During last week's update I wrote about the opportunity for individuals to change government by getting involved in local civic affairs. In that update I referenced a recent report by the group Oklahomans for Responsible Government documenting the very low voter turnout in recent local level elections. Some of the respondents to that update referenced the challenge that residents face in having a voice in local affairs.
The foremost challenge involves the large number of possible election dates which occur. Frequently, initiatives which raise taxes on all of the people (such as property tax bond issues) are voted into law by a small fraction of the electorate on a day when many are unaware that an election is even occurring. Those wishing to pass a tax increase can strategize by calling the election for the tax increase on one of these elections days.
This presents a special problem for those who live in rural areas. For instance, residents of one Logan County precinct who live in part of the precinct which is experiencing a significant amount of residential growth must drive about 15 miles to the other end of the precinct in order to vote. This problem will likely be corrected with upcoming redistricting; however, the distance has served as a detriment to those who would otherwise vote.
I know there are times when distance issues, for example, are unavoidable. However, I don't feel that those desiring tax increases should be able to pick an election date where there is little likelihood for a strong turnout.
Last year I served as the primary House author of a Senate Bill authored by Senator Clark Jolly which would consolidate the number of days when an election could be held. Fewer possible election days would mean that more people would have the opportunity to vote on local proposals such as school board elections, city council elections and local tax increases.
If voters knew that elections would only be held on two or three days each year, they could plan on voting on those days and would not have to worry about missing an election because they did not hear about it. In addition, I believe that tax increase proposals should only be allowed to occur on the same day as a general election when the politicians attempting to pass the tax increase are also on the ballot.
I am also a huge proponent for the televised and online display of video content from all governing board meetings. This would allow individuals to stay informed from the convenience of their own homes and on a schedule that works for them.
I believe these are common sense answers to the very large problem of governing boards operating under the radar with little citizen oversight.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Getting Involved and Making a Difference
Writing these weekly updates has allowed me to engage in a productive, ongoing dialog with those I represent. I receive a number of e-mails in response to each update.
One of the most frequent questions I receive is from those who are frustrated with the direction governing policy is taking and they want to get involved and make a difference. I believe the best way to get involved in helping to limit our government is to seek election to local level offices.
Oklahomans for Responsible Government (OFRG) recently published an excellent article about the current lack of interest in local elections. OFRG explained that in a number of recent local elections, very few took the time to vote.
Among others, OFRG pointed to the following examples: in the city of Noble, 30 individuals voted in a City Council election. The City of Wellston voted to continue a city sales tax after 34 people voted -- this from a population of 834. The Oklahoma City school district has an enrollment of 42,570 students, but only 263 voters voted in this month's Oklahoma City school board election.
OFRG quite correctly opined its disappointment about the lack of interest in local civic affairs. In an era when so many wish to get involved, it is disappointing to see that their interest does not translate to local affairs. Let's face facts; effecting change at the federal level is very difficult. However, billions of taxpayer dollars are funnelled through the federal government and spent by state, county, city, school and public trust governing entities. If these governments would be willing to stand up to the federal government even if it means refusing federal funds and the attached mandates, it could make a big difference.
In the past I have written about how state level governments defeated the federal effort at creating a national ID card simply by refusing to participate in the federal program. I believe this example of success could be duplicated time and time again if more state and local government entities would simply refuse to play the federal government's game of taking funding in exchange for giving away local control.
I would strongly encourage all those who want to make a difference to pay attention to local and state civic affairs. There are many opportunities to make a difference for those who are willing to sacrifice their time in order to help restore our country to that important vision of limited government envisioned by our founding fathers. As each level of government (municipal, county and state) is truly returned to governance by the people and for the people, the federal government will be positively impacted as well.
One of the most frequent questions I receive is from those who are frustrated with the direction governing policy is taking and they want to get involved and make a difference. I believe the best way to get involved in helping to limit our government is to seek election to local level offices.
Oklahomans for Responsible Government (OFRG) recently published an excellent article about the current lack of interest in local elections. OFRG explained that in a number of recent local elections, very few took the time to vote.
Among others, OFRG pointed to the following examples: in the city of Noble, 30 individuals voted in a City Council election. The City of Wellston voted to continue a city sales tax after 34 people voted -- this from a population of 834. The Oklahoma City school district has an enrollment of 42,570 students, but only 263 voters voted in this month's Oklahoma City school board election.
OFRG quite correctly opined its disappointment about the lack of interest in local civic affairs. In an era when so many wish to get involved, it is disappointing to see that their interest does not translate to local affairs. Let's face facts; effecting change at the federal level is very difficult. However, billions of taxpayer dollars are funnelled through the federal government and spent by state, county, city, school and public trust governing entities. If these governments would be willing to stand up to the federal government even if it means refusing federal funds and the attached mandates, it could make a big difference.
In the past I have written about how state level governments defeated the federal effort at creating a national ID card simply by refusing to participate in the federal program. I believe this example of success could be duplicated time and time again if more state and local government entities would simply refuse to play the federal government's game of taking funding in exchange for giving away local control.
