ENROLLED HOUSE
BILL NO. 2225	By:	Faught of the House

			   and

		Aldridge and Sparks of the Senate

An Act relating to sunset; amending 74 O.S. 2011, Section 245, which relates to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey; re-creating the Survey; and modifying the termination date.

SUBJECT:  Oklahoma Climatological Survey

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     74 O.S. 2011, Section 245, is amended to read as follows:

Section 245.  A.  The Climate Office of the State of Oklahoma located at Norman, Oklahoma, shall be under the direction and supervision of the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma and shall be known as the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.  The Oklahoma Climatological Survey is hereby re‑created, to continue until July 1, 2012 2014, in accordance with the provisions of the Oklahoma Sunset Law.

B.  The director of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey shall be appointed by the Board and shall either serve as the state climatologist or appoint another current employee of the Survey to serve as state climatologist.  The salary of the director shall be determined by the Board.

C.  The Oklahoma Climatological Survey shall have for its object and duties the following:

1.  To acquire, archive, process and disseminate, in the most cost‑effective way possible, all climate and weather information which is or could be of value to policy and decision makers in the state;

2.  To act as the representative of the state in all climatological and meteorological matters both within and outside the state when requested to do so by the legislative or executive branches of the state government;

3.  To prepare, publish and disseminate periodic regular climate summaries for those individuals, agencies and organizations whose activities are related to the welfare of the state and are affected by climate and weather;

4.  To conduct and report on studies of climate and weather phenomena of significant socio‑economic socioeconomic importance to the state; 

5.  To evaluate the significance of natural and man‑made, deliberate and inadvertent changes or modifications in important features of the climate and weather affecting the state, and to report this information to those agencies and organizations in the state who are likely to be affected by such changes or modifications; and

6.  To maintain and operate the Oklahoma Mesonetwork, a statewide environmental monitoring network which is overseen by the Mesonet Steering Committee, comprised of representatives of the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University according to its Memorandum of Agreement.  The director of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey shall be accountable for executing the policies of the Mesonet Steering Committee.

D.  The director is authorized to certify copies as being authentic reproductions of weather records held in the state.

E.  The director of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey shall present a report each year to the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma showing the progress, condition and all other information which the Board may deem necessary.

Passed the House of Representatives the 29th day of February, 2012.

	
Presiding Officer of the House of
	Representatives

Passed the Senate the 12th day of April, 2012.

	
Presiding Officer of the Senate