FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Ray Carter, House Media
Capitol: (405) 557-7421
Contact: State Rep. Ryan Kiesel
Capitol: (405) 557-7372
Kiesel Continues Fight For Higher Education
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 25, 2007) – An effort by state Rep. Ryan Kiesel to increase funding for Oklahoma’s two-year and regional colleges was defeated this week, but he vowed to continue the fight.
"I am in complete support of our two comprehensive universities in Norman and Stillwater, but the fact remains that the vast majority of college students in Oklahoma attend regional and two year institutions. We need to ensure that in our efforts to help the two big universities, we don’t overlook the need to invest in the students and communities who depend on the 23 regional and two year schools," said Kiesel, D-Seminole.
House Bill 1105, which passed out of the Oklahoma House of Representatives late Thursday, contained funding for capital improvement projects at Oklahoma colleges. However, the lion’s share of that funding went to just the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University – the other 23 colleges and universities in the state were left "to fight over crumbs," Kiesel noted.
Kiesel, whose district includes Seminole State College, filed instructions to return the bill to conference committee where language could be added providing a more equitable distribution of state funding. Under Kiesel’s plan, one-fourth of the capital project money would have gone to OU, another quarter would have gone to OSU, another fourth would go to Oklahoma’s regional colleges, and the remaining 25 percent would go to the state’s two-year colleges.
That change would have increased the amount given two-year and regional institutions for construction needs by $2.75 million dollars.
"This is not about increasing appropriations; it is about dividing the agreed-upon funding in an equitable manner," Kiesel said.
However, the majority of the House voted to reject Kiesel’s proposal.
Under the plan approved by the House, the 23 two year and regional colleges and universities will share $5.5 million, which is about $239,000 per institution. The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University will receive $5.5 million each.
The Seminole Democrat said lawmakers are making a mistake by shortchanging the state two-year and regional colleges, noting that the state’s two-year colleges alone enroll 54 percent of students in Oklahoma and vowed to continue his effort to ensure adequate and equitable investments that give every Oklahoman the ability to realize the benefits of Higher Education.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Cox Hails Passage of "All Kids" Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Ray Carter, House Media
Capitol: (405) 557-7421
Contact: State Rep. Doug Cox
Capitol: (405) 557-7415
Cox Hails Passage of "All Kids" Program
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 25, 2007) - A new program that could increase health care coverage for Oklahoma children is headed to the governor's desk. "This is a great day for the children of Oklahoma," said state Rep. Doug Cox, a Grove physician who carried the legislation in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. "We are opening up access to healthcare for more hardworking families that struggle with the expense of health insurance premiums. "
This program is just one piece of a large puzzle to transform the health care system of our state and country." Senate Bill 424, by state Sen. Tom Adelson (D-Tulsa) and Cox (R-Grove), creates the "All Kids Act."
The bill would increase Medicaid eligibility for children from 185 percent of the poverty level to 300 percent (covering children in families with $38,200 to $62,000 annual income for a family of four). As many as 42,000 additional children could be provided insurance as a result. The program involves a public-private partnership where the state provides matching funds to families seeking health insurance. The state subsidies are provided on a sliding scale with the greatest state benefit weighted toward the lowest-income families.
Under the program, participating families would receive vouchers to purchase private health insurance. The state cost will be an estimated $8 million per year,allowing the state to draw down nearly $30 million in federal matching funds. The state's share will come from revenue generated by the state's tobacco tax, which was increased by voters in 2004.
Cox predicted the bill will have a positive ripple effectthroughout Oklahoma's health care system. "In addition to helping Oklahoma families, this legislation will improve the financial stability of state hospitals - especially those in rural areas - that serve a high percentage of uninsured patients," Cox said. "By reducing uncompensated care, we will also reduce the pass-along costs driving up everyone else's hospital bills."
Senate Bill 424 passed the state Senate 41-7 and cleared the Oklahoma House of Representatives 68-27. The bill now awaits the signature of Gov. Brad Henry.
Contact: Ray Carter, House Media
Capitol: (405) 557-7421
Contact: State Rep. Doug Cox
Capitol: (405) 557-7415
Cox Hails Passage of "All Kids" Program
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 25, 2007) - A new program that could increase health care coverage for Oklahoma children is headed to the governor's desk. "This is a great day for the children of Oklahoma," said state Rep. Doug Cox, a Grove physician who carried the legislation in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. "We are opening up access to healthcare for more hardworking families that struggle with the expense of health insurance premiums. "
This program is just one piece of a large puzzle to transform the health care system of our state and country." Senate Bill 424, by state Sen. Tom Adelson (D-Tulsa) and Cox (R-Grove), creates the "All Kids Act."