I would strongly encourage all those who want to make a difference to pay attention to local and state civic affairs. There are many opportunities to make a difference for those who are willing to sacrifice their time in order to help restore our country to that important vision of limited government envisioned by our founding fathers. As each level of government (municipal, county and state) is truly returned to governance by the people and for the people, the federal government will be positively impacted as well.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Example of Problem Created by Federal Influence
Recent legislative votes have indicated that a strong and bi-partisan majority of Oklahoma legislators are adamantly opposed to greater efforts by the federal government to inject itself into the lives of Oklahomans, with specific opposition to the efforts of Congress to expand federal influence over the health care industry.
I believe these legislators have seen firsthand how no one wins when federal officials are put in charge of making decisions about how Oklahomans live their lives. The federal government is far removed from the people and all too often governs with a one-size-fits-all approach which all too often creates unintended consequences.
I believe these legislators have seen firsthand how no one wins when federal officials are put in charge of making decisions about how Oklahomans live their lives. The federal government is far removed from the people and all too often governs with a one-size-fits-all approach which all too often creates unintended consequences.
An example of this is the recent repavement of Broadway Road. A few years ago, Logan County officials received funding for repaving Broadway in part because it experiences an extremely heavy traffic count (sometimes nearing 6,000 per day) which has been wearing away the road surface. This road is one of the busiest in Logan County and serves as a major traffic corridor for those traveling back and forth from Oklahoma and Logan Counties. In fact, there is significantly more traffic on Broadway, a county maintained road, than the closest state highway. The road also provides a corridor for heavy construction traffic in this rapidly growing area. All of this traffic has understandably had the effect of wearing away the road surface.
However, as the project was getting underway, state officials discovered that because of federal red tape, the county would not be allowed to use this money to pave the road where the heaviest traffic is located.
A federal rule requires that a road this busy cannot be paved with federal funds unless it is widened and shoulder space is added. However, the amount of funding does not come close to allowing these types of improvements to occur. This means that it was required that the road be repaved farther to the north where the widening is not necessary and the need for repaving is not nearly as strong. Because of this federal rule, the most needy part of the road could not be fixed, while the part of the road that was not so needy received a very nice repaving job. Logan County officials must now find a way to fund the heavily traveled part of the road with other funding sources.
I am sure that the federal officials who implemented the rule that funding could not be used unless the road received significant upgrades did so with the best intentions. However, this across-the-board policy has resulted in an environment where the most used stretch of road still lacks the necessary upgrades, is badly needing to be repaved and has yet to be properly funded. And because it took several years for the government to tell local officials of this requirement, a lot of time has been wasted which could have been used to secure additional funding.
Since the federal government is so far removed from the voice of the people, there is little you or I can do to reverse this policy. I don't believe this the form of government we want interfering in other important issues such as health care.Sunday, March 28, 2010
Expanding Charter Schools to Logan County
The House of Representatives recently approved an importation education reform measure that I believe could have a significant impact on education in Logan County. House Bill 2753 is sponsored by Representative Lee Denney who represents part of eastern Logan County, including the town of Langston. Her legislation would enable Langston to play host to a charter school.
Currently, state law limits the establishment of charter schools to Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties where the constituents are ill-served by failing school districts. In the past, I have written about the importance of providing these individuals with relief and enabling their children to experience the opportunity of a quality education. However, it is important to realize that there are other areas of the state which are in significant need of education alternatives and school choice. One of these areas is the Logan County community of Langston where Representative Denney has heard from her Langston constituency about the need for a charter school in the town.
This proposal would have several exciting potential applications. A Langston charter school would not only return a common eduction opportunity to the town of Langston, but this school could also be integrated with the University of Langston. Students participating in the charter school could progress through a system which prepared them for and provided them with a seamless integration into the college experience.
In other words, students would be expected not just to complete 12 grades of common education schooling, but 16 grades of common and higher education schooling. This education strategy would match that which is implemented in the highly successful KIPP charter school system about which I have written in the past. This integration with the college environment could also provide Langston college students with the opportunity to practice teaching in an on-campus environment where they could receive real-world teaching experience.
One of the most exciting aspects surrounding the passage of House Bill 2753, was the margin by which it passed the Legislature. The bill received a bi-partisan composition of 63 votes. In 2007, legislation expanding charter schools received 51 votes and was approved by just one vote. I believe this expanding margin of support has been made possible by the many success stories the charter school environment has produced over the past few years. It is becoming harder and harder for defenders of the status quo to demonize change.
If House Bill 2753 is approved, I hope the Langston community will take advantage of this reform to enable better education opportunities for Logan County residents.
Currently, state law limits the establishment of charter schools to Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties where the constituents are ill-served by failing school districts. In the past, I have written about the importance of providing these individuals with relief and enabling their children to experience the opportunity of a quality education. However, it is important to realize that there are other areas of the state which are in significant need of education alternatives and school choice. One of these areas is the Logan County community of Langston where Representative Denney has heard from her Langston constituency about the need for a charter school in the town.
This proposal would have several exciting potential applications. A Langston charter school would not only return a common eduction opportunity to the town of Langston, but this school could also be integrated with the University of Langston. Students participating in the charter school could progress through a system which prepared them for and provided them with a seamless integration into the college experience.
In other words, students would be expected not just to complete 12 grades of common education schooling, but 16 grades of common and higher education schooling. This education strategy would match that which is implemented in the highly successful KIPP charter school system about which I have written in the past. This integration with the college environment could also provide Langston college students with the opportunity to practice teaching in an on-campus environment where they could receive real-world teaching experience.
