Representative Jason. W. Murphey (R-Guthrie), from Oklahoma's 31st House District

Notice! As part of the 2011 redistricting bill House District 31 has changed. In recognition of this change, as of January of 2012, future content will be posted at hd31.org. HouseDistrict31.com will remain online but new content is no longer being posted here.

Representative Jason Murphey has committed to not taking personal gifts or campaign contributions from registered lobbyists or the groups that employ lobbyists. Not being constrained by the demands of these special interests allows him to be a leader in the fight for smaller government.

Murphey strongly believes in innovation and use of technology to hold government accountable. At the age of 19, Murphey started his own private security agency providing him with insight into the challenges faced by Oklahoma small business owner. In his role as Chairman of the House Government Modernization Committee he works to streamling and reduce cumbersome state government process and regulation.

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In The News
December 12, 2011	State Government Needs A Performance Audit One of the most important components of this year’s House government modernization effort will involve acting on a request from State Auditor Gary Jones.
December 5, 2011	Open Government Laws Should Apply To Legislature Last year, I filed Legislation that would apply Oklahoma’s open meetings and records laws to the Legislature. As you are probably aware, these are the important laws designed to ensure that transparency follows the taxpayer dollar. Whenever the government spends your money, these laws are supposed to provide you with access to the documents and meetings affecting the decision to spend your money. Over the years, these transparency laws have evolved to become an important part of the ethics that govern the actions of government.
November 28, 2011	Want to Limit Lobbyist Power? Shrink the Size of Government! I really enjoy watching political documentaries. I recently watched, The Best Government Money Can Buy. This documentary does a great job showing the considerable influence of lobbyists over the development and implementation of policy. It also clearly demonstrates some of the constitutional and practical barriers to various proposals designed to limit the power of special influence.
November 21, 2011	What is Next? In my last update I described the conclusion of this year’s interim study process that occurred one week ago on Thursday. I wrote about the hearings that demonstrated the increasingly rapid application of our government reform proposals and the millions of dollars of savings that are starting to be realized.
November 14, 2011	A Rewarding Day I consider last Thursday to have been the most exciting and rewarding days that I have experienced as a legislator.
Nov 8, 2011	Study Finds Taxpayers Continue to Save Millions Oklahoma taxpayers continue to save millions of dollars due to recent purchasing reforms, according to the state’s purchasing director.
November 6, 2011	Putting An End to Lobbyist Gift-Giving Twice each year the media publishes a list of personal gifts received by legislators from registered lobbyists. The reason this list is published each six months is due to the fact that lobbyists are required to report their gift giving up until the end of June and until the end of December.
October 31, 2011	City and County Realizing Savings for Taxpayers If you have read very many of these updates in the past, you are familiar with the savings to taxpayers due to the modernization of state government processes. However, it is important to note that the commitment of the Legislature and Governor to make state government processes more efficient does not just result in savings in state government. Because of these reforms, the taxpayers are realizing a savings at the local level of government as well.
October 23, 2011	This Year's Modernization Interim Studies The Government Modernization Committee will conduct a series of interim studies next month.These studies are designed to bring attention to the implementation of past modernization reforms and begin the process of developing the next round of modernization legislation.
	The Positive Impact of the New Legislators The Legislature has greatly benefited this year from the influx of a large number of freshmen members elected during the 2010 election cycle. Because they are a product of this important election cycle, they know firsthand how important it is for Oklahoma’s policy makers to cut government spending.
October 10, 2011	More About the 2011 Modernization Reforms I wanted to write just one more article describing some of the reform in this year’s successful Government Modernization legislation. These reforms put into place a comprehensive framework to increase the transparency of state government process, lower the cost of government to the taxpayer, and significantly enhance the ability of the citizen to access government documents and records.
October 3, 2011	Consolidating State Agencies Last week I wrote about the large number of modernization initiatives that were approved this year by members of the Government Modernization Committee, the Legislature and Governor. In that article I described a small sampling of these initiatives. These efforts were designed to result in cost savings and greater transparency. In this week’s update I have described House Bill 2140 and House Bill 1304. These two modernizations bills are designed to transform Oklahoma state governance and result in millions of dollars of savings to the taxpayer.
September 26, 2011	23 Modernization Initiatives Going Into Law This year was by far the most successful year for legislative state government modernization reform proposals. In all, 23 significant government modernization initiatives have been identified. Each of this initiatives was considered by either the House Government Modernization standing or conference committee and all were approved by the Legislature and signed into law by the Governor.
	Too Many Tuition Increases Later this month, State Representatives Corey Holland, Leslie Osborn and I, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Council on Public Affairs (OCPA), will conduct a study of the state’s higher education system.
September 12, 2011	A Really Annoying Excuse In recent weeks, I have started to hear some of the most aggravating logic coming from state bureaucracies. This year the Legislature and the Governor approved an aggressive series of far-reaching legislative initiatives designed to streamline government processes and eliminate some of the most costly and obviously wasteful practices that have existed in state government for many years.
September 3, 2011	Cutting Logan County Taxes It is my belief that Logan County’s high sales tax rate has been a deterrent to retail-based economic growth. In 2005, the county made the unfortunate decision to increase taxes to the maximum amount allowed by state law. This placed Logan County businesses at a significant disadvantage when compared to their counterparts in other metro area communities that have a much lower sales tax rate.
