The Cabinet of the governor of Oklahoma is a body of the most senior appointed officials of the executive branch of the government of Oklahoma. Originally an informal meeting between the

governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the '' ex of ...

and various government officials, the Governor's Cabinet has evolved into an important information link between the governor and the various agencies, boards and commissions that operate within state government. Cabinet officers are appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the Oklahoma Senate. Once confirmed, all members of the Cabinet receive the title "Secretary" and serve at the pleasure of the governor. The Cabinet is responsible for advising the governor on the operations and policies of the State government. The current Cabinet is serving under Governor Kevin Stitt.

History

When

Governor of Oklahoma The governor of Oklahoma is the head of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Under the Oklahoma Constitution, the governor serves as the head of the Oklahoma executive branch, of the government of Oklahoma. The governor is the '' ex of ...

David Boren David Lyle Boren (born April 21, 1941) is a retired American lawyer and politician from the state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as 21st governor of Oklahoma from 1975 to 1979 and three terms in the United States Sen ...

first took office, Oklahoma possessed no form of Cabinet system. Taking the example of other states, Governor Boren began holding semi-official and semi-regular meetings with various heads of state agencies whenever necessary. Under Boren’s successor,

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 ...

, following the recommendation of the Nigh Commission, Oklahoma adopted an official Cabinet system with 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 ...

which created an overlay of cabinet secretaries. However, the act did not transfer the statutory and constitutional powers delegated to the agencies, boards and commissions over to the cabinet secretaries. Some citizens argue that it should have but others say that 12-15 people should not replace the hundreds of agencies, boards and commissions within the tradition of active participatory democracy form of governance. In 2009, the

Oklahoma Legislature The Legislature of the State of Oklahoma is the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate are the two houses that make up the bicameral state legislature. There are 101 ...

amended the Executive Branch Reform Act to mandate the establishment of the Secretary of Information Technology.

Cabinet Areas

The Executive Branch Reform Act first called for the creating of a Cabinet with no more than fifteen "cabinet areas" which were to consist of the various state agencies, committees, and boards with similar administrative objectives. These cabinet areas would not be agencies of the State and thus could not exercise the executive power of the State. They would only exist to better serve the Governor in crafting policy and information gathering. The original law mandated only one cabinet area: one containing the Department of Veteran Affairs. The law has since been amended to mandate the creation of Information Technology cabinet area. After that, the law allowed the Governor to create the other fourteen cabinet areas at his discretion until the

formally created the cabinet areas. The heads of these executive cabinet area would be given the title of "Secretary" followed by the name of their cabinet area (or a shortened title thereof). The Governor, within 45 days of taking office, is allowed to create his own cabinet, with anywhere from no less than 10 but no more than 15 "cabinet areas". The Governor is allowed to create any cabinet area he desires and to place whichever agencies, bureaus, and commissions he wants under those cabinet areas. For example, under Governor

Frank Keating Francis Anthony Keating II (initially born as David Rowland Keating) (born February 10, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003. , Keating is one of only five governors in Okl ...

, the

Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation is a department of the government of Oklahoma within the Tourism and Branding Cabinet. The Department is responsible for regulating Oklahoma's tourism industry and for promoting Oklahoma as a to ...

and the

Oklahoma Department of Commerce The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the Oklahoma secretary of commerce. The department is responsible for the supporting local communities, stimulating growth of the existing businesses, attrac ...

each belonged to separate cabinet areas, while under Governor Brad Henry the Secretary of Commerce and Tourism was the cabinet secretary for both departments. Alternatively, under Governor Keating, the Secretary of Health and Human Services oversaw the

Oklahoma State Department of Health The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) is a department of the government of Oklahoma under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Health. The department is responsible for protecting the health of all Oklahomans and providing other ...

and the

Oklahoma Department of Human Services The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma. Under the supervision of the Oklahoma Secretary of Health and Human Services, OKDHS is responsible for providing help to individuals and families in need ...

while Governor Henry split the posts into a separate Secretary of Health to oversee the Health Department and a separate Secretary of Human Services to oversee the Human Services Department. Under the administration of Kevin Stitt, the

Health Department A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services are grouped under the same cabinet secretary. Regardless of the number of cabinet areas and their functions, at least one must be the Secretary of Veteran Affairs and must be charged with providing for Oklahoma's veterans and one must be the Secretary of Information Technology and must be charged with overseeing state use of information technology and telecommunications. Following the Oklahoma Supreme Court case of '' Keating v. Edmondson'' in 2001, it was deemed illegal for a Governor to change the cabinet areas and their functions past the 45-day deadline unilaterally. In order to change a cabinet area after the first 45 days in office, the Governor must seek approval from the

via legislation.