One of the most exciting aspects surrounding the passage of House Bill 2753, was the margin by which it passed the Legislature. The bill received a bi-partisan composition of 63 votes. In 2007, legislation expanding charter schools received 51 votes and was approved by just one vote. I believe this expanding margin of support has been made possible by the many success stories the charter school environment has produced over the past few years. It is becoming harder and harder for defenders of the status quo to demonize change.
If House Bill 2753 is approved, I hope the Langston community will take advantage of this reform to enable better education opportunities for Logan County residents.
Sunday, 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.
In light of these events, I felt it would be important to provide an update about the progress we are making in the Oklahoma Legislature to combat the federal government's power grab.
I have been a strong advocate for the idea that Oklahoma must aggressively assert its role as a state under the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Our founding fathers designed our system of governance so that the power of government was localized as much as possible. This means that an individual's voice makes a difference because an individual citizen is more likely to be heard at the local level of government.
For example, the helpless feeling that many constituents are currently feeling would not be so prevalent if this issue were under consideration by state government instead of federal government. Their calls for action would make a big difference because local legislators would be responsive to the level of citizen outrage expressed about this issue. This is why the Tenth Amendment delegates so much authority to state governments.
In order to assert Oklahoma's rights under the Tenth Amendment, several legislators filed states' rights legislation during this session. The Oklahoma House of Representatives recently voted by a 77-10 vote to approve House Joint Resolution 1054. If HJR 1054 is approved by the Legislature, it will allow you to have an outlet to express your opposition to the federal expansion. The proposal would allow Oklahoma citizens to vote in November to amend the State Constitution so that no law or rule will require an Oklahoman to purchase health care insurance and no penalties or fines could be imposed on someone who chooses not to purchase health care insurance.
The Senate has already approved a sister resolution to HJR 1054, known as Senate Joint Resolution 59. SJR 59 was approved by the Senate by a vote of 30-16 and is also designed to amend the Constitution in order to counter some of the possible new mandates from the federal government.
I believe this is one of the most important issues to be considered by the Legislature during this year and I am co-sponsoring both of these efforts. If these proposals are approved, Oklahoma will join a number of other states who are also exercising their rights under the Tenth Amendment.
Shortly after I joined the Legislature, we approved a measure to let Oklahoma join with a number of states in opposing the federal government's effort to enact a REAL ID (national ID card). I believe it was this opposition that forced the federal government to back down and remove the proposal in its original form. I am optimistic that the states can force a similar reaction on this issue as well. The refusal of Oklahoma and other states to cooperate with this latest expansion could be vital to defeating the effort to move towards a socialized health care system.
In light of these events, I felt it would be important to provide an update about the progress we are making in the Oklahoma Legislature to combat the federal government's power grab.
I have been a strong advocate for the idea that Oklahoma must aggressively assert its role as a state under the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Our founding fathers designed our system of governance so that the power of government was localized as much as possible. This means that an individual's voice makes a difference because an individual citizen is more likely to be heard at the local level of government.
For example, the helpless feeling that many constituents are currently feeling would not be so prevalent if this issue were under consideration by state government instead of federal government. Their calls for action would make a big difference because local legislators would be responsive to the level of citizen outrage expressed about this issue. This is why the Tenth Amendment delegates so much authority to state governments.
In order to assert Oklahoma's rights under the Tenth Amendment, several legislators filed states' rights legislation during this session. The Oklahoma House of Representatives recently voted by a 77-10 vote to approve House Joint Resolution 1054. If HJR 1054 is approved by the Legislature, it will allow you to have an outlet to express your opposition to the federal expansion. The proposal would allow Oklahoma citizens to vote in November to amend the State Constitution so that no law or rule will require an Oklahoman to purchase health care insurance and no penalties or fines could be imposed on someone who chooses not to purchase health care insurance.
The Senate has already approved a sister resolution to HJR 1054, known as Senate Joint Resolution 59. SJR 59 was approved by the Senate by a vote of 30-16 and is also designed to amend the Constitution in order to counter some of the possible new mandates from the federal government.
I believe this is one of the most important issues to be considered by the Legislature during this year and I am co-sponsoring both of these efforts. If these proposals are approved, Oklahoma will join a number of other states who are also exercising their rights under the Tenth Amendment.
Shortly after I joined the Legislature, we approved a measure to let Oklahoma join with a number of states in opposing the federal government's effort to enact a REAL ID (national ID card). I believe it was this opposition that forced the federal government to back down and remove the proposal in its original form. I am optimistic that the states can force a similar reaction on this issue as well. The refusal of Oklahoma and other states to cooperate with this latest expansion could be vital to defeating the effort to move towards a socialized health care system.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Open Door Policy - March 15, 2010
We finished the deadline week this past Thursday in the State Legislature and saw many bills make it to the exchange point for each body. I had six of my bills pass the House and go to the Senate this session. The House will now consider Senate legislation and the Senate will work on House legislation. We also have many carry-over bills from the previous year which could possibly see some action. Two I have from the Senate are:
SB 697 – Creating a Children’s Cabinet to force state entities who work on children’s issues to meet quarterly to discuss policies and hopefully avoid duplication of services; and
SB 859 – A bill to allow for modification of benefits status for teachers’ retirement upon the marriage of an individual if the marriage occurs after the initial enrollment.
