2023 Oklahoma Statutes
Title 21. Crimes and Punishments
§21-2200. Oklahoma Organized Retail Crime Task Force.

A. There is hereby created the Oklahoma Organized Retail Crime Task Force until December 31, 2024. The purpose of the task force shall be to provide the Legislature and the Governor with information on organized retail crime and the advantages and drawbacks of instituting various countermeasures to counter losses from retail theft in the state.

B. The task force shall consist of fifteen (15) members as follows:

1. Three members, appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be an individual who represents state or local law enforcement;

2. Two members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate;

3. Two members appointed by the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives;

4. One member appointed by the District Attorneys Council;

5. One member appointed by the Oklahoma Retail Merchants Association;

6. One member appointed by the State Chamber;

7. One member appointed by the Oklahoma Sheriffs’ Association;

8. One member appointed by the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police;

9. One member appointed by the Attorney General;

10. One member from the Convenience Distributors of Oklahoma; and

11. One member from the Oklahoma Grocers Association.

C. Quorum for official business of the task force shall be eight members. A chairperson and a vice chairperson shall be elected by a majority vote of the members of the task force.

D. Appointments to the task force shall be made by the appointing authority no later than sixty (60) days after the effective date of this act. Appointed members shall, to the greatest extent practicable, have by education or experience, knowledge of organized retail theft. The chair shall hold the first meeting of the task force no later than ninety (90) days after the effective date of this act. Any vacancies in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner provided for in the initial appointment.

E. The members of the task force shall receive no compensation but shall receive travel reimbursement for necessary travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties in accordance with the State Travel Reimbursement Act. The task force shall be staffed by the Senate.

F. The task force may consult with any organization, government entity, or person in the development of its report required pursuant to the provisions of subsection G of this section.

G. On or before December 15, 2024, the task force shall electronically submit to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate, the Oklahoma Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairs of the House and Senate committees that oversee public safety, a report containing, but not limited to, the following information based on available data:

1. A review of laws and regulations on organized retail crime used by other states, the federal government, and foreign countries to regulate the marketplace;

2. The use of organized retail theft’s impact on state and local tax receipts;

3. The need for interagency coordination of public education and outreach and prevention programs for business owners; and

4. Legislative and regulatory recommendations, if any, to increase transparency and security, enhance consumer protections, prevent organized retail theft, and to address the long-term economic impact related to the prevalence of organized retail crime.

Added by Laws 2023, c. 333, § 1, emerg. eff. June 6, 2023.