{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-506.1","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-506.1","heading":"Enactment of Compact - Text","body":"The compact for education is hereby entered into and enacted\n\ninto law with all jurisdictions legally joining therein, in the form\n\nsubstantially as follows:\n\nCOMPACT FOR EDUCATION\n\nARTICLE I. PURPOSE AND POLICY\n\nA. It is the purpose of this Compact to:\n\n1. Establish and maintain close cooperation and understanding\n\namong executive, legislative, professional educational and lay\n\nleadership on a nationwide basis at the state and local levels.\n\n2. Provide a forum for the discussion, development,\n\ncrystallization and recommendation of public policy alternatives in\n\nthe field of education.\n\n3. Provide a clearinghouse of information on matters relating\n\nto educational problems and how they are being met in different\n\nplaces throughout the nation, so that the executive and legislative\n\nbranches of state government and of local communities may have ready\n\naccess to the experience and record of the entire country, and so\n\nthat both lay and professional groups in the field of education may\n\nhave additional avenues for the sharing of experience and the\n\ninterchange of ideas in the formation of public policy in education.\n\n4. Facilitate the improvement of state and local educational\n\nsystems so that all of them will be able to meet adequate and\n\ndesirable goals in a society which requires continuous qualitative\n\nand quantitative advice in educational opportunities, methods and\n\nfacilities.\n\nB. It is the policy of this Compact to encourage and promote\n\nlocal and state initiative in the development, maintenance,\n\nimprovement and administration of educational systems and\n\ninstitutions in a manner which will accord with the needs and\n\nadvantages of diversity among localities and states.\n\nC. The party states recognize that each of them has an interest\n\nin the quality and quantity of education furnished in each of the\n\nother states, as well as in the excellence of its own educational\n\nsystems and institutions, because of the highly mobile character of\n\nindividuals within the nation, and because the products and services\n\ncontributing to the health, welfare and economic advancement of each\n\nstate are supplied in significant part by persons educated in other\n\nstates.\n\nARTICLE II. STATE DEFINED\n\nAs used in this Compact, \"State\" means a state, territory, or\n\npossession of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the\n\nCommonwealth of Puerto Rico.\n\nARTICLE III. THE COMMISSION\n\nA. The Educational Commission of the states, hereinafter called\n\n\"the Commission\", is hereby established. The Commission shall\n\nconsist of seven (7) members representing each party state. One of\n\nsuch members shall be the Governor; two shall be members of the\n\nState Legislature selected by its respective houses and serving in\n\nsuch manner as the Legislature may determine; one shall be the\n\nChancellor of the State Regents for Higher Education; one shall be\n\nthe State Superintendent of Public Instruction; and two shall be\n\nappointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor, unless the\n\nlaws of the state otherwise provide. If the laws of a state prevent\n\nlegislators from serving on the Commission, six members shall be\n\nappointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor, unless the\n\nlaws of the state otherwise provide. In addition to any other\n\nprinciples or requirements which a state may establish for the\n\nappointment and service of its members of the Commission, the\n\nguiding principle for the composition of the membership on the\n\nCommission from each party state shall be that the members\n\nrepresenting such state shall, by virtue of their training,\n\nexperience, knowledge or affiliations be in a position collectively\n\nto reflect broadly the interests of the state government, higher\n\neducation, the state education system, local education, lay and\n\nprofessional, public, and nonpublic educational leadership. Of\n\nthose appointees, one shall be the head of a state agency or\nt the members\n\nrepresenting such state shall, by virtue of their training,\n\nexperience, knowledge or affiliations be in a position collectively\n\nto reflect broadly the interests of the state government, higher\n\neducation, the state education system, local education, lay and\n\nprofessional, public, and nonpublic educational leadership. Of\n\nthose appointees, one shall be the head of a state agency or\n\ninstitution, designated by the Governor, having responsibility for\n\none or more programs of public education. In addition to the\n\nmembers of the Commission representing the party states, there may\n\nbe not to exceed ten nonvoting Commissioners selected by the\n\nsteering committee for terms of one year. Such Commissioners shall\n\nrepresent leading national organizations of professional educators\n\nor persons concerned with educational administration.