There are several ideas which I will work with House authors to amend Senate bills to consider several subjects which have arisen since the bill filing deadline. I will keep you posted on the progress of these ideas. I will also be working on the various bills I sent over to the Senate with my authors to make sure the bills progress through the process. Each bill and resolution going through the process (except for simple resolutions) will require an author from both the House and the Senate. If the bills cannot be passed by both bodies with the exact same language, then a conference committee will meet to work out the differences. We will also try to finish up the budget process for FY-11 prior to the May deadline.
It was a busy time outside the Capitol last week also. I made a trip back home during the session to visit the Friend Fire Department annual pie auction. They raised around $10,000 to support the operations of their department over the next year. It is also not too late to donate to them or any of the volunteer departments in your area as they need the additional funds with the upcoming budget cuts at the Capitol. We also saw various guests stop by the session, including the Leadership Lawton 2010 program and the AP English II Class from Elgin . On Thursday following session, I was honored to be the keynote speaker to the Canadian Valley Career Tech Honor Society induction at their Chickasha campus, and I also attended the Rural Electric Cooperative Firefighter Appreciation Dinner in Lindsay. On Friday, I was a guest on Larry Stein’s radio show out of OKC, I taped Kelly Poolaw’s radio show in Anadarko for the Sunday airing, I was on OETA discussing meningitis immunizations from the outbreak in Oologah and I also visited with a Public Administration Class at UCO (one of my alma maters) about government jobs and legislation affecting public entities, along with attending the Speaker’s Ball, an event which raised money for the Regional Food Bank. We also celebrated the birthday of Don McKay of Rush Springs on Saturday with several of the family members and I attended the basketball tournament fundraiser for the Rush Springs little league baseball team and watched some of my high school classmates show they haven’t slowed down since high school (It’s hard to type sarcastically in a column as a couple of them were hobbling around that night after the game). I did rest on Sunday so I would be ready to go this week, even though it will be a slow time at the Capitol. It is also tough adjusting to the time change, and I know that is something we will look at as states are allowed the option of eliminating Daylight Savings Time.
It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. My e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work. My mailing address is PO Box 559 , Rush Springs , OK 73082 and my website is www.joedorman.com on the Internet. Thank you for taking time to read this column and I look forward to seeing you soon
SB 697 – Creating a Children’s Cabinet to force state entities who work on children’s issues to meet quarterly to discuss policies and hopefully avoid duplication of services; and
SB 859 – A bill to allow for modification of benefits status for teachers’ retirement upon the marriage of an individual if the marriage occurs after the initial enrollment.
There are several ideas which I will work with House authors to amend Senate bills to consider several subjects which have arisen since the bill filing deadline. I will keep you posted on the progress of these ideas. I will also be working on the various bills I sent over to the Senate with my authors to make sure the bills progress through the process. Each bill and resolution going through the process (except for simple resolutions) will require an author from both the House and the Senate. If the bills cannot be passed by both bodies with the exact same language, then a conference committee will meet to work out the differences. We will also try to finish up the budget process for FY-11 prior to the May deadline.
It was a busy time outside the Capitol last week also. I made a trip back home during the session to visit the Friend Fire Department annual pie auction. They raised around $10,000 to support the operations of their department over the next year. It is also not too late to donate to them or any of the volunteer departments in your area as they need the additional funds with the upcoming budget cuts at the Capitol. We also saw various guests stop by the session, including the Leadership Lawton 2010 program and the AP English II Class from Elgin . On Thursday following session, I was honored to be the keynote speaker to the Canadian Valley Career Tech Honor Society induction at their Chickasha campus, and I also attended the Rural Electric Cooperative Firefighter Appreciation Dinner in Lindsay. On Friday, I was a guest on Larry Stein’s radio show out of OKC, I taped Kelly Poolaw’s radio show in Anadarko for the Sunday airing, I was on OETA discussing meningitis immunizations from the outbreak in Oologah and I also visited with a Public Administration Class at UCO (one of my alma maters) about government jobs and legislation affecting public entities, along with attending the Speaker’s Ball, an event which raised money for the Regional Food Bank. We also celebrated the birthday of Don McKay of Rush Springs on Saturday with several of the family members and I attended the basketball tournament fundraiser for the Rush Springs little league baseball team and watched some of my high school classmates show they haven’t slowed down since high school (It’s hard to type sarcastically in a column as a couple of them were hobbling around that night after the game). I did rest on Sunday so I would be ready to go this week, even though it will be a slow time at the Capitol. It is also tough adjusting to the time change, and I know that is something we will look at as states are allowed the option of eliminating Daylight Savings Time.
It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. My e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work. My mailing address is PO Box 559 , Rush Springs , OK 73082 and my website is www.joedorman.com on the Internet. Thank you for taking time to read this column and I look forward to seeing you soon
Monday, March 15, 2010
Open Door Policy - 2/15/2010 - 3/8/2010
2/15/2010
The state legislature received some good news this week as oil and gas revenue collections improved slightly. This gives the legislature a little more money to appropriate for the session and will reduce the need for some of the cuts. Out of the projections, the legislature would need to reduce $1.3 billion for the budget to be balanced. The increased projections, according to State Treasurer Scott Meacham, will have about $60 million for the current fiscal year and about $120 million for FY-11, the budget we are currently trying to resolve. This will help ease some of the burden, but it will still be a difficult discussion on where cuts must be made with the shortfall.