August 24, 2011	Murphey Receives a 100% Conservative Rating State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) has received a rating of 100% from Oklahoma's longest running conservative publication for his work during the 2011 legislative session.
August 22, 2011	Staying Focused Earlier this year, I wrote about my decision to help bring attention to the need for a federal balanced budget amendment. I enjoyed the opportunity to document the significant amount of support in the Oklahoma Legislature for ratifying the amendment if Congress would just give us the opportunity to do so. I also mentioned my hesitance to take on new tasks. Over the past few years I have become very focused on finding inefficient government processes and helping write and pass the legislation to transform those processes. It is my belief that this effort could result in massive tax reduction for Oklahoma taxpayers. I think it is immoral for state government to take your money and waste it in unbelievably inefficient and dysfunctional processes.
August 15, 2011	2011 Redistricting Observations As you are probably aware, this is the year when state and local government divisions redraw the boundary lines defining the area from which their public officials are elected.
August 6, 2011	Consideration of Bills in Committee In last week’s article, I articulated my support for the proposal to change House rules so that all bills receive a hearing in committee. I strongly believe in the principle that each proposal should receive an on-the-record vote so the constituents of each Representative will know where their legislator stands on each issue.
August 1, 2011	All Bills Should Receive a Vote This year, Representative Charles Key presented the Oklahoma House of Representatives with a proposed rule change to require that all bills must receive a hearing from the House committee to which they were assigned.
July 29, 2011	Majority of Oklahoma House Prepared to Ratify Balanced Budget Agreement OKLAHOMA CITY (July 29, 2011) - A majority of the members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives have declared their intent to make Oklahoma one of the first states to ratify a federal Balanced Budget Amendment.
July 25, 2011	Supporting the Balanced Budget Amendment Last month, a grassroots group known as Pass the Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) sought support from legislators across the nation to bring attention to the need for a balanced budget amendment to the United States constitution. Since three-fourths of the states must ratify any constitutional amendment, it is important for state legislators to support the proposal.
July 20, 2011	Oklahoma Legislators Prepared to Ratify Balanced Budget Amendment A group of 42 Oklahoma legislators have signed on in support of a proposed federal Balanced Budget Amendment. On Tuesday, the group sent a letter to the U.S. congressional sponsors of the proposal and Oklahoma’s congressional delegation. The letter expresses the legislators’ support of the Balanced Budget Amendment and declares the legislators’ intent to work for ratification of the proposal in Oklahoma.
July 18, 2011	State Officials Making a Difference During the past three weeks I have used this medium to describe the role Oklahoma’s newly elected officials have played in working toward smaller state government.
July 10, 2011	Saving Money and Informing the Public During the recently concluded legislative session, I enjoyed the opportunity to place transparency and openness proposals from newly-elected Oklahoma statewide elected officials into modernization legislation.
July 4, 2011	Modernizing the State Treasurer's Office This year I enjoyed the opportunity to work with several of Oklahoma's new statewide elected officials in their efforts to modernize state government. I served as the House author for modernization legislation on behalf of State Treasurer Ken Miller, State Auditor Gary Jones, Attorney General Scott Pruitt and State Superintendent Janet Barresi.
June 27, 2011	A Refreshing Change of Pace In past updates I have described how Governor Mary Fallin has played an important role in calling for and ensuring the passage of innovative proposals to cut the size of state government and make it more open and transparent.
June 20, 2011	The Year of the Reprimand The Oklahoma Constitution contains a clause that says that for any speech or debate in the Legislature, legislators shall not be questioned in any other place. In other words, the speech of Representatives while considering legislation is sacrosanct. The clause mirrors a provision in the US Constitution and places a priority on the ability of legislators without fear of retribution to expose any wrong, debate any idea, and express any point of view, regardless of how unpopular or controversial the viewpoint.
June 13, 2011	Health Care Lawsuit and Business Activity Taxes Over the past few days I have received questions regarding a couple of issues. I know that if several people have asked questions about these matters, it’s possible that a number of other constituents are wondering the same thing.
	Modernization Efforts Approved Three weeks ago I wrote an article in which I described how most our 2011 modernization initiatives were still pending in the legislative process. With only one week left in the session, it was our challenge to win approval for all these initiatives.
June 1, 2011	Rep Murphey Present for 99% of All Votes State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) made sure that he was representing House District 31 citizens by being present to vote in 1091 out of 1097 roll call votes during the recently concluded 2011 legislative session. During the five-year time frame since being elected to office, Murphey voted in 7,055 out of 7,099 roll call votes, or 99.4% of the time.
May 29, 2011	Reporting Storm Damage As you are probably aware, the tornado that damaged Logan County properties from Cashion to Guthrie and parts in-between has now been assessed by the national weather service as an EF-4 category tornado.
May 23, 2011	Governor's Cost-Cutting Plan To Be Signed on Tuesday Governor Mary Fallin's proposal to modernize the state's vendor payment system will be signed into law on Tuesday.