\n\nB. The members of the Commission shall be entitled to one vote\n\neach on the Commission. No action of the Commission shall be\n\nbinding unless taken at a meeting at which a majority of the total\n\nnumber of votes on the Commission are cast in favor thereof. Action\n\nof the Commission shall be only at a meeting at which a majority of\n\nthe Commissioners are present. The Commission shall meet at least\n\nonce a year. In its bylaws, and subject to such directions and\n\nlimitations as may be contained therein, the Commission may delegate\n\nthe exercise of any of its powers to the steering committee or the\n\nExecutive Director, except for the power to approve budgets or\n\nrequests for appropriations, the power to make policy\n\nrecommendations pursuant to Article IV and adoption of the annual\n\nreport pursuant to Article III(j).\n\nC. The Commission shall have a seal.\n\nD. The Commission shall elect annually, from among its members,\n\na chairman, who shall be a Governor, a vice-chairman and a\n\ntreasurer. The Commission shall provide for the appointment of an\n\nexecutive director. Such executive director shall serve at the\n\npleasure of the Commission, and together with the treasurer and such\n\nother personnel as the Commission may deem appropriate shall be\n\nbonded in such amount as the Commission shall determine. The\n\nexecutive director shall be secretary.\n\nE. Irrespective of the civil service, personnel or other merit\n\nsystem laws of any of the party states, the Executive Director\n\nsubject to the approval of the steering committee shall appoint,\n\nremove or discharge such personnel as may be necessary for the\n\nperformance of the functions of the Commission, and shall fix the\n\nduties and compensation of such personnel. The Commission in its\n\nbylaws shall provide for the personnel policies and programs of the\n\nCommission.\n\nF. The Commission may borrow, accept or contract for the\n\nservices of personnel from any party jurisdiction, the United\n\nStates, or any subdivision or agency of the aforementioned\n\ngovernments, or from any agency of two or more of the party\n\njurisdictions or their subdivisions.\n\nG. The Commission may accept for any of its purposes and\n\nfunctions under this Compact any and all donations, and grants of\n\nmoney, equipment, supplies, materials and services, conditional or\n\notherwise, from any state, the United States or any other\n\ngovernmental agency, or from any person, firm, association,\n\nfoundation, or corporation, and may receive, utilize and dispose of\n\nthe same. Any donation or grant accepted by the Commission pursuant\n\nto this paragraph or services borrowed pursuant to paragraph (f) of\n\nthis article shall be reported in the annual report of the\n\nCommission. Such report shall include the nature, amount and\n\nconditions, if any, of the donation, grant, or services borrowed,\n\nand the identity of the donor or lender.\n\nH. The Commission may establish and maintain such facilities as\n\nmay be necessary for the transacting of its business. The\n\nCommission may acquire, hold, and convey real and personal property\n\nand any interest therein.\nrt of the\n\nCommission. Such report shall include the nature, amount and\n\nconditions, if any, of the donation, grant, or services borrowed,\n\nand the identity of the donor or lender.\n\nH. The Commission may establish and maintain such facilities as\n\nmay be necessary for the transacting of its business. The\n\nCommission may acquire, hold, and convey real and personal property\n\nand any interest therein.\n\nI. The Commission shall adopt bylaws for the conduct of its\n\nbusiness and shall have the power to amend and rescind these bylaws.\n\nThe Commission shall publish its bylaws in convenient form and shall\n\nfile a copy thereof and a copy of any amendment thereto, with the\n\nappropriate agency or officer in each of the party states.\n\nJ. The Commission annually shall make to the Governor and\n\nLegislature of each party state a report covering the activities of\n\nthe Commission for the preceding year. The Commission may make such\n\nadditional reports as it may deem desirable.\n\nARTICLE IV. POWERS\n\nIn addition to authority conferred on the Commission by other\n\nprovisions of the compact, the Commission shall have authority to:\n\n1. Collect, correlate, analyze and interpret information and\n\ndata concerning educational needs and resources.\n\n2. Encourage and foster research in all aspects of education,\n\nbut with special reference to the desirable scope of instruction,\n\norganization, administration, and instructional methods and\n\nstandards employed or suitable for employment in public educational\n\nsystems.