I have been disappointed that more involvement has not happened with budget meetings. The process has not been open for the budget committee members at this point, much less the entire legislature. Haggling has occurred behind closed doors on which areas will be cut and which will receive assistance. I'm hoping that there will be more open discussion as we progress in session. To be fair, this process has always been done by a few members of the leadership even when the Democrats were in control, but I was hoping things would change with the Republicans in charge. That was always one of their gripes when they were in the minority, and now it is the same criticism by the Democratic members.
On Monday, I was honored to have several FFA chapters visit the Capitol. Students from Cement, Central High, Elgin , Fletcher and Rush Springs had lunch with me in one of the committee rooms and we were able to discuss issues, from the bill I filed to exempt their membership from school absences to the impact of the budget cuts. It is always a pleasure to have this group visit as they truly are concerned with public policy and civic responsibility.
I also had the chance to visit with the Oklahoma Youth & Government conference at the State Capitol. Students from this organization, sponsored by YMCA's from around the state, descended upon the Capitol on Thursday and Friday to discuss ideas for legislation they prepared and debated on the floor of the House and the Senate. I'm proud to serve on their statewide advisory council and was pleased with the discussion and questions they presented to me.
Another event I was privileged to attend was the Ardmore Chamber Legislative Luncheon. I was invited by Rep. Samson Buck and served on the panel with him, Rep. Pat Ownbey and Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield. This helped prepare me for the upcoming Chickasha and Lawton Legislative Luncheons which will be in the next few weeks.
Finally, I want to congratulate Pastor Kip Ackley and the congregation of Calvary Temple Church in Cyril for their grand opening on Sunday. It was a pleasure to be present for their first service in their new building and it was a wonderful day of celebration. I am thankful for their dedication and their service to the community.
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2/22/2010
It has been a busy two weeks at the Capitol as legislation has been progressing through the committee process. I have had the chance to present several of my bills and received favorable action on those, but I still have a few more which could possibly make it through the process. I have one bill currently out of committee which deals with TIF reporting and I'm currently working to get more of my bills set for hearings.
Of the bills currently on committee agendas, I will present my legislation to place doctors who volunteer for school athletic functions under the Good Samaritan Act, a bill restructuring the volunteer firefighters tax credit so as to enhance training opportunities and a bill dealing with funeral accounts in the Appropriations Committee this week. I also have legislation to create an income tax check-off for disaster reimbursement in Rules Committee and another bill to set requirements for assisted living facilities to have generators in case of power outages in the Public Health Committee. Thanks to Chairmen Ken Miller, John Trebilcock and Gus Blackwell for hearing these bills!
I had another issue get combined with a bill by Rep. Paul Roan to create a designated memorial highway for the US Army's 95th Division in Comanche County at the junction of I-44 and Highway 7 to mile marker 46. That should be on the floor of the House this week. If any bills are not passed out of committee this week, or by the entire House next week, they will not be considered this year.
We saw one bill die on the floor Monday. This legislation would have mandated a minimum of one hour of marriage counseling for those couples filing for a divorce. I, along with many, felt this was too much government intrusion in a very personal area. I fully support and encourage voluntary marriage counseling, but as one person put it, this is trying to save the milk with an expiration date coming up. We should encourage , even incentivize preventing divorce before there are problems, but not have government mandate a solution.
There have been several groups visit the Capitol over the past few weeks. On Monday, we saw delegates from the Oklahoma Conservation Districts and the adult leadership class for Canadian Valley Technology Center. TRIO also had several students tour the Capitol last week, along with students representing Cameron and USAO for Higher Education Day. We also had the chance to visit with delegates for the American Farmers & Ranchers and the Farm Bureau conventions.
On a final note, we saw two fantastic events with great turnout this past weekend. The Emergency Management conference hosted by myself and Rep. Gus Blackwell was well-attended and provided much useful information. There was attendance from all corners of the state and I was pleased to have Mayor Jack Johnson of Cyril in attendance. We also had the Mo Betta Celebrity Quail Hunt in Apache and it was a huge success. I was pleased to visit with Jon Michael McGrath II, one of our upcoming Summer Olympians in Shooting Sports who is a Tulsan and want to wish him the best in representing the USA!
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3/1/2010
It has been a busy time around the Capitol with the legislative deadline passing to get bills out of committee. I received a favorable hearing on seven of the fifteen bills I had active in the House of Representatives. The bills are now considered property of the floor leader of the House in legislative terms. I am working with him to see if I can have all of these bills heard this week or next week before the final deadline to pass out of the house of origin to the other body. These bills are:
HB 1658 – Exempt medical personnel under Good Samaritan Act to assist with secondary school functions;
HB 3123 – Restructure the volunteer firefighter tax credit to create two additional levels based upon training achievements;
HB 3126 – Adds a board member to the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness Board to qualify for federal matching dollars;
HB 3127 – Enhances reporting requirements for Tax Increment Financing Districts;
HB 3128 – Sets death benefits for state employees be paid directly to funeral homes for savings to the families;
HB 3224 – Requires assisted living facilities in Oklahoma to have a generator in case of power outages; and
HJR 1018 – Creates an income tax check-off for assisting the Office of Emergency Management in payment of phone lines and federal matching dollars in a disaster.