The bill would increase Medicaid eligibility for children from 185 percent of the poverty level to 300 percent (covering children in families with $38,200 to $62,000 annual income for a family of four). As many as 42,000 additional children could be provided insurance as a result. The program involves a public-private partnership where the state provides matching funds to families seeking health insurance. The state subsidies are provided on a sliding scale with the greatest state benefit weighted toward the lowest-income families.
Under the program, participating families would receive vouchers to purchase private health insurance. The state cost will be an estimated $8 million per year,allowing the state to draw down nearly $30 million in federal matching funds. The state's share will come from revenue generated by the state's tobacco tax, which was increased by voters in 2004.
Cox predicted the bill will have a positive ripple effectthroughout Oklahoma's health care system. "In addition to helping Oklahoma families, this legislation will improve the financial stability of state hospitals - especially those in rural areas - that serve a high percentage of uninsured patients," Cox said. "By reducing uncompensated care, we will also reduce the pass-along costs driving up everyone else's hospital bills."
Senate Bill 424 passed the state Senate 41-7 and cleared the Oklahoma House of Representatives 68-27. The bill now awaits the signature of Gov. Brad Henry.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Southwest Ok Leaders Praise Passage of Military Base Protection Bill
Note: For audio of state Rep. Joe Dorman discussing the BRAC bill, go to http://www.okhouse.gov/OkhouseMedia/audio.aspx and select "Dorman--BRAC"
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Joe Dorman
Capitol: (405) 557-7305
E-mail: joedorman@okhouse.gov
Southwest Oklahoma Leaders Praise Passage of Military Base Protection Bill
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 24, 2007) – Fort Sill and other military installations in Oklahoma will be less likely to face closure in the future thanks to legislation approved today, southwest lawmakers said today.
Senate Bill 751 would create the Military Base Protection and Expansion Act, which would provide funds to military communities for infrastructure improvements needed as the result of an increased military presence. The latest round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions resulted in expansions at several Oklahoma bases.
"Senate Bill 751 has been a team effort since day one," said Dorman, a Rush Springs Democrat whose district includes Fort Sill. "I want to thank Don Davis from the Governor's staff for spearheading the meetings that got us past the minor difference holding up passage. Politics should not play any part in this process that benefits so many Oklahomans."
"I cannot emphasize enough how important this bill is to our military communities. Getting this passed this session was critical," said state Sen. Randy Bass, a Lawton Democrat who also represents Fort Sill. "I again want to commend the entire delegation from the Lawton area, as well as legislators representing other military communities for their hard work on this bill."
"This has been a purely nonpartisan issue for all of us who represent military installations," said state Rep. David Braddock, a Democrat whose district includes Altus Air Force Base. "Everyone has put in a lot of hard work and should be commended for their efforts to protect our bases."
"I am very proud of the entire southwest delegation. Their bipartisan efforts should prevent the closure of Oklahoma's military bases during the next round of BRAC," said Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, a former state lawmaker from Duncan.
Last year, the Legislature committed $1 million to the "Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission Incentive Fund," which allowed communities that are home to military bases to apply for matching grants to use for infrastructure and road improvements. The appropriation allows the planning commission to leverage federal matching funds.
The fund was created in 2005 following the federal government's latest round of the "base realignment and closure" process, also known as BRAC. Under that system, the Pentagon draws up a list of bases its experts believe are no longer needed.
Oklahoma is home to Altus Air Force Base, Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Fort Sill Army Post in Lawton, the Army Ammunition Depot in McAlester, Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Air National Guard Units in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and the Army National Guard Unit at Camp Gruber.
The Pentagon's list of base closures did not include a single major Oklahoma installation and actually endorsed shifting as many as 10,000 jobs from other parts of the country to Oklahoma.
The combined economic impact of Oklahoma's military installations on the state economy is an estimated $6 billion per year.
"This bill shows the BRAC Commission we are serous about taking care of our soldiers, their families and the communities in which they live," Dorman said. "Though Representative Armes and Senator Bass were the primary authors, each area legislator representing a military installation was included in all phases of discussion. This shows we put our soldiers above petty partisan politics."