\n\n3. Develop proposals for adequate financing of education as a\n\nwhole and at each of its many levels.\n\n4. Conduct or participate in research of the types referred to\n\nin this article in any instance where the Commission finds that such\n\nresearch is necessary for the advancement of the purposes and\n\npolicies of this Compact, utilizing fully the resources of national\n\nassociations, regional compact organizations for higher education,\n\nand other agencies and institutions, both public and private.\n\n5. Formulate suggested policies and plans for the improvement\n\nof public education as a whole, or for any segment thereof, and make\n\nrecommendations with respect thereto available to the appropriate\n\ngovernmental units, agencies and public officials.\n\n6. Do such other things as may be necessary or incidental to\n\nthe administration of any of its authority or functions pursuant to\n\nthis Compact.\n\nARTICLE V. COOPERATION WITH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT\n\nA. If the laws of the United States specifically so provide, or\n\nif administrative provision is made therefor within the federal\n\ngovernment, the United States may be represented on the Commission\n\nby not to exceed ten representatives. Any such representative or\n\nrepresentatives of the United States shall be appointed and serve in\n\nsuch manner as may be provided by or pursuant to federal law, and\n\nmay be drawn from any one or more branches of the federal\n\ngovernment, but no such representative shall have a vote on the\n\nCommission.\n\nB. The Commission may provide information and make\n\nrecommendations to any executive or legislative agency or officer of\n\nthe federal government concerning the common educational policies of\n\nthe state, and may advise with any such agencies or officers\n\nconcerning any matter of mutual interest.\n\nARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES\n\nA. To assist in the expeditious conduct of its business when\n\nthe full Commission is not meeting, the Commission shall elect a\n\nSteering Committee of thirty (30) members which, subject to the\n\nprovisions of this compact and consistent with the policies of the\n\nCommission, shall be constituted and function as provided in the by-\n\nlaws of the Commission. One-third of the voting membership of the\n\nSteering Committee shall consist of Governors, and the remainder\n\nshall consist of other members of the Commission. A federal\n\nrepresentative on the Commission may serve with the Steering\nto the\n\nprovisions of this compact and consistent with the policies of the\n\nCommission, shall be constituted and function as provided in the by-\n\nlaws of the Commission. One-third of the voting membership of the\n\nSteering Committee shall consist of Governors, and the remainder\n\nshall consist of other members of the Commission. A federal\n\nrepresentative on the Commission may serve with the Steering\n\nCommittee, but without vote. The voting members of the Steering\n\nCommittee shall serve for terms of two (2) years, except that\n\nmembers elected to the first Steering Committee of the Commission\n\nshall be elected as follows: fifteen for one (1) year and fifteen\n\nfor two (2) years. The Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Treasurer of\n\nthe Commission shall be members of the Steering Committee and,\n\nanything in this paragraph to the contrary notwithstanding, shall\n\nserve during their continuance in these offices. Vacancies in the\n\nSteering Committee shall not affect its authority to act, but the\n\nCommission at its next regularly ensuing meeting following the\n\noccurrence of any vacancy shall fill it for the unexpired term. No\n\nperson shall serve more than two terms as a member of the steering\n\ncommittee: provided that service for a partial term of one (1) year\n\nor less shall not be counted toward the two term limitation.\n\nB. The Commission may establish advisory and technical\n\ncommittees composed of state, local, and federal officials, and\n\nprivate persons to advise it with respect to any one or more of its\n\nfunctions. Any advisory or technical committee may, on request of\n\nthe states concerned, be established to consider any matter of\n\nspecial concern to two or more of the party states.\n\nC. The Commission may establish such additional committees as\n\nits bylaws may provide.\n\nARTICLE VII. FINANCE\n\nA. The Commission shall advise the Governor or designated\n\nofficer or officers of each party state of its budget and estimated\n\nexpenditures for such period as may be required by the laws of that\n\nparty state. Each of the Commission's budgets of estimated\n\nexpenditures shall contain specific recommendations of the amount or\n\namounts to be appropriated by each of the party states.\n\nB. The total amount of appropriation requests under any budget\n\nshall be apportioned among the party states. In making such\n\napportionment, the Commission shall devise and employ a formula\n\nwhich takes equitable account of the populations and per capita\n\nincome levels of the party states.