The Fortieth Oklahoma Legislature was a meeting of the

legislative branch A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as ...

of the

government of Oklahoma The government of the U.S. State of Oklahoma, established by the Oklahoma Constitution, is a republican democracy modeled after the federal government of the United States. The state government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and ...

, composed of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. It met in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

from January 8, 1985, to January 6, 1987, during the term of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

George Nigh George Patterson Nigh (born June 9, 1927) is an American politician and civic leader from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Nigh served as the 17th and the 22nd governor of Oklahoma and as the eighth and tenth lieutenant governor of Oklahoma. He was th ...

. It was marked by the enactment of the

Executive Branch Reform Act of 1986 The Executive Branch Reform Act of 1986 (74 O.S. Sections 10.1–10.4) is an Oklahoma state law that requires the Governor of Oklahoma to organize the various 500 or more departments, agencies, boards, commissions and other entities of the state's ...

and the establishment of the

franchise tax A franchise tax is a government levy (tax) charged by some US states to certain business organizations such as corporations and partnerships with a nexus in the state. A franchise tax is not based on income. Rather, the typical franchise tax cal ...

in Oklahoma. Lieutenant Governor Spencer Bernard served as President of the Senate.

Rodger Randle Rodger Allen Randle (born October 26, 1943) is a retired American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. He served twice as President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate and was a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 1972 to 1988.President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-r ...

. The Republican Minority leader of the Senate was Timothy D. Leonard. The

Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives The Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives is the speaker (politics), presiding officer of the lower house of the Oklahoma Legislature, the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The speaker exercises administrative and procedural functions ...

was

Jim Barker James Barker (born August 25, 1956) is a senior advisor for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Barker has been the general manager of the Calgary Stampeders from 2005-07, and the Argonauts from 2011-2016. He was also th ...

. The Republican Minority leader of the House was Frank W. Davis.

Dates of sessions

*First regular session: January 8-July 19, 1985A Century to Remember
, Okhouse.gov (accessed June 20, 2013) *Second regular session: January 7-June 13, 1986 Previous: 39th Legislature • Next: 41st Legislature

Party composition

Senate

House of Representatives

Major legislation

Enacted

*The

reorganized the executive branch into agency function categories, stopped short of consolidation of the more than 250 executive branch agencies, boards and commissions. *The Oklahoma Franchise Tax Code established the

in Oklahoma.

Leadership

Lieutenant Governor Spencer Bernard served as President of the Senate, presiding over ceremonial session activities.

Rodger Randle Rodger Allen Randle (born October 26, 1943) is a retired American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. He served twice as President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate and was a member of the Oklahoma Senate from 1972 to 1988.President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Oklahoma Senate is the second-highest-ranking official of the Oklahoma Senate and the highest-ranking state senator. The Oklahoma Constitution designates the Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma as the highest-r ...

. The Republican Minority leader of the Senate was Timothy D. Leonard. The

was

. Lonnie Abbot served as Speaker Pro Tempore. The Republican Minority leader of the House was Frank W. Davis.

Members

Senate

*Table based on state almanac.

House of Representatives

*Table based on government database of historic members.Historic Members
, Okhouse.gov (accessed July 10, 2013)

References

{{Oklahoma Legislatures Oklahoma legislative sessions 1985 in Oklahoma 1986 in Oklahoma 1985 U.S. legislative sessions 1986 U.S. legislative sessions