A. The Executive Director of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, with the approval of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission, shall establish standards for preliminary approval and final approval of eligible companies and their projects by the promulgation of rules in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act.

B. The Executive Director may give preliminary approval by designating an eligible company as a preliminarily approved company and preliminarily authorizing the undertaking of the tourism attraction project.

C. The Executive Director shall review the report of the consultant prepared pursuant to subsection C of Section 2394 of this title and other information that has been made available to the Executive Director in order to assist the Executive Director in determining whether the tourism attraction project will further the purposes of this act.

D. The criteria for final approval of eligible companies and tourism attraction projects shall include, but shall not be limited to, the criteria set forth in subsection C of Section 2394 of this title.

E. After a review of the relevant materials, the consultant's report, other information made available to the Executive Director, and completion of other inquiries, the Executive Director may give final approval to the eligible company's application for a tourism attraction project and may grant to the eligible company the status of an approved company. The decision reached by the Executive Director may be appealed by the eligible company to the Tourism and Recreation Commission. The decision of the Tourism and Recreation Commission shall constitute the final administrative decision of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.

Added by Laws 2017, c. 196, § 5, eff. Nov. 1, 2017. Amended by Laws 2019, c. 443, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2019.