\n\nC. The Commission shall not pledge the credit of any party\n\nstates. The Commission may meet any of its obligations in whole or\n\nin part with funds available to it pursuant to Article III(g) of\n\nthis Compact, provided that the Commission takes specific action\n\nsetting aside such funds prior to incurring an obligation to be met\n\nin whole or in part in such manner. Except where the Commission\n\nmakes use of funds available to it pursuant to Article III(g)\n\nthereof, the Commission shall not incur any obligation prior to the\n\nallotment of funds by the party states adequate to meet the same.\n\nD. 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\nby its bylaws. However, all receipts and disbursements of funds\n\nhandled by the Commission shall be audited yearly by a qualified\n\npublic accountant, and the report of the audit shall be included in\n\nand become part of the annual reports of the Commission.\n\nE. The accounts of the Commission shall be open at any\n\nreasonable time for inspection by duly constituted officers of the\n\nparty states and by any persons authorized by the Commission.\n\nF. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to prevent\n\nCommission compliance with laws relating to audit or inspection of\n\naccounts by or on behalf of any government contributing to the\n\nsupport of the Commission.\nhe accounts of the Commission shall be open at any\n\nreasonable time for inspection by duly constituted officers of the\n\nparty states and by any persons authorized by the Commission.\n\nF. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to prevent\n\nCommission compliance with laws relating to audit or inspection of\n\naccounts by or on behalf of any government contributing to the\n\nsupport of the Commission.\n\nARTICLE VIII. ELIGIBLE PARTIES; ENTRY INTO AND WITHDRAWAL\n\nA. This compact shall have as eligible parties all states,\n\nterritories, and possessions of the United States, the District of\n\nColumbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. In respect of any\n\nsuch jurisdiction not having a Governor, the term \"Governor\", as\n\nused in this compact, shall mean the closest equivalent official of\n\nsuch jurisdiction.\n\nB. Any state or other eligible jurisdiction may enter into this\n\ncompact and it shall become binding thereon when it has adopted the\n\nsame: provided that in order to enter into initial effect, adoption\n\nby at least ten eligible party jurisdictions shall be required.\n\nC. Adoption of the compact may be either by enactment thereof\n\nor by adherence thereto by the Governor; provided that in the\n\nabsence of enactment, adherence by the Governor shall be sufficient\n\nto make his state a party only until December 31, 1967. During any\n\nperiod when a state is participating in this compact through\n\ngubernatorial action, the Governor shall appoint those persons who,\n\nin addition to himself, shall serve as the members of the Commission\n\nfrom his state, and shall provide to the Commission an equitable\n\nshare of the financial support of the Commission from any source\n\navailable to him.\n\nD. Except for a withdrawal effective on December 31, 1967, in\n\naccordance with paragraph C of this article, any party state may\n\nwithdraw from this compact by enacting a statute repealing the same,\n\nbut no such withdrawal shall take effect until one year after the\n\nGovernor of the withdrawing state has given notice in writing of the\n\nwithdrawal to the Governors of all other party states. No\n\nwithdrawal shall affect any liability already incurred by or\n\nchargeable to a party state prior to the time of such withdrawal.\n\nARTICLE IX. CONSTRUCTION AND SEVERABILITY\n\nThis Compact shall be liberally construed so as to effectuate\n\nthe purposes thereof. The provisions of this compact shall be\n\nseverable and if any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this\n\ncompact is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any state\n\nor of the United States, or the applicability thereof to any\n\ngovernment, agency, person or circumstance is held invalid, the\n\nvalidity of the remainder of this compact and the applicability\n\nthereof to any Government, agency, person or circumstance shall not\n\nbe affected thereby. If this compact shall be held contrary to the\n\nconstitution of any state participating therein, the compact shall\n\nremain in full force and effect as to the State affected as to all\n\nseverable matters.","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":"457d26d51a76ef498435b56c5ab9751350f10f0bc282b6501700852c9cbe3060","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-5-200","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-70-70-506.3"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}