{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-2127","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-2127","heading":"Southern Regional Education Compact","body":"The Southern Regional Educational Compact is hereby entered into\n\nby this state with all other states legally joining therein in\n\naccordance with its terms in the form substantially as follows:\n\nTHE REGIONAL COMPACT\n\n(As amended)\n\nWHEREAS, the states who are parties hereto have during the past\n\nseveral years conducted careful investigation looking toward the\n\nestablishment and maintenance of jointly owned and operated regional\n\neducational institutions in the Southern States in the professional,\n\ntechnological, scientific, literary and other fields, so as to\n\nprovide greater educational advantages and facilities for the\n\ncitizens of the several states who reside within such region; and\n\nWHEREAS, Meharry Medical College of Nashville, Tennessee, has\n\nproposed that its lands, buildings, equipment, and the net income\n\nfrom its endowment be turned over to the Southern States, or to an\n\nagency acting in their behalf, to be operated as a regional\n\ninstitution for medical, dental and nursing education upon terms and\n\nconditions to be hereafter agreed upon between the Southern States\n\nand Meharry Medical College, which proposal, because of the present\n\nfinancial condition of the institution, has been approved by the\n\nsaid states who are parties hereto; and\n\nWHEREAS, the said states desire to enter into a compact with\n\neach other providing for the planning and establishment of regional\n\neducational facilities;\n\nNOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements,\n\ncovenants and obligations assumed by the respective states who are\n\nparties hereto (hereinafter referred to as \"states\"), the said\n\nseveral states do hereby form a geographical district or region\n\nconsisting of the areas lying within the boundaries of the\n\ncontracting states which, for the purposes of this compact, shall\n\nconstitute an area for regional education supported by public funds\n\nderived from taxation by the constituent states and derived from\n\nother sources for the establishment, acquisition, operation and\n\nmaintenance of regional educational schools and institutions for the\n\nbenefit of citizens of the respective states residing within the\n\nregion so established as may be determined from time to time in\n\naccordance with the terms and provisions of this compact.\n\nThe states do further hereby establish and create a joint agency\n\nwhich shall be known as the Board of Control for Southern Regional\n\nEducation (hereinafter referred to as the \"Board\"), the members of\n\nwhich Board shall consist of the Governor of each state, ex officio,\n\nand three (3) additional citizens of each state to be appointed by\n\nthe Governor thereof, at least one (1) of whom shall be selected\n\nfrom the field of education. The Governor shall continue as a\n\nmember of the Board during his tenure of office as Governor of the\n\nState, but the members of the Board appointed by the Governor shall\n\nhold office for a period of four (4) years except that in the\n\noriginal appointments one (1) Board member so appointed by the\n\nGovernor shall be designated at the time of his appointment to serve\n\nan initial term of two (2) years, one (1) Board member to serve an\n\ninitial term of three (3) years, and the remaining Board member to\n\nserve the full term of four (4) years, but thereafter the successor\n\nof each appointed Board member shall serve the full term of four (4)\n\nyears. Vacancies on the Board caused by death, resignation, refusal\n\nor inability to serve, shall be filled by appointment by the\n\nGovernor for the unexpired portion of the term. The officers of the\n\nBoard shall be a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, a Secretary, a\n\nTreasurer, and such additional officers as may be created by the\n\nBoard from time to time. The Board shall meet annually and officers\n\nshall be elected to hold office until the next annual meeting. The\n\nBoard shall have the right to formulate and establish by-laws not\n\ninconsistent with the provisions of this compact to govern its own\nhe\n\nBoard shall be a Chairman, a Vice Chairman, a Secretary, a\n\nTreasurer, and such additional officers as may be created by the\n\nBoard from time to time. The Board shall meet annually and officers\n\nshall be elected to hold office until the next annual meeting. The\n\nBoard shall have the right to formulate and establish by-laws not\n\ninconsistent with the provisions of this compact to govern its own\n\nactions in the performance of the duties delegated to it including\n\nthe right to create and appoint an Executive Committee and a Finance\n\nCommittee with such powers and authority as the Board may delegate\n\nto them from time to time. The Board may, within its discretion,\n\nelect as its Chairman a person who is not a member of the Board,\n\nprovided such person resides within a signatory state, and upon such\n\nelection such person shall become a member of the Board with all the\n\nrights and privileges of such membership.\n\nIt shall be the duty of the Board to submit plans and\n\nrecommendations to the states from time to time for their approval\n\nand adoption by appropriate legislative action for the development,\n\nestablishment, acquisition, operation and maintenance of educational\n\nschools and institutions within the geographical limits of the\n\nregional area of the state, of such character and type and for such\n\neducational purposes, professional, technological, scientific,\n\nliterary, or otherwise, as they may deem and determine to be proper,\n\nnecessary or advisable. Title to all such educational institutions\n\nwhen so established by appropriate legislative actions of the states\n\nand to all properties and facilities used in connection therewith\n\nshall be vested in said Board as the agency of and for the use and\n\nbenefit of the said states and the citizens thereof, and all such\n\neducational institutions shall be operated, maintained and financed\n\nin the manner herein set out, subject to any provisions or\n\nlimitations which may be contained in the legislative acts of the\n\nstates authorizing the creation, establishment and operation of such\n\neducational institutions.