Cabinet Secretaries

Appointment

All Cabinet Secretaries are appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Oklahoma Senate. Potential appointees for Secretary positions may be appointed to serve as members of the Office of the Governor or may be selected from among the agency heads within the Secretary's cabinet area. If the Senate is not in session when the Governor nominates an individual, then the Cabinet Secretary serves on an unconfirmed basis until the next session of the Senate. Each Cabinet Secretary is appointed for a four-year term but may be removed at any time by the Governor. The only exception to this rule is

Oklahoma Secretary of State The Secretary of State of the State of Oklahoma is the chief clerical officer of Oklahoma and a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary of State is the only appointed constitutional member of the executive branch of the Oklahoma ...

, who serves a fixed four-year term. Cabinet Secretary positions are semi-formal and are not legally classified as "officers of the State". As such, Cabinet Secretaries are allowed to hold another office within the State government. Examples of this include

Matt Pinnell Philip Matthew Pinnell (born August 15, 1979) is an American politician serving as the 17th lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, since 2019. Pinnell is also serving as the first Oklahoma Secretary of Tourism & Branding. Pinnell is a member of the ...

’s service as Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma and Secretary of Tourism and Branding under Governor Kevin Stitt since 2019, and previously

Scott Meacham Scott Meacham (born 1963) served as the 17th State Treasurer of Oklahoma from June, 2005 to January, 2011, having been appointed to that post by then-Governor Brad Henry following the resignation of then-State Treasurer Robert Butkin. Meacham ...

, who served as both the Secretary of Finance and Revenue and the

State Treasurer of Oklahoma The State Treasurer of Oklahoma is the chief custodian of Oklahoma’s cash deposits, monies from bond sales, and other securities and collateral and directs the investments of those assets. The treasurer provides for the safe and efficient operat ...

under Governor Brad Henry from 2005 to 2011.

Powers and Duties

Regardless of cabinet area, all Cabinet Secretaries are responsible for advising the Governor of any policy changes or problems within their area, advising the entities they represent of any policy changes or problems as directed by the Governor, and for coordinating information gathering as requested by the Legislature. Cabinet Secretaries do not possess the power to direct or control any agency they represent outside of their ability to gather information. They have no authority to direct or control any agency within their Cabinet Area except their own direct staff. They also do not have the authority to hire or fire personnel in their Cabinet Area except those on their own direct staff. The component agencies are directed and controlled by their respective department heads. The Cabinet Secretaries may only direct a component agency when previously authorized by the Governor through

executive order In the United States, an executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. The legal or constitutional basis for executive orders has multiple sources. Article Two of t ...

or if a Secretary serves concurrently as the head of that agency. Each Cabinet Secretary is subject to the direction and control of the

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 ...

. All agencies assigned to each Cabinet Secretary exercise their powers and duties in accordance with the general policy established by the Cabinet Secretary acting on behalf of the Governor. Each Cabinet Secretary has the power to resolve administrative, jurisdictional, operational, program, or policy conflicts between agencies or officials assigned to them, oversees and directs the formulation of program budgets for their assigned agencies, is responsible for holding their assigned agency heads accountable for their actions, and directs the development of goals, objectives, policies and plans for their assigned agencies.

Cabinet Positions

Current cabinet members

The current Cabinet, as of July 2021, serving under

Kevin Stitt is as follows:

Historic composition

Notes

External links

Executive Order 2011-06 establishing the current Cabinet system
{{U.S. state cabinets * Cabinet United States state cabinets