May, 23 2011	A Big Difference Last week appears to have been the last time during which the Legislature will meet in 2011. While the Legislature could technically still return this week, it is unlikely we will do so.
May 17, 2011	Governor Signs Important State Government Modernization Reform OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin has signed legislation designed to transform inefficient state agency financial services systems and save taxpayer dollars.
May 16, 2011	One More Week! Legislative leaders negotiated a budget agreement with the Governor last week and came to terms with proposals for redistricting the House and Senate. With these issues addressed, legislators have been encouraged to move their bills through the conference committee process with the expectation that the group could adjourn for the year as soon as this week.
May 9, 2011	Redistricting Plan to be Considered this Week This week the House will take action on a redistricting proposal. Every 10 years, lawmakers are required to adjust House district boundaries to ensure each district contains an equally balanced population.
May 3, 2011	Governor Signs Murphey Bill to Help Businesses with DEQ Requirements Legislation designed to assist rural small businesses with Department of Environmental Quality permitting processes has been approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
May 1, 2011	Government Going Modern Editorial by Oklahoma House Speaker Kris Steele A buzzword at the Capitol is “government modernization.” The work taking place in this area is similar to renovating an old house that has failed to keep up with the times.
May 1, 2011	More Encouraging News It was an incredible experience to participate in a historic occurrence in the State House of Representatives last Wednesday.
April 22, 2011	Property Tax Reform Finally Approved The Legislature took action last week to approve an issue about which I have written many times during my four years as State Representative.
April 18, 2011	House Approves Government Financial Service Reforms OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved legislation designed to transform inefficient state agency financial services systems.
April 16, 2011	Redistricting Not that I am counting or anything, but there are now just six weeks left in this year’s legislative session.
April 11, 2011	The State Government Transparency Proposals In last week’s update I wrote about a series of what I believe to be innovative transparency and accessibility enhancing reforms which are part of House Bill 1086 that I authored with state Senator Clark Jolley.
April 3, 2011	HB 1086 - The 2011 Government 2.0 Proposal During last year’s legislative session, I served as the House author for Senate Bill 1759 which was sponsored in the Senate by state Senator Anthony Sykes. Our goal was to codify what may be the first in the nation’s Government 2.0 legislation to be approved at the state level.
March 27, 2011	Making Progress Last week presented Oklahoma lawmakers with the second major legislative deadline of this year’s legislative session.
March 21, 2011	HD 31 Constituent Survey Update During the upcoming weeks I will be issuing a survey to House District 31 constituents. The survey serves as a forum for those who live in the district to offer their input about some of the more high-profile issues being considered during the current legislative session. I have benefited from this input in the past and look forward to the feedback from this year’s survey.
March, 18 2011	State Rep. Calls for Legislative Pay Decrease, Makes Donation To Pro-Life Organization GUTHRIE - State Rep. Jason Murphey continued his mid-March tradition of presenting a yearly donation of $8,241.92 from his legislative salary to officials from Crossroads, An Open Door For Life Choices, Inc., located in Guthrie. Crossroads provides faith-based, pro-life counseling and support services to expectant mothers.
March 17, 2011	Governor Mary Fallin Applauds Approval of One-Stop Business Licensing Plan OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin applauded the Oklahoma House of Representatives today for approving a bill that would implement part of the agenda she laid out in her State of the State address. House Bill 1601, by state Rep. Aaron Stiles and state Sen. Clark Jolley, would establish a one-stop shop for business owners to obtain licenses and permits, making the process more efficient and convenient for Oklahoma businesses. The Senate has already passed a similar bill, SB 772.
March 17, 2010	Governor’s Business Licensing One-Stop Plan Approved OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved Gov. Mary Fallin’s request to provide convenience to Oklahoma business owners.
March 17, 2010	Governor’s Plan To Save Millions Approved OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved legislation proposed by Gov. Mary Fallin to save millions of taxpayers dollars thought the implementation of information technology (IT) process reforms.
March 14, 2011	Governor Fallin Asks Legislature to Pass IT Modernization and Consolidation Bill OKLAHOMA CITY–Governor Mary Fallin today encouraged lawmakers to pass HB 1304, legislation designed to streamline technology systems throughout state government and improve both the efficiency and security of the state’s information technology (IT) systems.
March, 13 2011	Better Access to Legislative Documents There have been significant advances this year in the amount of transparency afforded to Oklahoma citizens through the Legislature’s web presence.
March 12, 2011	Murphey Wins Transparency Award Oklahoma State Representative Jason Murphey received the Freedom of Information Oklahoma’s Sunshine Award on Saturday.
March 11, 2011	Cost-Cutting Measure Approved by House The Oklahoma House of Representatives has approved legislation designed to transform inefficient state agency financial services systems.
March 7, 2011	Governor's Plan to Save 3.6 Million Approved Governor Mary Fallin’s proposal to modernize the state’s vendor payment system and save 3.6 million dollars per year has been approved by the House of Representatives’ Government Modernization Committee.
March 4, 2011	2011 Property Tax Reform Proposals Without a doubt, the issue about which I receive the most passionate constituent feedback is the demand for property tax reform.