Senate Bill 751 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 95-2 vote on Thursday and now awaits Gov. Brad Henry's signature.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Joe Dorman
Capitol: (405) 557-7305
E-mail: joedorman@okhouse.gov
Southwest Oklahoma Leaders Praise Passage of Military Base Protection Bill
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 24, 2007) – Fort Sill and other military installations in Oklahoma will be less likely to face closure in the future thanks to legislation approved today, southwest lawmakers said today.
Senate Bill 751 would create the Military Base Protection and Expansion Act, which would provide funds to military communities for infrastructure improvements needed as the result of an increased military presence. The latest round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decisions resulted in expansions at several Oklahoma bases.
"Senate Bill 751 has been a team effort since day one," said Dorman, a Rush Springs Democrat whose district includes Fort Sill. "I want to thank Don Davis from the Governor's staff for spearheading the meetings that got us past the minor difference holding up passage. Politics should not play any part in this process that benefits so many Oklahomans."
"I cannot emphasize enough how important this bill is to our military communities. Getting this passed this session was critical," said state Sen. Randy Bass, a Lawton Democrat who also represents Fort Sill. "I again want to commend the entire delegation from the Lawton area, as well as legislators representing other military communities for their hard work on this bill."
"This has been a purely nonpartisan issue for all of us who represent military installations," said state Rep. David Braddock, a Democrat whose district includes Altus Air Force Base. "Everyone has put in a lot of hard work and should be commended for their efforts to protect our bases."
"I am very proud of the entire southwest delegation. Their bipartisan efforts should prevent the closure of Oklahoma's military bases during the next round of BRAC," said Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, a former state lawmaker from Duncan.
Last year, the Legislature committed $1 million to the "Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission Incentive Fund," which allowed communities that are home to military bases to apply for matching grants to use for infrastructure and road improvements. The appropriation allows the planning commission to leverage federal matching funds.
The fund was created in 2005 following the federal government's latest round of the "base realignment and closure" process, also known as BRAC. Under that system, the Pentagon draws up a list of bases its experts believe are no longer needed.
Oklahoma is home to Altus Air Force Base, Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Fort Sill Army Post in Lawton, the Army Ammunition Depot in McAlester, Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Air National Guard Units in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and the Army National Guard Unit at Camp Gruber.
The Pentagon's list of base closures did not include a single major Oklahoma installation and actually endorsed shifting as many as 10,000 jobs from other parts of the country to Oklahoma.
The combined economic impact of Oklahoma's military installations on the state economy is an estimated $6 billion per year.
"This bill shows the BRAC Commission we are serous about taking care of our soldiers, their families and the communities in which they live," Dorman said. "Though Representative Armes and Senator Bass were the primary authors, each area legislator representing a military installation was included in all phases of discussion. This shows we put our soldiers above petty partisan politics."
Senate Bill 751 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 95-2 vote on Thursday and now awaits Gov. Brad Henry's signature.
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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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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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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
A "Poison" in the Body Politic
By Senator Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant
Hello again, everybody! A few weeks ago, I wrote of a “poison” being injected into the body politic.
This poison is spreading, and, if left unchecked, this venom could threaten the ability of elected officials to find real solutions to the challenges we face. Threats, fear and intimidation are beginning to take the place of reasoned discussion, honest debate and good-faith efforts to find common ground on important issues.
My positions on a pair of important though divisive issues have attracted anger from both extremes of the political spectrum. The two issues are the difficult and complex issues of tort reform and abortion.
Anyone I represent – or anyone in Oklahoma, for that matter – certainly has the right to disagree with me on any issue. That responsibility goes with serving in elective office; and, it is fair to say I could have avoided the anger directed at me had I taken the easy way out on both the issues.
That is not what you sent me to the Capitol to do. Votes on both those issues were borne of conscience and my deeply held desire to fight for the people I represent.
The tort reform vote was the subject of a statewide news story after one of the doctors in my district sent a letter expressing his strong disagreement with me to news outlets across the state. In addition to suggesting my vote was motivated by partisan politics, this doctor also stated in the press he would “never again accept anyone as a patient who has voted against lawsuit reform.”
What was missing from his letter was the reasoned discussion of the specific bill in question. A couple of weeks ago in this column I wrote about just one of the problems with that bill; there are many others.
Having voted a number of times in favor of strong tort reform measures – and even introduced a few myself – this measure was so skewed against people who may have been hurt that I could not in good conscience support it. I believe my vote was correct and I am proud to stand by it. Having said that, I look forward to a tort bill that truly will do what supporters say it will and I will vote for a fair and balanced bill.
Abortion was the other issue on which my position of conscience caused great anger, and to some degree disproves any suggestion that I make votes based partisan politics. I supported, and then helped resurrect, a bill that would prevent abortions from being performed with taxpayer resources.
