Senate Pro Tem Treat Appoints Sen. Pemberton as Retirement and Insurance Chairman

Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, today announced the appointment of Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, as the chairman of the Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee.

“Sen. Pemberton has a wealth of knowledge and proven background in a number of areas during his time in the Senate,” Pro Tem Treat said. “He is an excellent leader who continues to perform well as a member of our caucus leadership team. Sen. Pemberton is informed and listens to all opinions before making a decision. For these reasons and others is why I think he will make an exceptional chairman of this committee. I appreciate him for accepting this new role in addition to his many others.”

Sen. Pemberton serves district nine, which encompasses Muskogee, Wagoner, Cherokee, Sequoyah and Adair counties. He is a member of the oversite committee for the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, joint legislative task force on the Grand River Dam Authority, OMES/ARPA oversight, Education, Health and Human Services, Tourism and Wildlife and Administrative Rules committees.

“I truly appreciate Pro Tem Treat’s confidence in me and for giving me the opportunity to serve in this expanded role,” Sen. Pemberton said. “The Retirement and Insurance Committee handles complex issues relating to the insurance industry. It also reviews potential legislation that impacts public pensions like the teachers’ retirement system, which as a former educator, is of utmost importance to me and my fellow educators. I look forward to chairing this committee and working with my colleagues to ensure a healthy retirement system for our dedicated public employees and ensuring a fair marketplace for private insurance companies who operate in the state.”

The Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee is primarily tasked with handling legislative issues relating to the regulation of private insurance in the state. This covers issues such as mandated health insurance coverage, life insurance, property and casualty insurance, service warranties, reinsurance, and unfair claims settlement practices.

Additionally, the committee covers all legislation related to the six public pensions in the state: the Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System, the Uniform Retirement System for Justices and Judges, the Oklahoma Firefighters Pension and Retirement System, the Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System and the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System. Agencies and organizations often working with the Retirement and Insurance Committee include the Oklahoma Insurance Department and each of the pension systems.

To view the other members of the committee, click here.