March 3, 2011	Steele’s State Agency Consolidation Bill Moves to Senate OKLAHOMA CITY (March 3, 2011) – Right-sizing state government took a step closer to becoming a reality. House Bill 2140, which proposes to consolidate the shared services of several of Oklahoma’s central service state agencies, passed the House of Representatives today and is now headed to the Senate.
March 1, 2011	Millions to Be Saved With Modernization Reform The Oklahoma House of Representatives Government Modernization Committee has approved legislation to save millions of taxpayers dollars thought the implementation of information technology (IT) process reforms.
Feb 28, 2010	Consolidating State Agencies This week presents the first deadline of the 2011 legislative session. The deadline provides the first definitive metric by which we can judge if this is going to be a successful session.
Feb, 26 2011	Murphey Bill to Assist Businesses with DEQ Requirements Approved Legislation designed to assist rural small businesses in dealing with Department of Environmental Quality permitting processes has been approved by the Oklahoma House of Representative.
Feb 24, 2011	Governor Mary Fallin Comments on House Committee Passage of Government Modernization Bills OKLAHOMA CITY – Governor Mary Fallin today praised the Oklahoma House Government Modernization Committee for the passage of several initiatives to streamline and modernize government operations.
	HD31 Rural Population Largest in the State After last week’s article about the census, I received responses asking that I follow up and provide an update about the new census report.
Feb 17, 2011	State Agency Consolidation Approved in Committee OKLAHOMA CITY – A significant consolidation of state government administrative overhead could be set to take place following today’s approval of House Bill 2140 by the House of Representatives Government Modernization Committee.
Feb 14, 2011	Local Census Numbers to be Released this Week Last summer I wrote an article describing the upcoming re-districting process and some of the potential implications of the 2010 census report.
Feb 6, 2011	Taxpayer Dollars Going to Planned Parenthood? This is the time of year when the previous year’s legislative initiatives have started to go into law and they are quickly becoming of significant effect.
February 3, 2011	Murphey Appointed to Governor's Transition Team GUTHRIE - Local State Representative Jason Murphey has been appointed as a member of Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin’s Government Reform Transition Committee.
January 31, 2011	State Board of Education Members Should Resign State officials are preparing to conclude an extensive study of the state’s segmented and costly information technology systems. As part of this study, officials are required to review state technology assets and assemble a report which demonstrates how many millions of dollars will be saved if the state adopts an enterprise-wide IT plan.
January 22, 2010	Should cities publish ordinances online? In last week’s update I described my plan to use social media as a delivery vehicle for videos of what I believe to be definitive debates in the House of Representatives. I decided to test this policy last week and sent the following message out on Twitter, Facebook and Google Chat:
Jan 17, 2010	New Social Media Strategy for 2011 Session During the past few weeks I have been giving some thought about how to use social media to provide a higher level of service to House District 31 constituents.
January 10, 2011	Agency Consolidation Last month, the Government Modernization Committee conducted an interim study to analyze the possible benefits of consolidating some of Oklahoma’s central service agencies. Central service agencies are the state agencies which provide services to other Oklahoma state agencies.
January 2nd, 2010	Making Needed Changes In last week’s article I wrote about the 1995 report which had been commissioned by then Governor Frank Keating. The Keating report was entitled, “A Government As Good As Our People,” and analyzed some of the challenges to holding Oklahoma state government accountable.
December 27, 2010	Better Late Than Never Last month the House of Representative’s Government Modernization Committee conducted a study to examine cost savings and efficiencies which could occur as a result of consolidating state agencies. As part of that study, we heard testimony about the unusually high number of agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs) which are a component of Oklahoma state government.
December 20, 2010	Open Record and Meeting Law for the Legislature This past week presented the first of a series of legislative deadlines which legislators met in order to propose and advance legislation for the upcoming session. Lawmakers were required to meet a December 10 deadline when they were required to submit the first request for registering possible legislation for the 2011 session.
December 13, 2010	Getting Specific One of my favorite stories about Oklahoma history involves the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention which met in Guthrie and the development of the preamble to the Oklahoma Constitution.
December 5, 2010	Our Opportunity This next legislative session will represent the first session during which Republicans will have control of both the legislative and executive branches of state government. As you might imagine this has raised the expectations of Oklahoma conservatives who desire the reform of state government.
December 1, 2010	Murphey to Lead New Modernization Effort House District 31 State Representative Jason Murphey has been re-appointed by House Speaker-elect Kris Steele to serve as Chairman of what was previously known as the House of Representatives' Government Modernization Committee.
November 27, 2010	Are Traditional Values a Frivolous Distraction? In last week’s article I commented on the fact that this is the time of year when policy is already starting to be established for the upcoming session of the Oklahoma Legislature.
November 21, 2010	Changes in Oklahoma Government Last week the new members of the Oklahoma Legislature took their oath of office. This action officially commenced the term of the 53rd Legislature which will last for the next two years.
November 11, 2010	Defending an Important Principle The events of the most recent election cycle have reminded me of the importance of what I believe to be one of the important governing principles established by our nation’s and state’s founding fathers.
November 7, 2010	Working with House Speaker Chris Benge Last week the House of Representatives’ Republican caucus met for the first time since the recent election to elect new officers and prepare for the upcoming legislative session. The 70 person caucus contains members from every part of Oklahoma, including districts which have never before elected Republican representatives.
