n\nCommission employment, duties, or responsibilities, or that the\n\nperson against whom the claim is made had a reasonable basis for\n\nbelieving occurred within the scope of Commission employment,\n\nduties, or responsibilities; provided that nothing in this paragraph\n\nshall be construed to prohibit that person from retaining his or her\n\nown counsel; and provided further, that the actual or alleged act,\n\nerror, or omission did not result from that person's intentional or\n\nwillful or wanton misconduct.\n\n3. The Commission shall indemnify and hold harmless any member,\n\nofficer, executive director, employee, or representative of the\n\nCommission for the amount of any settlement or judgment obtained\n\nagainst that person arising out of any actual or alleged act, error,\n\nor omission that occurred within the scope of Commission employment,\n\nduties, or responsibilities, or that such person had a reasonable\n\nbasis for believing occurred within the scope of Commission\n\nemployment, duties, or responsibilities, provided that the actual or\n\nalleged act, error, or omission did not result from the intentional\n\nor willful or wanton misconduct of that person.","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":"5b5069ed511a7630fc87674a7b9afa91274362eab8567dddc9b5e33c7f43427d","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-1-2558","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-1-2560"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}