Oklahoma State Representative Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, has been appointed by House Speaker Chris Benge to serve as Chairman of the Legislature's Joint Liaison Committee on State and Education Employees Group Insurance Benefits.

Murphey is a current member of an interim legislative state employee health insurance review working group which is conducting an ongoing review of the state's health insurance polices for state and local employees which may lead to legislation in 2010.

"In light of the recent health insurance rate increases, it is extremely important for proper legislative review to occur on an ongoing basis," Murphey said.

Murphey is an advocate of creating a benchmarking process to compare state insurance rates to the rates offered in the private marketplace. "I believe it is our responsibility to the taxpayers and state and local government employees to develop and put into law a process for keeping state and local employee health insurance rates accountable," he said.

The duties of the liaison committee are to serve as a liaison for the Oklahoma State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board (OSEEGIB) and to appoint a payment rate review task force to review payments of medical payouts made by OSEEGIB.

Murphey will serve as the Chair of the committee throughout the duration of the 52nd Legislature, at which time the law mandates that the Chairmanship will rotate to an appointee of the Oklahoma State Senate.