That position caused activists in the Democratic Party to become very angry at me, even attempting to reprimand me at the state Democratic Convention. That effort failed because cooler heads prevailed. Again, however, what was missing was a reasoned discussion of the issue.
Certainly, while reasonable people can have honest disagreements on both these contentious issues, we should be able to discuss the real issues without resorting to threats, fear and intimidation. Sadly, however, the desire to punish individuals or members of their family based on what they believe has replaced the discussions we should have on these issues.
I will keep fighting against the venom being injected into the process. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with me, please rest assured my stands on issues are borne from the dictates of my conscience and the concerns of my constituents. I owe each of you nothing less.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Murphey Legislative Update
Murphey Legislative Update
5/24/2008
This week I was provided with a copy of the latest version of the proposed state budget also known as Senate Bill 334. This bill will contain the majority of the budget agreement recently reached between legislative leaders and the Governor.
The 45 page bill proposes to spend over 6.9 billion of our tax dollars as part of the fiscal year 2008 state budget. This budget will expand the size of state government base appropriations by $377 million dollars, or about 5.7% more than last year's bas appropriation of 6.5 billion dollars. If you have read budget related news stories or caught the sound bytes on television, you may find this statement confusing.
State leaders have said that one of the key successes of the 2008 budget proposal is that it actually shrinks the size of government a small amount. While government base appropriations are higher in the 2008 budget, the amount of excess money from the previous year (referred to as spill over money) is less, and the government does not have as much extra money to spend in addition to base appropriations. When base appropriations and spill over money are accounted for, the government will spend 7.188 billion dollars this year compared to 7.196 billion last year. Thus the government will in fact spend 8 million dollars less this year than last year.
While I am certainly happy about the reduction in spending, I still believe there is a tremendous amount of inappropriate spending in the proposed budget. One of my greatest concerns is a section requested by Governor Henry which would allow for additional bonded indebtedness of the Oklahoma Higher Education system by about 50 million dollars. The good news about this proposal is that it is only a fraction of the 663 million dollars of debt requested in Henry's initial budget. However, I have stated my opposition to incurring any new indebtedness. If we are serious about rolling back big government and enacting important pro-growth reforms such as eliminating state income tax, the issue of big government debt is not one we can ignore. Reducing the size of government is difficult enough because of past inappropriate spending by state politicians and new debt simply adds to this problem.
Henry's demand appears to have been at the core of his negotiations. It appears that legislative leadership gave in to the demand in return for the Governor's support of legislative tax cuts and such issues as the audit of the Department of Corrections.
In upcoming days, the House will not only consider Senate Bill 334 but will also vote on a number of individual agency appropriations bills. These votes will give us an opportunity to reflect the desires of our constituents who are for smaller government. I intend to vote no on a number of agency bills that are either too large or altogether inappropriate functions of government, and will certainly vote against attempts to incur new debt.
I have been encouraged by the stance on streamlining government taken by house leadership. House Speaker Lance Cargill recently released the following statement. "The bottom line is that many state agencies are duplicating what other parts of state government do. I'm sure the defenders of the status quo will fight our efforts, but Oklahoma's state government has simply grown too large. There are nearly 100 state agencies, and the average citizen must confront an alphabet's soup of acronyms and confusing red tape. That's not serving the taxpayers well. Oklahoma can do better."
The Speaker authored House Bill 2110 to create a BRAC-style commission that will provide recommendations on consolidating state agencies and ending outdated functions. This bill passed the House by a large margin but was killed in Senate committee.
It is my hope that in future budget years, the legislature will not maintain the present size of government, but shrink it significantly.
5/24/2008
This week I was provided with a copy of the latest version of the proposed state budget also known as Senate Bill 334. This bill will contain the majority of the budget agreement recently reached between legislative leaders and the Governor.
The 45 page bill proposes to spend over 6.9 billion of our tax dollars as part of the fiscal year 2008 state budget. This budget will expand the size of state government base appropriations by $377 million dollars, or about 5.7% more than last year's bas appropriation of 6.5 billion dollars. If you have read budget related news stories or caught the sound bytes on television, you may find this statement confusing.
State leaders have said that one of the key successes of the 2008 budget proposal is that it actually shrinks the size of government a small amount. While government base appropriations are higher in the 2008 budget, the amount of excess money from the previous year (referred to as spill over money) is less, and the government does not have as much extra money to spend in addition to base appropriations. When base appropriations and spill over money are accounted for, the government will spend 7.188 billion dollars this year compared to 7.196 billion last year. Thus the government will in fact spend 8 million dollars less this year than last year.
