Okla. Stat. tit. 22, § 22-1355.4

A. The chief executive officer of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense

System shall be the Executive Director, who shall be appointed by

the Board and serve at the pleasure of the Board. The Executive

Director shall be an attorney who has practiced law for at least

four (4) years preceding the appointment and who is licensed to

practice law in this state or is eligible to become so licensed

within one (1) year of the appointment. The Executive Director

shall have experience in the representation of persons accused or

convicted of crimes.

B. The Executive Director shall perform administrative

functions which serve the Board.

C. The Executive Director shall have the following powers and

duties:

1. To prepare and administer an annual budget approved by the

Board and to process claims for the System;

2. To enter into contracts to provide counsel in cases in which

the defendant is indigent and unable to employ counsel, to enter

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 22. Criminal Procedure Page 512

into contracts with individuals, educational institutions, or state

or federal agencies for other purposes, and to approve or disapprove

the provisions of any such contract;

3. To review and approve or disapprove claims for expenditures

of monies;

4. To take such actions as shall strengthen the criminal

justice system in this state;

5. To promote the education and training of all attorneys

representing indigent criminal defendants including, subject to

available funding, nationally recognized defense seminars and

evidence-based practices regarding behavioral health and treatment

of defendants with substance abuse or mental health needs;

6. To maintain and improve effective representation for the

indigent criminal defendant;

7. To employ personnel as necessary to carry out the duties

imposed upon the System by law and to set the salaries of such

personnel, subject to the salary schedules adopted by the Board;

8. To solicit and maintain a current list of attorneys licensed

to practice law in this state who are willing to accept case

assignments from the System and who meet any other qualifications as

set by the Board;

9. To solicit and maintain a separate list of persons eligible

for appointment to capital cases, who meet the qualifications set by

the System;

10. To establish reasonable hourly rates of compensation for

attorneys appointed in accordance with the Indigent Defense Act,

subject to approval by the Board;

11. To establish maximum caseloads for attorneys employed by

the System, subject to approval by the Board;

12. To reduce caseloads through reassignment of cases to

private attorneys, as necessary;

13. To approve the sharing of office space, equipment, or

personnel among the separate indigent defense programs within the

System;

14. To prepare and submit to the Board an annual report for the

preceding fiscal year regarding the efforts of the System to

implement the purposes of the Indigent Defense Act, and to file that

report with the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate,

the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of

the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and the Presiding Judge of the Oklahoma

Court of Criminal Appeals;

15. To conduct regional or statewide conferences and training

seminars for the purpose of implementing the provisions of the

Indigent Defense Act;

16. To provide System personnel who serve in an advisory

capacity to the indigent defenders and defense attorneys who

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 22. Criminal Procedure Page 513

represent indigents pursuant to contract or who agree to accept

cases assigned by the System to represent indigents of this state;

17. To gather and disseminate information to indigent

defenders, including, but not limited to, changes in the law;

18. To recommend additional legislation necessary to upgrade

the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System or to improve the justice

system; and

19. To operate a cost-effective system by:
contract or who agree to accept

cases assigned by the System to represent indigents of this state;

17. To gather and disseminate information to indigent

defenders, including, but not limited to, changes in the law;

18. To recommend additional legislation necessary to upgrade

the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System or to improve the justice

system; and

19. To operate a cost-effective system by:

a. implementing procedures to track System expenditures

to show costs by case and client and to track time and

expenses by attorney if the attorney is employed by

the System,

b. adopting written policies regarding when employees are

to be in travel status and making efforts to reduce

travel costs, and

c. reviewing assignment of indigency status to identify

clients who have available resources, and collecting

costs of representation when feasible.

D. 1. The Executive Director is hereby authorized to develop,

establish, and maintain lists of approved contractors who have

agreed to provide expert services to the System. The lists shall

include any expert who desires to furnish services to the System and

who has filed a schedule of fees for services with, and on a form

approved by, the Executive Director. Any deviation in excess of the

published schedule of fees shall require the prior written approval

of the Executive Director. Any attorney appointed or assigned cases

in accordance with the Indigent Defense Act may request expert

services from the list of experts maintained by the Executive

Director. The Executive Director or designee may, in said person's

sole discretion, approve requests for expert services; provided,

however, that nothing contained in the Indigent Defense Act shall be

construed to render the Executive Director a member of the defense

team in any System client's case for strategic purposes.

2. Attorneys appointed or assigned cases in accordance with the

Indigent Defense Act may request investigative or other nonexpert

witness services from the Executive Director on a form provided by

the Executive Director. The Executive Director or designee may, in

said person's sole discretion, approve requests for such services at

a reasonable hourly rate of compensation; provided, however, that

nothing contained in the Indigent Defense Act shall be construed to

render the Executive Director a member of the defense team in any

System client's case for strategic purposes.

3. Services obtained under this section may be obtained as sole

source contracts and are specifically exempt from the requirements

of soliciting no less than three quotations found in paragraph 7 of

subsection A of Section 85.45j of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 22. Criminal Procedure Page 514

E. Each individual performing the services provided for in

subsection D of this section may, with the approval of the Executive

Director, be reimbursed for necessary travel expenses up to the

amount permitted by the State Travel Reimbursement Act.

F. Requests for expenses not included in subsections D and E of

this section shall require preapproval by the Executive Director.