2023 Oklahoma Statutes › Title 2. Agriculture › §2-4006. Powers and duties of Authority.

A. On and after July 1, 2023, the Authority shall have the power and duty to:
1. Adopt bylaws and promulgate rules for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business;
2. Adopt an official seal;
3. Maintain an office at a location to be determined by the Authority;
4. Sue and be sued, subject to the provisions of the Governmental Tort Claims Act;
5. Enter into cooperative agreements with the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges and/or other Oklahoma State University agencies, authorities, trusts or entities for educational programs, professional staffing, research and other veterinary activities;
6. Make and enter into all contracts necessary or incidental to the performance of its duties and the execution of its powers pursuant to the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority Act;
7. Purchase or lease equipment, furniture, materials and supplies, and incur such other expenses as may be necessary to maintain and operate animal hospitals or clinics, or to discharge its duties and responsibilities or to make any of its powers effective;
8. Acquire by purchase, lease, gift, or by any other manner, and to maintain, use and operate or to contract for the maintenance, use and operation of or lease of any and all property of any kind, real, personal, or mixed or any interest therein unless otherwise provided by the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority Act;
9. Appoint such officers, agents, and employees, including but not limited to attorneys, as it deems necessary and to prescribe their duties and to fix their compensation;
10. Accept grants from the United States of America, or from any corporation or agency created or designed by the United States of America, and, in connection with any grant, to enter into such agreements as the United States of America or such corporation or agency may require;
11. Make and issue bonds and to pledge revenues of the Authority subject to the Oklahoma Bond Oversight and Reform Act. Nothing in the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority Act shall authorize the issuance of any bonds of the Authority payable other than from revenues of the Authority. Authority revenue bonds issued under the provisions of this act shall not at any time be deemed to constitute a debt of the state or of any political subdivision thereof, or a pledge of the faith and credit of the state or of any political subdivision, but such bonds shall be payable solely from the funds herein provided. Such revenue bonds shall contain on the face thereof a statement to the effect that neither the state nor the Authority shall be obligated to pay the same or the interest thereon except from the revenues of the project or projects for which they are issued and that neither the faith and credit nor the taxing power of the state or any political subdivision thereof is pledged, or may hereafter be pledged, to the payment of the principal of or the interest on such bonds. The maximum amount of outstanding bonds at any time shall not exceed Fifty Million Dollars ($50,000,000.00) unless a greater amount is expressly approved by the Legislature by a concurrent resolution adopted prior to commencing any action in anticipation of issuance of revenue bonds of the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority for the greater amount;
12. Provide for complete financial audits on all accounts of the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority and to authorize periodic audits by an independent external auditing agency. Such audits shall be performed annually in a format approved by the State Auditor and Inspector, and all such audits shall be submitted to the State Auditor and Inspector for review. Such audits shall be made in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and government auditing standards. Financial statements shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
13. Engage in long-term planning for the operation and management of the Authority;
14. Establish petty cash funds and provide for appropriate accounting procedures and controls;
15. Contract with national manufacturers and distributors of drugs and medical supplies when appropriate to carry out the purposes of this act;
16. Do all other things necessary and proper to implement the provisions of the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority Act;
17. Provide funding to other entities related to public health, animal health, teaching, research, and the purposes of the Oklahoma State Veterinary Medicine Authority Act when provided funding for such purposes by the Legislature;
18. Waive, by such means as the Authority deems appropriate, the exemption from federal income taxation of interest on the Authority's bonds provided by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or any other federal statute providing a similar exemption;19. Arrange for guaranties or insurance of its bonds by the federal government or by any private insurer, and to pay any premiums therefor; and
20. Make a declaration of necessity as provided in Section 3 of this act. The Authority may, in its exclusive judgment, make a declaration of necessity when such a declaration is deemed necessary to effectuate the purposes of the Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority Act.
B. The Oklahoma State University Veterinary Medicine Authority shall be subject to the Oklahoma State Finance Act.
C. The Authority shall prepare monthly a "budget vs. actual" report which shows by budget activity the monthly and year-to-date revenues and expenditures compared to budgeted revenues and expenditures. Such report shall be submitted to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and to the Directors of the House of Representatives Fiscal Division and the Senate Fiscal Division.
D. The Authority shall be subject to the professional risk management program provided for in Section 85.58A of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
Added by Laws 2023, c. 297, § 6, eff. July 1, 2023.