Oklahoma Emergency Management and Homeland Security Authorities Summarized

Publication Date: March 2004

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

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Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

The Oklahoma legislature has enacted four statutes that address emergency management issues: the Emergency Response Act, the Emergency Management Act of 2003, the Emergency Response and Notification Act, and the Catastrophic Health Emergency Powers Act. There are six entities with key responsibility during an emergency, including the governor and the state Emergency Management Agency. Financial aid to political subdivisions is given in the form of claims to federal funds and state emergency accounts. Aid to individuals comes from state and federal disaster relief funds. The Emergency Interim Executive and Judicial Succession Act provides for succession of judiciary and other public offices in emergencies. The Emergency Management Interim Legislative Succession Act provides for the continued operation of the legislature. Alternate locations for both the state seat of government and local seats of government are provided for in statute. Oklahoma uses mutual aid agreements and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact to facilitate the exchange of aid.

This report is one of a series that profiles emergency management and homeland security statutory authorities of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Each profile identifies the more significant elements of state statutes, generally as codified. Congressional readers may wish to conduct further searches for related provisions using the Internet link presented in the last section of this report. The National Conference of State Legislatures provided primary research assistance in the development of these profiles under contract to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Summary information on all of the profiles is presented in CRS Report RL32287. This report will be updated as developments warrant.