We have had several bills go through the legislative process at this point. There has not been much as far as controversial legislation to this point, but there have been a few which have had strong debate. One deals with a scope of practice on anesthesiologists versus nurse anesthetists. Another issue regulates accountability standards for certified public accountants versus public accountants. Each of these bills will likely be changed as they go through the process as these issues never seem to pass the final version with the language we first will see due to compromise by the authors and the industries involved. I have even seen this on some of my bills, such as the volunteer firefighter tax credit. The suggestions provided by the working group who assisted me, including Perry Brinegar, our Rural Fire Coordinator from ASCOG, provided valuable insight on how to make the bill much more effective.
We have had some great help at the Capitol to this point with the page program. This is high school program established to allow students to work with the legislators for a week and learn more about the process. When I was a staff member for the House, I helped create a mock legislature for the students so they could debate a mock bill and learn the process by going through it like a legislator. I was pleased to have Emily Hines from Marlow serve as my first page for the session. She did a great job and was an excellent help to us. I have several other students set up to be pages and office aides this session and look forward to their visit.
It was a busy time around the district this past week also. We saw six 4-H and FFA auctions to benefit the groups. I tried to make most of them, but was unable to make the ones in the middle of the week due to session. I have sent donations to each of the chapters to assist these programs. I did make the Cement auction on Friday and the Elgin auction on Saturday. Elgin had a great idea to dedicate the funds from one cake to create a scholarship for a graduating senior. I bought this one along with Mike Doyle, a local CPA in Elgin and my treasurer. I hope more of the chapters will do something like this to help students who are continuing their education after graduation. The cakes also went to good use as it was my assistant Pam’s birthday. The legislative assistants at the Capitol all enjoyed them very much as there was none left at the end of the day for me to take home.
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3/8/2010
There has been quite a bit of activity around the State Capitol over the past week. As the deadline finished for committee work, the legislature has dedicated this week and the last working on bills before the entire House of Representatives. I have seen several of my bills reach the floor of the House and be passed on to the Senate. I still have three bills left on the calendar for consideration before the House this week and hope that one more, my legislation restructuring the volunteer firefighter tax credit, will make it on before the deadline of this Thursday. We are awaiting letters of support from the Office of Homeland Security and Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training, to join the letters I have currently from the various career technology centers and fire service organizations who serve Oklahoma . One other bill, my legislation to require assisted living facilities to have generators in case of power outages, will not be heard this year due to a decision by the House Leadership. There is another bill to require a study of this issue, so I will do my best to get this legislation passed this session.
I have also co-authored many good pieces of legislation by colleagues. Rep. Danny Morgan has authored a bill to allow pregnant women with medical conditions to be allowed usage of a temporary disability sticker for parking. HB 2998, by Rep. Kris Steele, authorizes a pilot recidivism reduction program for incarcerated females. Two other bills create income tax check-off programs for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and the Oklahoma Honor Flight program, a fund which assists World War II Veterans a chance to travel to Washington, DC to view the monument dedicated to the military who served in that war. Both programs do not receive government funding from the state and these donation opportunities on income tax returns allow for private citizens to donate a portion of their returns for these and other worthy programs allowed by the legislature and the governor to be on the tax form.
The clean-up is still continuing around the area with limbs left over from the ice storm. Many of the communities and counties have developed plans to account for the costs related to the disaster as the White House and FEMA approved the reimbursement for cities, counties and non-profit groups, such as the electric cooperatives for covering damages. The federal government will pay the estimate of 75% of this amount, with the state required to pay 12.5% and the locally-affected entity paying the remaining 12.5%. We did receive the bad news that individual assistance will not be paid out for costs associated with the ice storms. One of the minimum requirements is that a city or county suffer the total destruction of at least 100 homes or businesses from the disaster, and this did not occur with these ice storms. I will be working on legislation for the future to provide assistance to individuals with medical conditions to cover a part of the cost for generators if a doctor signs off that this is to assist with a medical condition. If you have questions about local clean-up efforts, please contact your local city hall or county commissioner.
We had several visitors to the Capitol this past week. I was pleased to have the minister of the week from our area. Sharla Reynolds, the pastor for Sterling United Methodist and Rush Springs First United Methodist Church , delivered our daily prayer prior to session and also gave us an inspirational message on Thursday. We also saw the Washita Valley Leadership Program, which includes several of my constituents from Caddo County , visit the Capitol for a two day leadership seminar about state government. I was happy to visit with them at the Capitol and also have dinner with them one evening and address questions about policy and procedure. We need more opportunities like this for citizens to learn about the system and contribute back with their ideas. Thanks to this group and all such programs and individuals who seek to better our state by providing leadership. The Conservation Districts of Oklahoma also were at the Capitol and I was pleased to help honor the Grady County Conservation District as the District of the Year.
It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. My e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work. My mailing address is PO Box 559 , Rush Springs, OK 73082 and my website is www.joedorman.com on the Internet. Thank you for taking time to read this column and I look forward to seeing you soon
The state legislature received some good news this week as oil and gas revenue collections improved slightly. This gives the legislature a little more money to appropriate for the session and will reduce the need for some of the cuts. Out of the projections, the legislature would need to reduce $1.3 billion for the budget to be balanced. The increased projections, according to State Treasurer Scott Meacham, will have about $60 million for the current fiscal year and about $120 million for FY-11, the budget we are currently trying to resolve. This will help ease some of the burden, but it will still be a difficult discussion on where cuts must be made with the shortfall.