\n\nIn addition to the power and authority heretofore granted, the\n\nBoard shall have the power to enter into such agreements or\n\narrangements with any of the states and with educational\n\ninstitutions or agencies, as may be required in the judgment of the\n\nBoard, to provide adequate services and facilities for the graduate,\n\nprofessional, and technical education for the benefit of the\n\ncitizens of the respective states residing within the region, and\n\nsuch additional and general power and authority as may be vested in\n\nthe Board from time to time by legislative enactment of the said\n\nstates.\n\nAny two (2) or more states who are parties of this compact shall\n\nhave the right to enter into supplemental agreements providing for\n\nthe establishment, financing and operation of regional educational\n\ninstitutions for the benefit of citizens residing within an area\n\nwhich constitutes a portion of the general region herein created,\n\nsuch institutions to be financed exclusively by such states and to\n\nbe controlled exclusively by the members of the Board representing\n\nsuch states provided such agreement is submitted to and approved by\n\nthe Board prior to the establishment of such institutions.\n\nEach state agrees that, when authorized by the Legislature, it\n\nwill from time to time make available and pay over to said Board\n\nsuch funds as may be required for the establishment, acquisition,\n\noperation and maintenance of such regional educational institutions\n\nas may be authorized by the states under the terms of this compact,\n\nthe contribution of each state at all times to be in the proportion\n\nthat its population bears to the total combined population of the\n\nstates who are parties hereto as shown from time to time by the most\n\nrecent official published report of the Bureau of the Census of the\nnd maintenance of such regional educational institutions\n\nas may be authorized by the states under the terms of this compact,\n\nthe contribution of each state at all times to be in the proportion\n\nthat its population bears to the total combined population of the\n\nstates who are parties hereto as shown from time to time by the most\n\nrecent official published report of the Bureau of the Census of the\n\nUnited States of America; or upon such other basis as may be agreed\n\nupon.\n\nThis compact shall not take effect or be binding upon any state\n\nunless and until it shall be approved by proper legislative action\n\nof as many as six (6) or more of the states whose Governors have\n\nsubscribed hereto within a period of eighteen (18) months from the\n\ndate hereof. When and if six (6) or more states shall have given\n\nlegislative approval to this compact within said eighteen (18)\n\nmonths' period, it shall be and become binding upon such six (6) or\n\nmore states sixty (60) days after the date of legislative approval\n\nby the sixth state and the Governors of such six (6) or more states\n\nshall forthwith name the members of the Board from their states as\n\nhereinabove set out, and the Board shall then meet on call of the\n\nGovernor of any state approving this compact, at which time the\n\nBoard shall elect officers, adopt by-laws, appoint committees and\n\notherwise fully organize. Other states whose names are subscribed\n\nhereto shall thereafter become parties hereto upon approval of this\n\ncompact by legislative action within two (2) years from the date\n\nhereof, upon such conditions as may be agreed upon at the time.\n\nProvided, however, that with respect to any state whose constitution\n\nmay require amendment in order to permit legislative approval of the\n\ncompact, such state or states shall become parties hereto upon\n\napproval of this compact by legislative action within seven (7)\n\nyears from the date hereof, upon such conditions as may be agreed\n\nupon at the time.\n\nAfter becoming effective this compact shall thereafter continue\n\nwithout limitation of time; provided, however, that it may be\n\nterminated at any time by unanimous action of the states and\n\nprovided further that any state may withdraw from this compact if\n\nsuch withdrawal is approved by its Legislature, such withdrawal to\n\nbecome effective two (2) years after written notice thereof to the\n\nBoard accompanied by a certified copy of the requisite legislative\n\naction, but such withdrawal shall not relieve the withdrawing state\n\nfrom its obligations hereunder accruing up to the effective date of\n\nsuch withdrawal. Any state so withdrawing shall ipso facto cease to\n\nhave any claim to or ownership of any of the property held or vested\n\nin the Board or to any of the funds of the Board held under the\n\nterms of this compact.\n\nIf any state shall at any time become in default in the\n\nperformance of any of its obligations assumed herein or with respect\n\nto any obligation imposed upon said state as authorized by and in\n\ncompliance with the terms and provisions of this compact, all\n\nrights, privileges and benefits of such defaulting state, its\n\nmembers on the Board and its citizens shall ipso facto be and become\n\nsuspended from and after the date of such default. Unless such\n\ndefault shall be remedied and made good within a period of one (1)\n\nyear immediately following the date of such default this compact may\n\nbe terminated with respect to such defaulting state by an\n\naffirmative vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the members of the Board\n\n(exclusive of the members representing the state in default), from\n\nand after which time such state shall cease to be a party to this\n\ncompact and shall have no further claim to or ownership of any of\n\nthe property held by or vested in the Board or to any of the funds\n\nof the Board held under the terms of this compact, but such\n\ntermination shall in no manner release such defaulting state from\nrd\n\n(exclusive of the members representing the state in default), from\n\nand after which time such state shall cease to be a party to this\n\ncompact and shall have no further claim to or ownership of any of\n\nthe property held by or vested in the Board or to any of the funds\n\nof the Board held under the terms of this compact, but such\n\ntermination shall in no manner release such defaulting state from\n\nany accrued obligation or otherwise affect this compact or the\n\nrights, duties, privileges or obligations of the remaining states\n\nthereunder.","path":["OK Code","Title 70"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os70.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"a138fb60107f094500fb5a17f1bcb2bb5170e5fd06013b663a5094824f9d47cd","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-2120","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-2128"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}