A. No agency, board, commission, department, program or office of the state government listed in Sections 3601 through 3604 of this title or whose number of personnel is fixed in any appropriation act or other law of the state, shall increase its personnel above the total number set forth in the provisions of Sections 3601 through 3604 of this title or such appropriation act or other law of the state, unless approval is first granted by the Contingency Review Board. No board, commission, department, program or office whose expenditure of funds for salaries and wages has been limited by legislative action shall exceed the amount unless approval is first granted by the Contingency Review Board.

B. The Board shall meet at the call of the Governor for the purpose of reviewing requests for increasing personnel by those agencies, boards, commissions, departments, programs or offices referred to in subsection A of this section. All meetings of the Board shall be preannounced and open to the public. A majority vote of the total membership of the Board shall be necessary to approve a request for an increase in personnel. For any additional employees authorized by the Board, the Board shall be empowered to make a corresponding adjustment in the amount of monies any board, agency, department, commission, program or office is authorized to expend for salaries and wages.

C. The Board shall approve a request for increasing personnel only if an emergency exists within the requesting entity which could not have been foreseen during the preceding Legislative Session and only if such increase in personnel is needed to perform new or additional duties and services required of such agency, board, commission, department, program or office. All requests for a personnel increase shall be submitted in writing to each member of the Contingency Review Board with a specific explanation of the existing emergency which could not have been foreseen and the new or additional duties or services to be performed.

D. Any action to increase the number of employees in any agency involved herein shall be compiled in a report by December 31 each year, and said report transmitted to each member of the Legislature.

E. The Board, by majority vote, is authorized to determine and approve the transfer of funds, encumbrances, obligations, personnel spaces and associated salary limits, relevant records and equipment, within the limits previously established by legislative action, that are essential in the implementation of those governmental reorganization measures that are adopted by the Legislature. The transfer of funds accomplished by the Board shall be exempt from the provisions of Section 41.12 of Title 62 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

Laws 1975, c. 126, § 3, emerg. eff. May 13, 1975; Laws 1976, c. 285, § 3, emerg. eff. June 17, 1976; Laws 1979, c. 279, § 2, emerg. eff. June 6, 1979; Laws 1980, c. 155, § 5, emerg. eff. April, 1980.