I have been disappointed that more involvement has not happened with budget meetings. The process has not been open for the budget committee members at this point, much less the entire legislature. Haggling has occurred behind closed doors on which areas will be cut and which will receive assistance. I'm hoping that there will be more open discussion as we progress in session. To be fair, this process has always been done by a few members of the leadership even when the Democrats were in control, but I was hoping things would change with the Republicans in charge. That was always one of their gripes when they were in the minority, and now it is the same criticism by the Democratic members.
On Monday, I was honored to have several FFA chapters visit the Capitol. Students from Cement, Central High, Elgin , Fletcher and Rush Springs had lunch with me in one of the committee rooms and we were able to discuss issues, from the bill I filed to exempt their membership from school absences to the impact of the budget cuts. It is always a pleasure to have this group visit as they truly are concerned with public policy and civic responsibility.
I also had the chance to visit with the Oklahoma Youth & Government conference at the State Capitol. Students from this organization, sponsored by YMCA's from around the state, descended upon the Capitol on Thursday and Friday to discuss ideas for legislation they prepared and debated on the floor of the House and the Senate. I'm proud to serve on their statewide advisory council and was pleased with the discussion and questions they presented to me.
Another event I was privileged to attend was the Ardmore Chamber Legislative Luncheon. I was invited by Rep. Samson Buck and served on the panel with him, Rep. Pat Ownbey and Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield. This helped prepare me for the upcoming Chickasha and Lawton Legislative Luncheons which will be in the next few weeks.
Finally, I want to congratulate Pastor Kip Ackley and the congregation of Calvary Temple Church in Cyril for their grand opening on Sunday. It was a pleasure to be present for their first service in their new building and it was a wonderful day of celebration. I am thankful for their dedication and their service to the community.
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2/22/2010
It has been a busy two weeks at the Capitol as legislation has been progressing through the committee process. I have had the chance to present several of my bills and received favorable action on those, but I still have a few more which could possibly make it through the process. I have one bill currently out of committee which deals with TIF reporting and I'm currently working to get more of my bills set for hearings.
Of the bills currently on committee agendas, I will present my legislation to place doctors who volunteer for school athletic functions under the Good Samaritan Act, a bill restructuring the volunteer firefighters tax credit so as to enhance training opportunities and a bill dealing with funeral accounts in the Appropriations Committee this week. I also have legislation to create an income tax check-off for disaster reimbursement in Rules Committee and another bill to set requirements for assisted living facilities to have generators in case of power outages in the Public Health Committee. Thanks to Chairmen Ken Miller, John Trebilcock and Gus Blackwell for hearing these bills!
I had another issue get combined with a bill by Rep. Paul Roan to create a designated memorial highway for the US Army's 95th Division in Comanche County at the junction of I-44 and Highway 7 to mile marker 46. That should be on the floor of the House this week. If any bills are not passed out of committee this week, or by the entire House next week, they will not be considered this year.
We saw one bill die on the floor Monday. This legislation would have mandated a minimum of one hour of marriage counseling for those couples filing for a divorce. I, along with many, felt this was too much government intrusion in a very personal area. I fully support and encourage voluntary marriage counseling, but as one person put it, this is trying to save the milk with an expiration date coming up. We should encourage , even incentivize preventing divorce before there are problems, but not have government mandate a solution.
There have been several groups visit the Capitol over the past few weeks. On Monday, we saw delegates from the Oklahoma Conservation Districts and the adult leadership class for Canadian Valley Technology Center. TRIO also had several students tour the Capitol last week, along with students representing Cameron and USAO for Higher Education Day. We also had the chance to visit with delegates for the American Farmers & Ranchers and the Farm Bureau conventions.
On a final note, we saw two fantastic events with great turnout this past weekend. The Emergency Management conference hosted by myself and Rep. Gus Blackwell was well-attended and provided much useful information. There was attendance from all corners of the state and I was pleased to have Mayor Jack Johnson of Cyril in attendance. We also had the Mo Betta Celebrity Quail Hunt in Apache and it was a huge success. I was pleased to visit with Jon Michael McGrath II, one of our upcoming Summer Olympians in Shooting Sports who is a Tulsan and want to wish him the best in representing the USA!
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3/1/2010
It has been a busy time around the Capitol with the legislative deadline passing to get bills out of committee. I received a favorable hearing on seven of the fifteen bills I had active in the House of Representatives. The bills are now considered property of the floor leader of the House in legislative terms. I am working with him to see if I can have all of these bills heard this week or next week before the final deadline to pass out of the house of origin to the other body. These bills are:
HB 1658 – Exempt medical personnel under Good Samaritan Act to assist with secondary school functions;
HB 3123 – Restructure the volunteer firefighter tax credit to create two additional levels based upon training achievements;
HB 3126 – Adds a board member to the Oklahoma Partnership for School Readiness Board to qualify for federal matching dollars;
HB 3127 – Enhances reporting requirements for Tax Increment Financing Districts;
HB 3128 – Sets death benefits for state employees be paid directly to funeral homes for savings to the families;
HB 3224 – Requires assisted living facilities in Oklahoma to have a generator in case of power outages; and
HJR 1018 – Creates an income tax check-off for assisting the Office of Emergency Management in payment of phone lines and federal matching dollars in a disaster.
