OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 15, 2010) — Legislation requiring that any task force meet and issue a final report within three years of its creation or be automatically eliminated from law unanimously passed House committee today.

The intent of House Bill 2319, by Rep. Jason Murphey, is to ensure that the many state agencies, boards, commissions and task forces created are actually performing their intended function.

"We want to ensure that task forces created with the power of law are functioning in accordance with that law," said Murphey, R-Guthrie. "Oklahoma has an inordinate number of agencies, boards and commissions and this modernizes state law to make sure the task forces we do have are productive."

The bill requires that if a legislatively-created task force or similar advisory body does not conduct at least one meeting or issue a final report within three years of the date in which the law that created it became effective, that task force will cease to have any authority and be considered terminated.

The automatic elimination of these task forces would provide savings to the state in associated costs like member travel and per diem or any contract for professional services costs that would otherwise be associated with the task forces.

"A number of task forces are created, but never follow through with their intended purpose, yet stay on the books," said House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa. "This is a common sense measure that will allow for productive task forces to continue, while others that languish are automatically eliminated."

The bill passed the House Government Modernization Committee unanimously today and will next be considered before the full House.

NOTE: For accompanying video, go to

http://www.okhouse.tv/ViewVideo.aspx?VideoID=226