A. The Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) shall establish for all state agencies, whether or not subject to the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act, and other entities as provided by law a comprehensive professional risk management program which shall:
1. Identify and evaluate risks of loss and exposures to loss to officers, employees and properties;
2. Minimize risks through loss-prevention and loss-control programs;
3. Transfer risks, if economically advantageous to the state, by acquiring commercial insurance, contractual pass through of liability, or by other means;
4. Consolidate and administer risk management plans and programs including self-insurance programs, except State Employees Group Insurance;
5. Determine feasibility of and, if feasible, establish self-insurance programs, considering whether a program may be self-supporting to remain financially and actuarially sound;
6. Provide a system to allocate insurance and program costs to determine payment for insurance coverage and program expenses provided by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services;
7. When requested by a state retirement system or the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Board, assist in obtaining insurance authorized by law. If requested by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, assist trust funds for which the State Regents serve as trustees in obtaining insurance authorized by law;
8. Assist state agencies and officers, employees, and members thereof, charged with licensing authority, in obtaining insurance for liability for judgments, based on the licensing authority, rendered by any court pursuant to federal law;
9. When requested by a public trust established pursuant to Title 60 of the Oklahoma Statutes of which the State of Oklahoma is the beneficiary, obtain, provide or assist the public trust in obtaining insurance authorized by law or trust indenture covering any board member, trustee, official, officer, employee or volunteer for errors and omissions or liability risks arising from the performance of official duties pursuant to law or trust indenture;
10. When requested by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, for the purpose of insuring real property required pursuant to Section 4018 of Title 70 of the Oklahoma Statutes, of which the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education is the beneficiary, obtain, provide or assist the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in obtaining insurance for the real property pursuant to the provisions of this section; and
11. Authorize the Risk Management Administrator to declare an emergency for the purpose of mitigating damages to any state-owned property insured under the comprehensive professional risk management program administered by OMES.
B. The Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services may hire or contract for the services of a Risk Management Administrator to supervise the Comprehensive Professional Risk Management Program established pursuant to this section. If appointed by the Director as a state employee, the Risk Management Administrator shall be in the unclassified service.
C. The Risk Management Administrator shall evaluate insurance coverage needs and in force for state agencies, whether or not subject to the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act, and other entities as provided by law. All entities shall submit to the Risk Management Administrator all information which the Risk Management Administrator deems necessary to perform this duty.
D. The Risk Management Administrator in conjunction with the State Purchasing Director under the authority of the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services may negotiate insurance coverage and insurance-related services including, but not limited to, insurance brokerage and consulting services. The State Purchasing Director shall ensure open processes for solicitation and qualification of insurance coverage and services providers. The State Purchasing Director shall award contracts for insurance coverage and services to the provider or providers which offer the best and final terms and conditions. The State Purchasing Director may authorize the Risk Management Administrator to bind for insurance coverage with providers.
E. The school districts of this state may request the Risk Management Administrator to advise for the purchase of insurance coverage for the school districts.
F. A state agency, whether or not subject to the Oklahoma Central Purchasing Act, that contemplates purchase of property and casualty insurance, shall provide details of the proposed purchase to the Risk Management Administrator for approval or disapproval prior to the purchase.
G. The Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall promulgate rules to effect the provisions of the comprehensive professional risk management program.
2. To receive coverage pursuant to this section, a community action agency shall make payments for any insurance coverage and shall otherwise comply with the provisions of this section and rules promulgated by the Office pursuant to the provisions of this section.
3. Requests for the insurance coverage provided pursuant to the provisions of this subsection shall be submitted in writing to the Risk Management Administrator by the community action agencies.
I. The Risk Management Administrator may provide or obtain for any state agency, public trust with the state as a beneficiary and a director, officer, employee or member thereof, insurance for liability for loss, including judgments, awards, settlements, costs and legal expenses, resulting from violations of rights or privileges secured by the Constitution or laws of the United States of America which occur while a director, officer, employee or member is acting within the scope of service to the State of Oklahoma. The insurance shall be for coverage in excess of the limits on liability established by The Governmental Tort Claims Act but shall not limit or waive any immunities now or hereafter available to the State of Oklahoma or any state agency, any public trust with the state as a beneficiary, or any director, officer, employee or member thereof including, but not limited to, any immunities under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, state sovereign immunity, and any absolute or qualified immunity held by any director, officer, employee or member.
Added by Laws 1984, c. 141, § 1, operative July 1, 1984. Amended by Laws 1985, c. 97, § 1, emerg. eff. May 28, 1985; Laws 1986, c. 150, § 24, emerg. eff. April 29, 1986; Laws 1986, c. 301, § 31, operative July 1, 1986; Laws 1988, c. 321, § 42, operative July 1, 1988; Laws 1989, c. 375, § 15, emerg. eff. June 6, 1989; Laws 1990, c. 337, § 21; Laws 1993, c. 177, § 3, emerg. eff. May 13, 1993; Laws 1994, c. 329, § 3, eff. July 1, 1994. Renumbered from § 85.34 of this title by Laws 1998, c. 371, § 15, eff. Nov. 1, 1998. Amended by Laws 2002, c. 195, § 1, eff. Nov. 1, 2002; Laws 2002, c. 483, § 6, eff. July 1, 2002; Laws 2008, c. 352, § 2, eff. Nov. 1, 2008; Laws 2012, c. 304, § 782; Laws 2013, c. 254, § 32, eff. Jan. 1, 2015; Laws 2014, c. 244, § 1, eff. Jan. 1, 2015; Laws 2020, c. 98, § 27, eff. Nov. 1, 2020.
NOTE: Laws 1989, c. 291, § 4, as amended by Laws 1989, c. 318, § 4, repealed by Laws 1990, c. 337, § 26.