November 1, 2010	Setting the Record Straight about SQ 754 During the past few days I have received several questions from those who are worried about the possible implications of voting for State Question 754. They are worried because of this statement which has been appended to the question’s ballot title: “Thus, under the measure, once adopted, the measure could not be effectively amended. Nor could it be repealed.”
October 22, 2010	Study Finds Modernization Reforms On Track State and local governments are set to save $21 million each year due to purchasing reforms enacted in recent years by the Legislature and is on track to achieve further savings through consolidated information technology services and financial shared services, House committee members were told today.
October 18, 2010	Consolidation of Oklahoma's State Government IT Systems This week the House of Representative’s Government Modernization Committee will conduct two interim studies designed to analyze the progress of the ongoing modernization reform initiatives and explore the possibility of implementing a new series of transparency and cost saving reforms.
October, 15, 2010	STUDY FINDS INFORMATION SHARING CRUCIAL TO HEALTH CARE Despite high quality doctors and hospitals, Oklahoma ranks almost dead last in health outcomes. This is due in part to inefficiencies in data sharing and coordination, according to Dr. David Kendrick, Greater Tulsa Health Access Network founder and managing coordinator.
October 11, 2010	2010 Judicial Retention Ballot During each general election cycle, voters of Oklahoma are asked to vote on whether or not they wish to retain certain judicial officials.
October 4, 2010	Best Practices for Using Twitter as an Elected Official I very much enjoy the ability to utilize new forms of communication with constituents. This is a unique time in history because these forms of communication are quickly evolving.
September 27, 2010	The 2010 State Questions On November 2, there will be 11 state questions put before the voters for their consideration. As a Legislator, I supported all of the questions, with the exception of the first and last ones on the ballot (SQ 744 and SQ 757).
September 19, 2010	Long Term Implications of Gov 2.0 Legislation One the projects I worked on this last legislative year was the Oklahoma State Government 2.0 legislation (SB 1759) which I authored with Oklahoma State Senator Anthony Sykes and which went into law a few weeks ago.
September 9, 2010	Study Finds Continuing Need for Benefit Reform OKLAHOMA CITY (September 9, 2010) – A review of state employee benefit systems today indicated that combining some administrative functions of the Employees Benefit Council (EBC) and the Oklahoma State Education and Employees Group Insurance Board (OSEEGIB) could still save money while maintaining state employee benefits.
September 7, 2010	New Transportation Plan Released Last month the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) took action to approve the latest version of its eight year plan for improving state highways and bridges.
June 24, 2010	Rep. Murphey to Keynote at Law Enforcement Event Oklahoma State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) will provide keynote remarks to the Public Safety GIS User Group of the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation on June 25 at 9:00 a.m. Murphey's presentation will occur at the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism in Oklahoma City. The user group workshop is sponsored by the Oklahoma Council of Firefighter Training, Lincoln, Nebraska Police Department and Oklahoma State Fire Marshall's office. It is designed to assist public safety leaders in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas in gaining new ideas about the use of geographic information technologies to solve public safety challenges.
June 21, 2010	It's Your Turn During the upcoming general election you will have the opportunity to weigh in on a series of issues which have been considered by the Legislature during the past legislative session. For instance, you will have the opportunity to term limit Oklahoma politicians, opt out of the federal government's planned health care mandate, and prohibit state courts from using international law when deciding cases.
June 14, 2010	Making Progress A few weeks ago I wrote an update regarding the effort to ask the Oklahoma Ethics Commission to create a "No Gifts List" by which lawmakers who do not wish to receive personal gifts from lobbyists would have an official mechanism for making their intentions known.
June 3, 2010	Representative Murphey Present for 99% of All Votes OKLAHOMA CITY – State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) made sure that he was representing House District 31 citizens by being present to vote in 1614 out of 1630 roll call votes during the recently concluded 2010 legislative session. During the four-year time frame since being elected to office, Murphey voted in 5,964 out of 6,002 roll call votes, or 99.4% of the time.
May 31, 2010	The Last Days of Session This last week brought about the end of the 2010 legislative session. I must say that this was probably the most intense week of legislative proceedings that I have observed in my four years of legislative service. Much happened in this last week and I could write an entire series of articles about just the happenings of this one week.
May 20, 2010	Logan County Road Bill Signed by Governor Legislation clarifying the ability of Title 19 Road Districts to provide for adequate draining from rural road surfaces has been signed by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry.
May 19, 2010	Murphey Closes Higher Education Transparency Loophole A loophole which kept Oklahoma Higher Education entities from meeting a new transparency requirement has been closed down after the Gubernatorial signing of House Bill 2332.
May 13, 2010	Murphey Business-Friendly Reform Signed into Law An initiative to make it easier to do business in Oklahoma is set to go into law after being signed by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry.
May 6, 2010	Murphey Named to Chair Law Enforcement Committee Oklahoma State Representative Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, has been appointed by House Speaker Chris Benge, to serve as the Chairman of a state law enforcement oversight committee.
May 4, 2010	Murphey Receives Conservative Lawmaker of the Year Award State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) has been awarded the designation of Outstanding Conservative State Representative of the Year by the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC).
