ENROLLED SENATE
BILL NO. 822	By:	Branan of the Senate

			and

		Hickman, Sullivan and Tibbs of the House

An Act relating to state government; creating the Task Force on the Review of Health Insurance Mandates; providing for membership; requiring initial meeting to be called by certain date; providing for election of chair and vice-chair; specifying quorum requirements; providing for staffing; providing for travel reimbursement; stating duties of the task force; requiring certain report; and providing for noncodification.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

SECTION 1.     NEW LAW     A new section of law not to be codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:

A.  There is hereby created until December 31, 2010, the “Task Force on the Review of Health Insurance Mandates”.  The task force shall consist of eleven (11) members as follows:

1.  Four members to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate:

a.	two of whom shall be members of the Senate,

b.	one of whom shall be a representative of an insurer issuing health insurance polices in Oklahoma, and

c.	one of whom shall be a health care provider; 

2.  Four members to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives:

a.	two of whom shall be members of the House of Representatives,

b.	one of whom shall be a representative of a Health Maintenance Organization, and

c.	one of whom shall be a business owner.

3.  Two members to be appointed by the Governor:

a.	one of whom shall be a representative of a consumer health advocacy group, and

b.	one of whom shall be a private citizen; and

4.  The Insurance Commissioner or designee.

B.  The initial meeting of the task force shall be called by the Insurance Commissioner on or before September 1, 2009.  At the initial meeting the task force shall elect from its membership a chair and vice-chair.

C.  A simple majority of the members of the task force shall constitute a quorum.  A quorum of the task force must be present in order for the task force to take any official action including the adoption of a final report.

D.  The task force shall meet as often as may be required to perform the duties imposed upon it.

E.  Staffing for the task force shall be provided by the Department of Insurance.

F.  Members of the task force shall receive no compensation for serving on the task force, but may receive travel reimbursement as follows:

1.  Legislative members of the task force may be reimbursed for necessary travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, in accordance with Section 456 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes, from the legislative body in which they serve; and

2.  Other members of the task force may be reimbursed for travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties by their respective appointing authorities in accordance with the State Travel Reimbursement Act.

G.  The purpose of the task force is to review and evaluate the mandatory health insurance mandates that are currently provided for by law.  The task force shall make recommendations as to whether any existing mandates should be revised or eliminated.

H.  The task force shall submit a report on the findings and recommendations of the task force to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Governor no later than December 1, 2010.

Passed the Senate the 9th day of March, 2009.

	
Presiding Officer 	of the Senate

Passed the House of Representatives the 22nd day of April, 2009.

	
Presiding Officer	of the House
	of Representatives