{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-66-66-324","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 66, § 66-324","heading":"Powers and duties of Department - Conflict of interest -","body":"Public meetings and records.\n\nA. The Department of Transportation is hereby authorized and\n\nempowered to:\n\n1. Acquire, construct, reconstruct, repair, replace, operate\n\nand maintain railroad rights-of-way and trackage projects at such\n\nlocations and on such passenger routes as it shall determine to be\n\nfeasible and economically sound;\n\n2. Enter into agreements with the owners of operating railroads\n\nfor the acquisition and/or use of railroad rights-of-way and\n\ntrackage on such terms, conditions, rates or rentals as the\n\nDepartment may consider to be in the best interests of the state;\n\n3. Enter directly into agreements with owners of operating\n\npassenger railroads to sell, lease, or sell by lease-purchase\n\nagreement any state-owned railroad property on such terms,\n\nconditions or amounts as the Department may consider to be in the\n\nbest interests of the state and to promote the purposes of this act;\n\n4. Acquire and hold real or personal property in the exercise\n\nof its powers for the performance of its duties as authorized by\n\nthis act. Surplus property may be disposed of by the Department;\n\n5. Acquire in the name of the Department, by purchase or\n\notherwise on such terms and conditions and in such manner as it may\n\ndeem proper, or by exercise of the right of condemnation, such\n\npublic or private lands and personalty, including public parks,\n\nplaygrounds, or reservations, or parts thereof or rights therein,\n\nrights-of-way, trackage, property, rights, easements, and interests,\n\nas it may deem necessary for carrying out the provisions of this\n\nact;\n\n6. Make and enter into all contracts and agreements necessary\n\nor incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of\n\nits powers under this act, and to employ passenger rail planning and\n\nmanagement consultants, consulting engineers, attorneys,\n\naccountants, construction and financial consultants,\n\nsuperintendents, managers, and such other employees and agents as\n\nmay be necessary in its judgment, and to fix their compensation;\n\nprovided, that all such expenses shall be payable solely from funds\n\nmade available under and pursuant to the provisions of this act or\n\nfrom revenues; provided, further, no attorney employed by the\n\nDepartment, nor any member of any law firm of which he or she may be\n\nconnected, shall ever be paid any fee or compensation for any\n\nspecial or extraordinary services;\n\n7. Receive, accept and expend funds from the state, any federal\n\nagency, or from private sources, for passenger rail planning and for\n\nadministration of passenger railroad assistance projects, and for,\n\nor in aid of the acquisition, construction, reconstruction,\n\nreplacement, repair, maintenance and operation of passenger railroad\n\nrights-of-way and trackage and for passenger rail service\n\ncontinuation payments to railroad companies for operating losses\n\nsustained by reasons of continuing service on a line which may\n\notherwise be abandoned or which may experience a reduced level of\n\nservice not in the public interest, where such continuation of\n\nservice is carried out under a written agreement with the Department\n\nestablishing the terms and conditions for such payments, and to\n\nreceive and accept funds, aid or contributions from any source of\n\neither money, property, labor or other things of value, to be held,\n\nused and applied only for the purposes for which such funds, aid or\n\ncontributions may be made;\n\n8. Adopt such rules and to do any and all things necessary to\n\ncomply with rules, regulations or requirements of the United States\n\nDepartment of Transportation, any successor thereof, the Interstate\n\nCommerce Commission or any federal agency administering any law\n\nenacted by the Congress of the United States or having funds\n\navailable for the purpose of the Department that are not\n\ninconsistent with or contrary to the prohibitions and restrictions\n\nof Oklahoma law or public interest;\nions or requirements of the United States\n\nDepartment of Transportation, any successor thereof, the Interstate\n\nCommerce Commission or any federal agency administering any law\n\nenacted by the Congress of the United States or having funds\n\navailable for the purpose of the Department that are not\n\ninconsistent with or contrary to the prohibitions and restrictions\n\nof Oklahoma law or public interest;\n\n9. Expend income and funds from the Oklahoma Tourism and\n\nPassenger Rail Revolving Fund created in Section 5 of this act in\n\nthe exercise of any or all of the foregoing powers; and\n\n10. Do all things necessary or convenient to carry out the\n\npowers expressly granted in this act.\n\nB. It shall be unlawful for any member, officer or employee of\n\nthe Department to transact with the Department, either directly or\n\nindirectly, any business for profit of such member, officer or\n\nemployee; and any person, firm or corporation knowingly\n\nparticipating therein shall be equally liable for violation of this\n\nprovision.\n\nThe term \"business for profit\" shall include, but not be limited\n\nto, the acceptance or payment of any fee, commission, gift, or\n\nconsideration to such member, officer or employee.\n\nViolation of this provision shall constitute a Class D1 felony\n\noffense and, upon conviction, shall be punishable by a fine of not\n\nless than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) and not more than Five\n\nThousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or by imprisonment as provided for in\n\nsubsections B through F of Section 20N of Title 21 of the Oklahoma\n\nStatutes, or by both such fine and imprisonment.\n\nC. All meetings of the Department shall be open public\n\nmeetings, and all records shall be public records, except when\n\nconsidering personnel.","path":["OK Code","Title 66"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os66.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"697f078ac053155f37c5b5f1ab387e94b4fce63d0a6fcce00512082c6568a2ce","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-66-66-323","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-66-66-325"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}