Once confirmed, all members of the Cabinet receive the title "Secretary" and serve at the pleasure of the governor.
[2] However, the act did not transfer the statutory and constitutional powers delegated to the agencies, boards and commissions over to the cabinet secretaries.
Some citizens argue that it should have but others say that 12-15 people should not replace the hundreds of agencies, boards and commissions within the tradition of active participatory democracy form of governance.
In 2009, the Oklahoma Legislature amended the Executive Branch Reform Act to mandate the establishment of the Secretary of Information Technology.
Following the Oklahoma Supreme Court case of Keating v. Edmondson in 2001, it was deemed illegal for a Governor to change the cabinet areas and their functions past the 45-day deadline unilaterally.
In order to change a cabinet area after the first 45 days in office, the Governor must seek approval from the Oklahoma Legislature via legislation.
The only exception to this rule is Oklahoma Secretary of State, who serves a fixed four-year term.
Regardless of cabinet area, all Cabinet Secretaries are responsible for advising the Governor of any policy changes or problems within their area, advising the entities they represent of any policy changes or problems as directed by the Governor, and for coordinating information gathering as requested by the Legislature.
Cabinet Secretaries do not possess the power to direct or control any agency they represent outside of their ability to gather information.