A. There is hereby created the Office of Juvenile Affairs which shall be responsible for programs and services for youthful offenders and juveniles alleged or adjudicated to be delinquent or in need of supervision. The Executive Director shall be responsible for established divisions and appointing Division Directors within the Office of Juvenile Affairs. B. Suitable office space shall be provided by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to the Office of Juvenile Affairs, to the extent necessary for the Office to implement its jurisdictional duties provided by the Oklahoma Juvenile Code, and the Office may incur necessary expenses for office rent. C. Effective July 1, 1995, the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall be a Merit System agency and all employees of the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall be classified employees who are subject to the Oklahoma Personnel Act and the Merit System of Personnel Administration, except as otherwise provided by law. Eligible persons employed as teachers by the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall be entitled to paid maternity leave as provided for in Section 1 of this act. Effective June 1, 2020, employees hired for service at the Southwest Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Manitou shall be considered unclassified and employed in a term-limited appointment. If state services continue at the facility after the designated term, the employee may be transferred into a non-term-limited position. Current employees and employees hired prior to June 1, 2020, shall not be subject to this provision. D. Effective July 1, 1995, within its jurisdictional areas of responsibility, the Office of Juvenile Affairs, acting through the Executive Director, or persons authorized by law, rule or designated by the Executive Director to perform such acts, shall have the power and duty to: 1. Advise, consult, cooperate and enter into agreements with agencies of the state, municipalities and counties, other states and the federal government, and other persons; 2. Enter into agreements for, accept, administer and use, disburse and administer grants of money, personnel and property from the federal government or any department or agency thereof, or from any state or state agency, or from any other source, to promote and carry on in this state any program within its jurisdictional area of responsibility; 3. Require the establishment and maintenance of records and reports; 4. Establish a system of training for personnel in order to assure uniform statewide application of law and rules; 5. Enforce the provisions of the Oklahoma Juvenile Code and rules promulgated thereunder and orders issued pursuant thereto; 6. Charge and receive fees pursuant to fee schedules promulgated by the Board of Juvenile Affairs; 7. Conduct studies, research and planning of programs and functions, pursuant to the authority granted by the Oklahoma Juvenile Code; 8. Enter into interagency agreements; 9. Provide administrative and support services to the Board of Juvenile Affairs as necessary to assist the Board in the performance of its duties; 10. Establish and maintain such facilities and institutions as are necessary or convenient for the operation of programs for children under the jurisdiction of the Office of Juvenile Affairs; 11. Lease, from time to time, any real property which the Board of Juvenile Affairs shall determine advisable to more fully carry into effect the operation of the Office of Juvenile Affairs in accordance with applicable state statutes. All such leases for real property shall be subject to the provisions of Section 63 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes; 12. Purchase or lease any equipment, supplies or materials pursuant to the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act; 13. Contract for professional services; 14. Acquire, construct, extend, and operate any and all facilities of all kinds which in the judgment of the Executive Director and the approval of the Legislature shall be necessary or convenient to carry out the duties of the Office of Juvenile Affairs, as authorized by law; 15. Establish an employee recruitment and referral incentive program and promulgate internal agency policy for the operation of the program, which may include, but shall not be limited to, program purposes, pay incentives for employees, eligibility requirements, payment conditions and amounts, payment methods, payment recoupment, and record keeping; and 16. Exercise all incidental powers which are necessary and proper to implement and administer the purposes of the Oklahoma Juvenile Code. E. The Office of Juvenile Affairs shall maintain a fair, simple and expeditious system for resolution of grievances of all persons committed to the Office of Juvenile Affairs regarding the substance or application of any written or unwritten policy, rule of the Board of Juvenile Affairs or of an agent or contractor of the Office of Juvenile Affairs or any decision, behavior or action by an employee, agent or contractor or by any other person committed to the Office of Juvenile Affairs. F. Effective November 1, 2012, the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall establish a system of certification in accordance with the Oklahoma Child Care Facilities Licensing Act for the shelters managed and operated by the Department of Human Services pursuant to the requirements of Section 1-9-111 of this title. The Office of Juvenile Affairs shall certify shelters pursuant to the requirements of existing rules as established by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth until such time the Office of Juvenile Affairs has promulgated rules for the certification of shelters. Added by Laws 1994, c. 290, § 8, eff. July 1, 1994. Amended by Laws 1995, c. 352, § 75, eff. July 1, 1995. Renumbered from § 1507.5 of Title 10 by Laws 1995, c. 352, § 199, eff. July 1, 1995. Amended by Laws 2006, c. 320, § 4, emerg. eff. June 9, 2006; Laws 2007, c. 61, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2007. Renumbered from § 7302-2.2 of Title 10 by Laws 2009, c. 234, § 170, emerg. eff. May 21, 2009. Amended by Laws 2012, c. 353, § 9, emerg. eff. June 8, 2012; Laws 2013, c. 15, § 5, emerg. eff. April 8, 2013; Laws 2018, c. 222, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2018; Laws 2023, c. 135, § 1, emerg. eff. May 1, 2023; Laws 2023, c. 291, § 5, eff. July 1, 2023.
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