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Committee approves amendment to require attorney general be a licensed attorney, debate focuses on residency and practice definitions
Summary
HJR 10 70, which would require the attorney general to be a licensed attorney and align qualifications with judicial requirements, was amended to change a residency number and reported out of committee after members questioned how practice and residency interact.
The Rules Committee approved HJR 10 70, a House joint resolution to require the attorney general to be a licensed attorney, adopting an amendment that changes the numeric residency language and advancing the measure out of committee.
Representative Harris, sponsor of the resolution, told the committee that the attorney general — described as the state’s chief law enforcement officer — currently has no explicit requirement to be a licensed attorney and that the change would align the office with requirements for district judges or Supreme Court justices. The clerk moved an amendment “to amend HJR 10 70, page 2, section 1, line 6 by removing the word and number 10 and inserting in lieu thereof the word and number 5,” which Representative Harris submitted and the committee adopted into the working draft without objection.
Members asked whether the proposal requires an attorney to have practiced specifically in Oklahoma or merely be licensed in the state. Representative Harris acknowledged the bill aligns with judicial residency requirements but said he would need to research finer points about practice history in-state. The chair read a draft eligibility clause aloud that refers to age and a 10-year residency period; this apparent discrepancy with the committee-adopted amendment was discussed on the floor and flagged during questioning.
Representative Pfeiffer asked why the change was offered now; Harris said it would not affect current candidates but would apply to future elections so that a chief law enforcement officer would be an actual licensed attorney. The committee voted and the clerk announced the result as 9 aye and 0 nay; the chair reported HJR 10 70 as due passed out of committee.
Next steps: the resolution will be reported out of committee; sponsors and staff will need to reconcile the post-amendment draft language and any open questions about how practice and residency requirements will be defined in implementing text.
