Shoemake Calls For Investigation into Lower Gas Prices

Representative Calls on Fellow Legislators to Petition for Investigation into Lower Gasoline Prices

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 24th, 2007) On one of the last day of the Legislative Session, Representative Jerry Shoemake, D - Morris, called on his fellow Legislators to sign a petition calling on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and Oklahoma Attorney General to conduct an investigation into the soaring price of gasoline.

“High gas prices hurt hard working Oklahomans the most,” said Shoemake. “We have to do something about the soaring price of gasoline before it gets out of control.”

Currently, every House Democrat present and all but two State Senate Democrats have signed the petition to encourage the Attorney General and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to conduct an investigation on the spike in local gas prices.

“To have sixty-five of the sixty-eight Democratic Legislators sign this petition should send a message to our Republican colleagues that Oklahoma has a problem with high gas prices,” said Shoemake.

Shoemake has also attempted to have a resolution heard on the House Floor that would have called on the federal government to conduct its own investigation of rising gasoline prices across the nation. The resolution was not heard on the State House Floor by the Republican Leadership at any time the past three years.

“I have constituents in my district that can no longer afford to buy groceries, prescription drugs or any other necessities because they have to pay for gasoline to drive to and from work ever day. This is ridiculous and it is about time that we do something about these outrageous prices.”
Congressional House Democrats have recently passed measures that would prevent price-gouging at the gasoline pump.

“I would like to commend Congressman Dan Boren and the U.S. House Democrats for taking actions to protect working Americans,” said Shoemake. “We are just requesting similar action at the state level. House Democrats have tried to run resolutions in the past to encourage Congress to take action when the Republicans were in charge of the U.S. House. However, the State House Republican leadership refused to give the resolution a hearing. The same stall tactics happened this year when the resolution was filed, so it couldn’t have been simply to protect the federal Republican legislators.”

Boren, D – Muskogee, was the only member of the Oklahoma Congressional Delegation to support the price-gouging legislation.

Since Friday, May 25th is the last day of the Legislative Session, if no action is taken on the resolution, it will effectively die. By doing a petition, no official action is required by the legislature, but it shows an overwhelming support by the legislative Democrats on this subject.

“I really hope that the House Leadership comes to its senses,” said Shoemake. “This isn’t a Republican or Democrat issue. This is an issue of helping out all Oklahomans and giving them a fair break at the gas pump.”

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