May 3, 2010	The Impact of the New Federal Health Care Proposal Last week the Oklahoma House approved House Joint Resolution 1054 which is the legislative initiative that would codify an Oklahoma law to state that Oklahomans will not be forced to purchase health care and allows Oklahoma's legislative leaders to file suite against the federal law.
April 27, 2010	Governor Signs Legislation Creating the Task Force Accountability Act OKLAHOMA CITY (April 27, 2010) — House leaders praised the governor today for signing legislation requiring that any task force meet and issue a final report within three years of its creation or be automatically eliminated.
March 21, 2010	Oklahoma Responds to Federal Health Care Legislation Over the past weeks and months, I continue to receive e-mails from constituents who are frustrated by the debate over the expansion of the federal government's role in the health care industry. These constituents feel their voices are not being heard and are extremely frustrated because they feel helpless to effect change. This frustration has only increased over last weekend as part of the legislation was approved by Congress.
March, 16 2009	House Video Feed Yields Positive Results I have enjoyed observing first signs of tangible impact from the recent decision by Speaker Chris Benge to provide a live video feed of House proceedings on the Internet.
March, 14 2010	State Rep. Makes Donation To Pro-Life Organization GUTHRIE - State Representative Jason Murphey continued his mid-March tradition of presenting a yearly donation of $8,241.92 from his legislative salary to officials from Crossroads, An Open Door For Life Choices, Inc., located in Guthrie. Crossroads provides faith-based, pro-life counseling and support services to expectant mothers.
March 10, 2010	Government Modernization Legislation Streamlining State Licenses and Permits Passes House OKLAHOMA CITY (March 10, 2010) — Legislation encouraging the streamlining of several state-issued licenses and permits was approved by the House today.
March 8, 2010	Murphey Legislative Update This week marks the House deadline for voting on legislation before it goes to the Senate, so this is the time of year when Representatives begin to spend a significant deal of time on the House floor. It is also the first major test for many of the more interesting and controversial issues.
March 1, 2010	A Common Sense Answer to Lobbyist Gift Giving As candidate for State Representative, it was my pledge to the citizens of House District 31 to not accept personal gifts from lobbyists.
Feb 22, 2010	Legislation Making State Expenditures More Transparent Passes House Committee OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 22, 2010) — Legislation expanding Oklahoma’s taxpayer transparency website, Openbooks.ok.gov, to include additional details regarding state expenditures unanimously passed House committee today.
Feb, 22 2010	Important Principles for Citizen Statesmen Last weekend I was privileged to give a presentation to a group of individuals who have become engaged in following political activities due to the recent occurrences in national politics.
Feb 15, 2010	Legislation Creating the Task Force Accountability Act Passes House Committee 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.
Feb, 8 2010	House Committee Told Millions Saved as a Result of Purchasing Reforms, More to Come State agencies could potentially save as much as $12 million with recently-completed and ongoing contract negotiations made possible by purchasing reforms put in place in recent years, House committee members were told today.
January 20, 2010	House Republicans Announce 2010 Legislative Agenda The House Republican Caucus gathered today to unveil their 2010 legislative agenda, which includes efforts to grow Oklahoma’s economy, improve vital government services like education, public safety and health care, all while streamlining and modernizing government.
December 15, 2009	State Employee Health Insurance Working Group Releases Report The Oklahoma State Employee Health Insurance Review Working Group released a study today aimed at reducing health insurance costs.
January11, 2010	Modernization Changes Taking Effect This is the time of year when we start to see the effect of 2009 legislative changes as they become law. This includes the results from House Bill 1032. House Bill 1032 was the 2009 omnibus modernization bill that focused on using the premise of the economic downturn to mandate new government efficiencies, targeted some of the especially egregious examples of government waste and made accessing government services more convenient for the citizens.
January 4, 2010	The Effect of Term Limits on the Legislature I find it helpful to use the occasion of the new legislative session to think back about my experiences and observations over the last three years and apply the knowledge picked up from this review to strategize how to conduct my efforts during the next year.
November 17, 2009	Murphey Named to Chair Health Insurance Oversight Committee 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.
November 12, 2009	Murphey Named to Law Enforcement Committee Oklahoma State Representative Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie, has been appointed by House Speaker Chris Benge, to serve on a state law enforcement oversight committee.
November 2, 2009	Realizing Savings Through the Implementation of a Technology Strategy Last year as part of the House Modernization agenda, House Bill 1170 introduced the important step of requiring the state Chief Information Officer to consider the incorporation of innovative and low cost technology components in Oklahoma's IT strategy. The bill seeks to recognize the fact that the days of state government being forced to expend millions on expensive licensing agreements are in fact limited.
October 25, 2009	Town Hall Meeting Update This week I will be hosting the third of four Town Hall meetings which are scheduled in House District 31 during this year's legislative interim. At each of these Town Hall meetings, it has been my goal to bring together state and local officials to provide updates to area residents. At almost every meeting, I have invited at least one area State Senator and one local County Commissioner to provide a broad base of access to both state and local issues.
