A. There is hereby created until February 6, 2006, a Joint Legislative Commission to Study and Evaluate the Operations of the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and the Indigent Health Care System in the Tulsa Metropolitan Service Area. The Commission shall be composed of nine (9) members as follows:

1. Three members from the House of Representatives, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

2. Three members from the Senate, to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate; and

3. Three members from the Office of the Governor, to be appointed by the Governor.

B. The co-chairpersons of the Commission shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Five members shall constitute a quorum. A quorum shall be present to conduct official business of the Commission. Vacancies on the Commission shall be filled by the authority where such vacancies exist. The Commission shall commence work not later than July 15, 2005.

C. Supportive services shall be provided by the staff of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and the State Senate. The Commission shall also have the authority to hire such consultants or auditors as deemed necessary to accomplish the duties and responsibilities of the Commission. The expense of hiring any consultants or auditors shall be paid by the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and/or private or foundation funds.

D. The duties and responsibilities of the Commission shall include, but not be limited to:

1. Study, evaluate and investigate the management and operations of the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, including any relationships currently existing or proposed with hospitals in the Tulsa Metropolitan Service Area;

2. Evaluate the mission and ability of the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences in providing medical teaching and residency programs to prepare doctors for placement in rural Oklahoma communities;

3. Investigate potential options for providing a stable teaching hospital environment for the continuation of residency programs for the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences;

4. Audit and study all financial arrangements or proposed financial agreements related to maintaining the highest quality medical teaching and residency program possible for the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences; and

5. Study, make recommendations, and submit a written report to the Legislature and the Governor by December 15, 2005, regarding the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences and the future of the delivery and efficiency of teaching, residency, and medical services across rural Oklahoma and the delivery of care to the indigent, underserved, and nonindigent populations of the Tulsa Metropolitan Service Area. The report shall include, at a minimum, recommendations for appropriate written agreements for the lease and management of facilities, provision of indigent care, and recommended minimum levels of state appropriations required for the achievement of a long-term solution for graduate medical education at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences.

E. In performing its duties and responsibilities, the Commission may hold public hearings in various geographical locations of the state and may invite individuals and organizations to make presentations to the Commission. The Commission is further granted the authority to administer oaths, subpoena witnesses and records, and to hear evidence.

F. Travel reimbursement shall be the responsibility of the appointing authority and shall be subject to the State Travel Reimbursement Act. Legislative members to the Commission shall be reimbursed pursuant to the provisions of Section 456 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes.

G. The Commission shall not be subject to the provisions of the Oklahoma Open Records Act with respect to any proprietary information, financial information related to a private for-profit business entity or a nonprofit organization, or other information that would place a business entity or nonprofit organization at a competitive disadvantage or that the entity would not disclose to a third party without the requirement of judicial process. The Commission may require that documents and records that it requests or that it compels be produced for its review subject to a protective order that prohibits disclosure of the information provided to any person other than a member of the Commission or its designated agents or representatives.

Added by Laws 2005, c. 410, § 4, eff. July 1, 2005.