Okla. Stat. tit. 62, § 62-2309

A. The Board of Directors of the Tobacco Settlement Endowment

Trust Fund shall be empowered to:

1. Appoint an executive director and other staff necessary to

perform the duties of the Board of Directors;

2. Make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary

or convenient to the exercise of its powers on such terms and for

such period of time as the Board of Directors shall determine; and

3. Promulgate rules in accordance with the Administrative

Procedures Act and not inconsistent with the Tobacco Settlement

Endowment Trust Fund Act to implement its duties and

responsibilities as provided by law.

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 62. Public Finance Page 645

B. Funding for capital expenditures and operating expenses

incurred by the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and

the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, for

educational programs and residency training to maintain or improve

the health of Oklahomans or to enhance the provision of health care

services to Oklahomans, is hereby deemed to be an allowable purpose

for which earnings from the trust fund may be expended pursuant to

the provisions of paragraph 3 of subsection E of Section 40 of

Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution. Pursuant to its authority

as set forth in subsection G of Section 40 of Article X of the

Oklahoma Constitution, the Legislature hereby authorizes the Board

to expend earnings from the trust fund for such purposes, in

addition to other purposes provided by law.

C. The Board shall develop a multiyear strategy by January 1,

2002, and annually update it in order to guide the Board's funding

for those programs set forth in Section 40 of Article X of the

Oklahoma Constitution. The strategy shall be used to maximize the

outcomes of the grants awarded by the Board of Directors.

D. The Board of Directors shall develop grant programs for

private, nonprofit, and public entities for the purposes set forth

in Section 40 of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution.

1. The selection and awarding of grants, whether in the form of

professional service contracts or any other funding mechanism

developed by the Board of Directors, awarded pursuant to grant

programs developed under this subsection, shall be exempt from the

requirements of The Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act.

2. The Board of Directors shall develop competitive processes

for awarding grants under programs developed under this subsection.

Such competitive processes for selection shall not be required for

contracts awarded for program support services, including, but not

limited to, professional service contracts to evaluate, audit or

provide budgeting, accounting, auditing or legal services for

specific programs or program grantees, contractors or participants.

3. The Board of Directors may promulgate rules to assist in the

implementation and administration of grant programs developed under

this subsection.

4. The terms of any request for proposals, request for

applications, invitation for bid, bid notice, or grant proposal or

any other solicitation issued by the Board of Directors to solicit

or invite applications, proposals, bids or responses to obtain

funding under grant programs developed under this subsection shall

be confidential until the date and time at which the solicitation is

to be made equally and uniformly known to all prospective applicants

and the public, at which point all such documents and information

shall be uniformly known to all prospective applicants and the

public, at which point all such documents and information shall be

subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act and Oklahoma Open Meeting

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 62. Public Finance Page 646

Act. Any application, proposal, bid, or any other document to

obtain funding responsive to any solicitation of the Board of

Directors under grant programs developed under this subsection shall
cants and the

public, at which point all such documents and information shall be

subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act and Oklahoma Open Meeting

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 62. Public Finance Page 646

Act. Any application, proposal, bid, or any other document to

obtain funding responsive to any solicitation of the Board of

Directors under grant programs developed under this subsection shall

be confidential until the date and time of award of the grant or

contract, at which point all such documents and information shall be

subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act and Oklahoma Open Meeting

Act. Any unsolicited application, proposal, bid, or any other

document to obtain funding shall not be considered to be

confidential and shall be subject to the Oklahoma Open Records Act

and Oklahoma Open Meeting Act at all times.

E. The Board of Directors shall encourage grantees to match

grant monies awarded with monetary commitments and in-kind matches.

F. The Board of Directors shall be required to develop a

performance evaluation component for the Board of Directors'

activities and those of its grantees so that the performance of

grantees can be measured by their attainment of outcomes.

G. The Board of Directors shall contract periodically for

performance evaluations. Copies of the evaluations shall be filed

with the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and

the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

H. The Board of Directors shall prepare an annual report

detailing the Board of Directors' activities and reporting its

expenditures and the outcomes achieved by the expenditures. A copy

of the report shall be submitted to the Governor, the Speaker of the

House of Representatives, and the President Pro Tempore of the

Senate.

I. All records associated with the expenditure of monies

received by the Board of Directors or its grantees pursuant to the

Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund Act shall be subject to the

Oklahoma Open Records Act.