October 20, 2009	Interim Study Examines Open Source Technology OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 15, 2009) – The state of Oklahoma could potentially save millions of dollars annually by utilizing open source technology in lieu of purchasing expensive software licenses, House members were told at an interim study today. Representatives Jason Murphey and David Derby convened an interim study today designed to explore possibilities for a new round of cost-saving modernization legislation set to be introduced next legislative session.
October 19, 2009	Developing the Oklahoma Innovation, Efficiency and Accountability Act of 2010 In today's quickly changing world, private businesses are taking advantage of innovative programs such as allowing for employee telecommuting. Because of the ever growing reach of broadband Internet access, many job functions can be performed through the Internet. One example of this new functionality is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) that allows for state of the art telephone functions to be performed online. Another important reason for the rise of telecommuting is the recent expansion of cloud computing (shared computing via the Internet). Because of high speed Internet access, individual workers are not limited to the capabilities of his/her own computer, but can work in a collaborative manner with other employees who are located miles away through the use of shared capabilities afforded by cloud computing. An example of this functionality is the ability of employees to co-edit documents in real time.
October 5, 2009	An Opportunity to Save Millions of Taxpayer Dollars One of the concepts I would like advance in 2010 legislation is the incorporation of a state employee telecommuting pilot program.
October 4, 2009	One of the Worst Examples of Wasteful Spending Once in a while, I run across a law that makes my head hurt. A perfect example of one of these laws is Senate Bill 1347 which was signed into law in 2004. To see the effect of this law, I would suggest a drive down Memorial Road at the site of the new Broadway overpass. You will notice a series of elaborately designed artwork to aesthetically improve the new overpass.
September 27, 2009	The Need for Greater Transparency I have either been involved in or closely observed some level of government for almost ten years. In that time I have studied a series of local, county and state government entities, as well as an array of government public trusts.
September 19, 2009	Conducting a Review of State Employee Insurance You may have read recent headlines regarding an increase in rates that state, school and county governments will be paying for the insurance of their employees. An increase in the cost of the co-pay provisions of the primary PPO plan (state-run self-insurance program known as HealthChoice) will be handed down to state, school and county employees.
September 20, 2009	Millions Saved Through Government Reforms; Committee Reviews New Tools for Better Government OKLAHOMA CITY – Recent reforms in government purchasing have already resulted in more than $1.2 million in savings and additional reforms could result in state government being more cost efficient and effective, state legislators were told today.
September 13, 2009	Learning from the Failures of other States If you spend much time watching business or news networks such as CNBC or FOX, you may have noticed a commercial promoting Michigan as a good location for business owners to conduct business. For the past several years, Michigan’s political leaders have offered $3.3 billion in tax credits through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and spent another $1.6 billion in outlays to create and retain jobs. The subsidies include tax breaks for film production, funding for new industrial plants, and millions for the nationwide TV ads starring celebrities talking about business and tourism to Michigan.
September 9th, 2009	Interim Study Looks at Ways to Streamline State Permits and Licensing Streamlining the thousands of licenses and permits issued by various state agencies is critical to modernizing state government, House members were told at an interim study today.
September 9th, 2009	Payroll, Human Resources Streamlining Discussed at House Interim Study Several state agencies testified at an interim study today about their ongoing efforts to streamline and consolidate payroll and human relations services, which has not only saved the state money, but has also improved services.
August 23, 2009	Local Officials Standing Up to the Legislature I believe the best form of government is one in which a citizen board sits in oversight of a government entity without having the direct authority to determine who receives money from the government by way of targeting funds directly to the recipient. When elected officials have the direct authority to determine who receives government largesse, the potential for corruption dramatically increases.
08/19/2009	Representative Murphey Present for 99% of All Votes State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) made sure that he was representing House District 31 citizens by being present to vote in 1544 out of 1555 roll call votes during the 2009 legislative session. During the three-year time frame since being elected to office, Murphey voted in 4,350 out of 4372 roll call votes, or 99.5% of the time.
	OFRG Honors Two Lawmakers (Oklahoma City, OK) Oklahomans for Responsible Government is proud to announce its selection of Lawmaker of the Year for the 2009 legislative session.
July 7, 2009	Murphey Receives 100% Conservative Rating State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) has learned that he will receive a rating of 100% from Oklahoma's longest running conservative publication for his work during the 2009 legislative session.
June, 26 2009	House Interim Studies Announced OKLAHOMA CITY (June 26, 2009)—House Speaker Chris Benge announced the approval today of 120 interim studies that will be conducted over the summer and fall prior to the next legislative session.
June 16th, 2009	Local Official Appointed to Health Insurance Working Group Speaker of the House Chris Benge has appointed local State Representative Jason Murphey to the State Employee Health Insurance Review Working Group. This group is assigned with the responsibility of reviewing Oklahoma's state employee health insurance system.
June 5, 2009	Government Modernization Plan Signed into Law OKLAHOMA CITY (June 5, 2009) – Governor Brad Henry has signed House Bill 1032, the Oklahoma State Government Modernization Act of 2009 authored by Senator Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso and Representative Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie.
June 2, 2009	Government Modernization Plan Signed into Law Governor Brad Henry has signed House Bill 1032, the Oklahoma State Government Modernization Act of 2009, a keystone in the House Republican effort to streamline government.
