1. A. The board of education of each area vocational-technical school district in this state shall provide a health insurance plan for the employees of the area vocational-technical school district. Area vocational-technical school districts may obtain health and dental insurance coverage as provided for in the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act or may obtain other health insurance coverage. Any area vocational-technical district that does not participate in the health and dental insurance plans offered through the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act shall obtain health insurance coverage for the employees which provides open enrollment, and provide for the continuation of health insurance coverage, including supplemental Medicare insurance coverage, for those district employees who retire from said district after September 30, 1991, with a vested benefit in the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma. A retired person who begins receiving benefits from the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma after September 30, 1991, who retires from an area vocational-technical school district that provides other health insurance coverage, and who elects to continue said health insurance coverage shall pay to the area vocational-technical school district the premium rate for the health insurance minus an amount equal to the premium rate of the Medicare supplement or the amount determined pursuant to subsection (4) of Section 1316.3 of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes, whichever is less, which shall be paid by the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma to the area vocational-technical school district. The area vocational-technical school district shall remit to the health insurance coverage provider the total premium due less any uncollected amounts payable from retired area vocational-technical school district employees or their qualified survivors.
2. B. An area vocational-technical school district that participates in health insurance coverage other than the health insurance plan offered by the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act shall not be required to pay any portion of the premium for the employees or the dependents of the employees of said school district. Unless a school district negotiates an agreement with its employees regarding health insurance pursuant to Sections 509.1 through 509.9 of this title, and to the extent that the agreement provides for the members of the recognized bargaining unit, an area vocational-technical school district that participates in health insurance coverage other than the health insurance plan offered by the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act is prohibited from acquiring additional or supplemental health or dental insurance for any board member, area school superintendent or any other employee which is not available to all employees of said district, and said school district shall not pay a greater portion of the employee or dependent premium for any health or dental insurance plan or plans provided by said school district on behalf of any board member, area school superintendent or employee than that portion paid on behalf of all participating employees of said district.
3. C. If an area vocational-technical school district obtains health insurance coverage from a source other than through the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act, the employees of the area vocational-technical school district who would be eligible to participate in the health and dental plans may require the board of education of the area vocational-technical school district to call an election to allow said employees to vote as to whether the school district shall participate in the health and dental insurance plans offered through the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act. Upon the filing with the board of education of a petition calling for such an election which is signed by no less than thirty percent (30%) of the eligible employees of the area vocational-technical school district, the board of education shall call an election for the purpose of determining whether the area vocational-technical school district shall participate in the health and dental insurance plans offered through the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act. The election shall be held within thirty (30) days of the filing of the petition. If a majority of those eligible employees voting at the election vote to participate in the health and dental insurance plans offered through the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act, the board of education of the area vocational-technical school district shall apply for such participation within thirty (30) days of the election.
4. D. If an area vocational-technical school district does not have any health insurance coverage of the type required by this section, that area vocational-technical school district shall immediately be enrolled in the health and dental insurance plans offered through the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act.
5. E. A carrier providing health insurance coverage for employees of a vocational-technical school district health insurance group which replaces a previous carrier for such vocational-technical school district employees shall provide coverage for each retired employee who is receiving a benefit or terminates employment with a vested benefit from the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma and who is enrolled in the health insurance group by the previous carrier at the time the previous carrier providing health insurance coverage is replaced. Notwithstanding any provision in this section to the contrary, any person who retires pursuant to the provisions of the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma prior to May 1, 1993, or terminates service with a vested benefit, pursuant to the provisions of the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma prior to May 1, 1993, may continue to participate in the health and dental plans authorized by the provisions of the State and Education Employees Group Insurance Act.
6. F. In the event a vocational-technical school district ceases to exist, the assets and duties of said vocational-technical school district are transferred to one or more other vocational-technical school districts, said other vocational-technical school district or districts do not agree to employ all of the former employees of the vocational-technical school district that is ceasing to exist, and said former employees who are not being reemployed have rights under federal or state law to continue group insurance coverage, the annexing vocational-technical school district having the largest general fund revenue for the most recent preceding fiscal year for which data is available shall provide group insurance coverage to said former employees not being retained during the period as required by law.

Laws 1988, c. 165, § 2, operative July 1, 1988; Amended by Laws 1991, c. 219, § 2, emerg. eff. May 22, 1991; Amended by Laws 1993, c. 359, § 2, eff. July 1, 1993.