OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill clarifying how the compensation for a Juvenile Bureau director is to be set passed the House Appropriations and Budget Committee on Wednesday with a vote of 30-0.

House Bill 1964, authored by Jadine Nollan, R-Sand Springs, modifies the salary requirements of the Juvenile Bureau director to state that the salary will be fixed by the Board of County Commissioners in each county that has a bureau. This bill also eliminates the requirement that the director’s salary cannot exceed 90% of salaries of county Class A officers.

“There currently are two statutes addressing how the compensation for the Juvenile Bureau directors shall be determined, and they are not in alignment with each other,” Nollan explained. “This bill reconciles the two statutes and makes it clear the authority to determine the salary lies with the Board of County Commissioners in the county where the director is hired.”

Nollan said only four counties in Oklahoma have a Juvenile Bureau that oversees the administration and operations of the Juvenile Courts and Juvenile Detention Centers. Each of those counties has a Juvenile Bureau director that is hired by the Board of County Commissioners.

This bill is identical to House Bill 3254, which passed the house unanimously with a vote of 87-0 last year, but was stalled because of COVID-19.

HB 1964 now is eligible to be considered by the entire House.