May 26, 2009	Signed into Law: Local Request Bill to Improve Adoption Transparency OKLAHOMA CITY (June 1, 2009) – The Governor has signed into law Senate Bill 794. Senate Bill 794, authored by state Sen. Clark Jolley and state Rep. Jason Murphey, requires DHS to publish a report on unsuccessful adoptions similar to its public reports on successful adoptions.
May, 22, 2009	Local Legislators Win Approval for Closing Tax Loophole OKLAHOMA CITY (June 1, 2009) – Two local legislators have won legislative approval for a law that will close a loophole in the law. House Bill 1295 was presented to the legislature by Representative Jason Murphey and Senator Clark Jolly after a state employee who works in one of the state's licensing entities informed Murphey of the loophole.
May 20, 2009	Legislation Streamlining Information Technology among State Agencies Passes House OKLAHOMA CITY (May 20, 2009) – Legislation that will streamline state information technology services and purchases while also working to prevent technology security breaches passed the House today.
May 20, 2009	Government Modernization Legislation Advances OKLAHOMA CITY (May 20, 2009) – Legislation overwhelmingly passed by the House today would provide increased oversight of state purchasing and improved online access to government services, which if signed into law could lead to millions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer.
5/20/2009	Bill Aiding State Employee Payroll Transition Passes House OKLAHOMA CITY (May 20, 2009) – Legislation helping with the transition of state employees onto a more efficient and cost-effective biweekly payroll system is one step closer to becoming law following House passage today.
May 19, 2009	Logan County Road District Bill Set To Go Into Law OKLAHOMA CITY (May 19, 2009) - The Governor has signed into law House Bill 1294 by Representative Jason Murphey, R-Guthrie and Senator Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, to enable rural Road District to fund their projects on a pay-as-you-go basis instead of having to issue long term debt.
May, 6 2009	Government Reform Will Protect Citizen Information OKLAHOMA CITY – State lawmakers and technology security experts today said reforms advancing in the Legislature will increase protection of citizens’ private data and reduce its theft from government computers.
4/14/2009	People to Decide Statewide Office Term Limits OKLAHOMA CITY (April 14, 2009) – Oklahomans will have the option to stop politicians from becoming entrenched in office following House passage of statewide term limits legislation today.
4/12/2009	Adding Even More Debt Last week, the House approved the issuance of new long-term debt to finance a dam project on the Arkansas River in the Tulsa area. This means that each year, more of your money will be added to the millions of tax payer dollars that are tied down to paying debt and debt interest.
4/6/2009	Legislation Streamlining Information Technology among State Agencies Passes House OKLAHOMA CITY (April 7, 2009) – Legislation streamlining and consolidating technology services across state agencies passed the House today. Senate Bill 980, by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee and Rep. Jason Murphey, would create a Chief Information Officer, who would direct technology purchases for state agencies. The consolidation of technology contracts will lead to millions of dollars in savings to the state as improved purchasing power drives prices down.
4/1/2009	Lawmakers Vote to Improve DHS Tracking of Adoption Issues OKLAHOMA CITY (April 1, 2009) – State lawmakers voted today to require the Department of Human Services to provide greater information on unsuccessful adoptions.
3/25/2009	Statewide Office Term Limits Passes House Committee OKLAHOMA CITY (March 25, 2009) – Statewide office holders are "one legislative step" away from not being able to become entrenched in office with passage of term limits legislation by a House committee today.
3/23/2009	Committee Clears Measure Requiring DHS to Provide Information on Unsuccessful Adoptions OKLAHOMA CITY (March 23, 2009) - Legislation that would require the Oklahoma Department of Human Services to provide statistics on unsuccessful adoptions has been passed by the House Human Services Committee.
3/14/2009	State Rep. Makes Donation To Pro-Life Organization GUTHRIE - State Representative Jason Murphey continued his mid-March tradition of presenting a yearly donation of $8,241.92 from his legislative salary to officials from Crossroads, An Open Door For Life Choices, Inc., located in Guthrie. Crossroads provides faith-based, pro-life counseling and support services to expectant mothers.
3/11/2009	Statewide Office Term Limits Passes House OKLAHOMA CITY (March 11, 2009) â€“ Statewide office holders would not be able to become entrenched in office if a resolution passed by the House today becomes law.
3/11/2009	Information Technology Streamlining Legislation Passes House OKLAHOMA CITY (March 11, 2009) - Legislation seeking to consolidate and coordinate IT services between state agencies passed the House today.
3/9/2009	Bill Improving Government Transparency Passes House OKLAHOMA CITY (March 9, 2009) - Oklahoma could save millions of dollars if government purchasing, licensing and payroll changes approved by the state House today become law.
2/25/2009	Term Limits for Statewide Elected Officials Moves to Full House OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 25, 2009) - Most statewide office holders would be limited to a maximum of eight years in office if legislation passed by a House committee today becomes law.
2/17/209	Murphey Modernization Bill Approved By House OKLAHOMA CITY - The state could realize millions of dollars in savings if legislation passed by the House today becomes law.
12/8/2008	Local State Representative to Chair House Committee GUTHRIE - State Representative Jason Murphey has been named by House Speaker Chris Benge to chair the newly created Government Modernization Committee.