---
type: "Bill"
title: "Vacancies in office; modifying procedures for filling certain vacancies. Effective date. Emergency."
description: "Vacancies in office; modifying procedures for filling certain vacancies. Effective date. Emergency."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ok"
legislature: "Oklahoma Legislature"
session: "2021"
identifier: "SB 959"
citation: "Oklahoma SB 959 (2021)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Hilbert", "Paxton"]
version_count: 7
action_count: 37
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2021-02-01"
last_action: "2021-05-28"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/d0a8a1de-41a4-4f8f-a311-c30a118d3393"
source_url: "http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=SB959&session=2100"
source_hash: "77a7aea7280b95a720a81718f05f893379ec1429b4916e7f4508c61996029b9b"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ok"]
---

# Oklahoma SB 959 (2021) — Vacancies in office; modifying procedures for filling certain vacancies. Effective date. Emergency.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2021-22 INT/SB/SB959 INT.PDF)
2. **Amended And Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2021-22 AMENDMENTS/Amendment & Engr/SB959 HASB & ENGR.PDF)
3. **Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2021-22 ENGR/SB/SB959 ENGR.PDF)
4. **Enrolled (final version)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2021-22 ENR/SB/SB959 ENR.PDF)
5. **Floor (House)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2021-22 FLR/HFLR/SB959 HFLR.PDF)
6. **Floor (Senate)** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2021-22 FLR/SFLR/SB959 SFLR.PDF)
7. **Senate Conference Committee Substitute** (committee substitute) — [source](http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/cf_pdf/2021-22 COMMITTEE SUBS/SCCS/SB959 CCS.PDF)

## Sponsors

- Hilbert — primary (person)
- Paxton — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2021-02-01** First Reading `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-02-01** Authored by Senator Paxton
- **2021-02-02** Second Reading referred to Rules `reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2021-02-24** Reported Do Pass as amended Rules committee; CR filed `committee-passage`
- **2021-02-24** Title stricken
- **2021-03-08** Coauthored by Representative Hilbert (principal House author)
- **2021-03-09** General Order, Considered
- **2021-03-09** Measure passed: Ayes: 34 Nays: 11 `passage`
- **2021-03-09** Referred for engrossment
- **2021-03-10** Engrossed to House `passage`
- **2021-03-10** First Reading `introduction, reading-1`
- **2021-03-22** Second Reading referred to Appropriations and Budget `reading-2, referral-committee`
- **2021-04-15** CR; Do Pass, as amended, Appropriations and Budget Committee `committee-passage`
- **2021-04-15** Enacting clause stricken
- **2021-04-21** General Order
- **2021-04-21** Third Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 68 Nays: 15 `passage, reading-3`
- **2021-04-21** Referred for engrossment
- **2021-04-22** Engrossed, signed, to Senate `passage`
- **2021-04-22** HAs read
- **2021-04-28** HAs rejected, conference requested `amendment-failure`
- **2021-05-04** SCs named Paxton, Jech, Leewright, Thompson, Boren, Kirt
- **2021-05-06** Conference granted, naming GCCA
- **2021-05-19** CCR read
- **2021-05-19** Title restored
- **2021-05-19** Enacting clause restored
- **2021-05-19** Emergency added
- **2021-05-25** CCR adopted
- **2021-05-25** Measure and Emergency passed, to House: Ayes: 35 Nays: 10 `passage`
- **2021-05-25** CCR submitted
- **2021-05-27** CCR adopted
- **2021-05-27** Fourth Reading, Measure and Emergency Passed: Ayes: 68 Nays: 24; Ayes: 70 Nays: 20 `passage`
- **2021-05-27** To Senate
- **2021-05-27** Referred for enrollment
- **2021-05-27** Enrolled, to House
- **2021-05-27** Signed, returned to Senate
- **2021-05-27** Sent to Governor `executive-receipt`
- **2021-05-28** Approved by Governor 05/28/2021 `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/d0a8a1de-41a4-4f8f-a311-c30a118d3393`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Oklahoma legislature records).