Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes the State Accounts for Federal Expenditures Act (SAFE Act) in Oklahoma.

Highlights:

• Establishes “State Accounts for Federal Expenditures” (SAFE Accounts) in the State Treasury for funds received under competitive grant awards, direct monetary payments not associated with an established federal program, and block grants (Sec. 3).

• Requires all agencies applying for competitive grants through Grants.gov to submit notice and information about the application to the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma State Senate, the Governor, the House Appropriations and Budget Chair, the Senate Appropriations Chair, and the Secretary of Finance (Sec. 4).

• Prohibits agencies from drawing down funds for a competitive grant without approval by concurrent resolution of the Legislature (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that upon approval by the Legislature, a SAFE Account will be created by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, from which an agency is authorized to draw down funds after being awarded the specified grant (Sec. 4).

• Specifies that the provisions of this Section do not apply to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation in the following cases (Sec. 4):

• The competitive grant is used to advance a project listed on the 8 Year Construction work Plan; or

• The competitive grant is provided by the Federal Railroad Administration to a rail company that falls under its regulation.

• Requires funds provided by the federal government to state agencies as a form of monetary relief for poor economic conditions to be placed in SAFE Accounts (Sec. 5).

• Prohibits state agencies from drawing down funds provided by the federal government as relief without a formal hearing and approval by the Legislature (Sec. 5).

• Specifies that if the federal government directs all federal funds to states to be appropriated as block grants instead of program-specific funding, the funds must be placed in SAFE Accounts (Sec. 6).

• Authorizes the Legislature to formally disapprove of an agency’s use of federal block grant funding and inform the federal entity of its withdrawal from receiving such funds (Sec. 6).

• Requires state agencies to include the following information in its annual report to the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services and the Chair and Vice Chair of the Legislative Oversight Committee on State Budget Performance (Sec. 7):

• What competitive grants the agency has received or applied for;

• What federal funds the agency has received or expects to receive as part of federal legislation that is not associated with an existing program that the agency operates; and

• What block grant money the agency receives and how funds are expended.

• Requires the House Appropriations and Budget Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee to report federal funds from competitive grants, federal legislation, or block grants to the Chief Clerks of the House and Senate in their annual evaluation report (Sec. 8).

• Specifies that this Act takes effect July 1, 2025 (Sec. 9).

Full Bill Text