We have had several bills go through the legislative process at this point. There has not been much as far as controversial legislation to this point, but there have been a few which have had strong debate. One deals with a scope of practice on anesthesiologists versus nurse anesthetists. Another issue regulates accountability standards for certified public accountants versus public accountants. Each of these bills will likely be changed as they go through the process as these issues never seem to pass the final version with the language we first will see due to compromise by the authors and the industries involved. I have even seen this on some of my bills, such as the volunteer firefighter tax credit. The suggestions provided by the working group who assisted me, including Perry Brinegar, our Rural Fire Coordinator from ASCOG, provided valuable insight on how to make the bill much more effective.
We have had some great help at the Capitol to this point with the page program. This is high school program established to allow students to work with the legislators for a week and learn more about the process. When I was a staff member for the House, I helped create a mock legislature for the students so they could debate a mock bill and learn the process by going through it like a legislator. I was pleased to have Emily Hines from Marlow serve as my first page for the session. She did a great job and was an excellent help to us. I have several other students set up to be pages and office aides this session and look forward to their visit.
It was a busy time around the district this past week also. We saw six 4-H and FFA auctions to benefit the groups. I tried to make most of them, but was unable to make the ones in the middle of the week due to session. I have sent donations to each of the chapters to assist these programs. I did make the Cement auction on Friday and the Elgin auction on Saturday. Elgin had a great idea to dedicate the funds from one cake to create a scholarship for a graduating senior. I bought this one along with Mike Doyle, a local CPA in Elgin and my treasurer. I hope more of the chapters will do something like this to help students who are continuing their education after graduation. The cakes also went to good use as it was my assistant Pam’s birthday. The legislative assistants at the Capitol all enjoyed them very much as there was none left at the end of the day for me to take home.
___________________________________________
3/8/2010
There has been quite a bit of activity around the State Capitol over the past week. As the deadline finished for committee work, the legislature has dedicated this week and the last working on bills before the entire House of Representatives. I have seen several of my bills reach the floor of the House and be passed on to the Senate. I still have three bills left on the calendar for consideration before the House this week and hope that one more, my legislation restructuring the volunteer firefighter tax credit, will make it on before the deadline of this Thursday. We are awaiting letters of support from the Office of Homeland Security and Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training, to join the letters I have currently from the various career technology centers and fire service organizations who serve Oklahoma . One other bill, my legislation to require assisted living facilities to have generators in case of power outages, will not be heard this year due to a decision by the House Leadership. There is another bill to require a study of this issue, so I will do my best to get this legislation passed this session.
I have also co-authored many good pieces of legislation by colleagues. Rep. Danny Morgan has authored a bill to allow pregnant women with medical conditions to be allowed usage of a temporary disability sticker for parking. HB 2998, by Rep. Kris Steele, authorizes a pilot recidivism reduction program for incarcerated females. Two other bills create income tax check-off programs for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and the Oklahoma Honor Flight program, a fund which assists World War II Veterans a chance to travel to Washington, DC to view the monument dedicated to the military who served in that war. Both programs do not receive government funding from the state and these donation opportunities on income tax returns allow for private citizens to donate a portion of their returns for these and other worthy programs allowed by the legislature and the governor to be on the tax form.
The clean-up is still continuing around the area with limbs left over from the ice storm. Many of the communities and counties have developed plans to account for the costs related to the disaster as the White House and FEMA approved the reimbursement for cities, counties and non-profit groups, such as the electric cooperatives for covering damages. The federal government will pay the estimate of 75% of this amount, with the state required to pay 12.5% and the locally-affected entity paying the remaining 12.5%. We did receive the bad news that individual assistance will not be paid out for costs associated with the ice storms. One of the minimum requirements is that a city or county suffer the total destruction of at least 100 homes or businesses from the disaster, and this did not occur with these ice storms. I will be working on legislation for the future to provide assistance to individuals with medical conditions to cover a part of the cost for generators if a doctor signs off that this is to assist with a medical condition. If you have questions about local clean-up efforts, please contact your local city hall or county commissioner.
We had several visitors to the Capitol this past week. I was pleased to have the minister of the week from our area. Sharla Reynolds, the pastor for Sterling United Methodist and Rush Springs First United Methodist Church , delivered our daily prayer prior to session and also gave us an inspirational message on Thursday. We also saw the Washita Valley Leadership Program, which includes several of my constituents from Caddo County , visit the Capitol for a two day leadership seminar about state government. I was happy to visit with them at the Capitol and also have dinner with them one evening and address questions about policy and procedure. We need more opportunities like this for citizens to learn about the system and contribute back with their ideas. Thanks to this group and all such programs and individuals who seek to better our state by providing leadership. The Conservation Districts of Oklahoma also were at the Capitol and I was pleased to help honor the Grady County Conservation District as the District of the Year.
It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. My e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work. My mailing address is PO Box 559 , Rush Springs, OK 73082 and my website is www.joedorman.com on the Internet. Thank you for taking time to read this column and I look forward to seeing you soon
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