While I am certainly happy about the reduction in spending, I still believe there is a tremendous amount of inappropriate spending in the proposed budget. One of my greatest concerns is a section requested by Governor Henry which would allow for additional bonded indebtedness of the Oklahoma Higher Education system by about 50 million dollars. The good news about this proposal is that it is only a fraction of the 663 million dollars of debt requested in Henry's initial budget. However, I have stated my opposition to incurring any new indebtedness. If we are serious about rolling back big government and enacting important pro-growth reforms such as eliminating state income tax, the issue of big government debt is not one we can ignore. Reducing the size of government is difficult enough because of past inappropriate spending by state politicians and new debt simply adds to this problem.
Henry's demand appears to have been at the core of his negotiations. It appears that legislative leadership gave in to the demand in return for the Governor's support of legislative tax cuts and such issues as the audit of the Department of Corrections.
In upcoming days, the House will not only consider Senate Bill 334 but will also vote on a number of individual agency appropriations bills. These votes will give us an opportunity to reflect the desires of our constituents who are for smaller government. I intend to vote no on a number of agency bills that are either too large or altogether inappropriate functions of government, and will certainly vote against attempts to incur new debt.
I have been encouraged by the stance on streamlining government taken by house leadership. House Speaker Lance Cargill recently released the following statement. "The bottom line is that many state agencies are duplicating what other parts of state government do. I'm sure the defenders of the status quo will fight our efforts, but Oklahoma's state government has simply grown too large. There are nearly 100 state agencies, and the average citizen must confront an alphabet's soup of acronyms and confusing red tape. That's not serving the taxpayers well. Oklahoma can do better."
The Speaker authored House Bill 2110 to create a BRAC-style commission that will provide recommendations on consolidating state agencies and ending outdated functions. This bill passed the House by a large margin but was killed in Senate committee.
It is my hope that in future budget years, the legislature will not maintain the present size of government, but shrink it significantly.
House Votes to Secure Fire Funding
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Joe Dorman
Capitol: (405) 557-7305
Email: joedorman@okhouse.gov
House Votes to Secure Fire Funding
OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation that prevents the diversion of state money intended for firefighting service training is one vote away from the governor's desk.
House Bill 1520, by state Rep. Joe Dorman, creates the "Firefighter Training Revolving Fund." The bill directs funding for firefighting programs through Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training, funneling the cash primarily through the State Fire Marshal Commission. The commission would be required to ensure the money is used for training programs as lawmakers intend.
"In the past there have been problems with money not being spent as intended for fire-service training in times of financial cuts to the state budget," said Dorman, D-Rush Springs. "Having faced severe drought conditions and loss of lives, land and property in wildfires over the last few years, it's time the Legislature guaranteed that fire funding is used for its intended purpose.
"Oklahoma's firefighters – both volunteers and paid professionals – did a great job protecting our land and families, but it remains crucial for them to receive up-to-date training in the latest techniques and equipment each year."
The bill would also create the "Incident Management Site Task Force," charged with studying and making recommendations for effective emergency command site management consistent with the federal National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines.
The bill will also include other reforms that reduce the cost of training for Oklahoma firefighters and make training more widely available, including developing, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, a program to educate firefighters on a unified command protocol for fire incidents.
While the training would be provided through Oklahoma State University's nationally recognized Fire Service Training School, it would be conducted at CareerTech and college campuses across Oklahoma and other facilities with qualified classrooms that have the proper equipment in place or even at local fire departments. Currently, most training is done at the OSU campus in Stillwater, though training in recent years has been increased in other areas.
"Providing training at accessible locations will reduce traveling expenses on fire departments with already tight budgets," Dorman said.
Dorman noted many of the proposals contained in House Bill 1520 have been developed by the Council on Fire Training (COFT) and other individuals from various sectors of fire service around the state.
The legislation has been praised by other state officials.
"The passing of HB 1520 develops partnerships between Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training, Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, Oklahoma State Fire Marshal's Office, institutions of higher education, Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, local fire department and other qualified entities," said Robert Doke, Oklahoma State Fire Marshal. "These agencies may utilize live classroom session, live exercises and drills, interactive television, independent study and web-based methods. No fire department or firefighter will be too remote to receive firefighter training. With the passage of HB 1520 I believe that Oklahoma will be setting the high standard for firefighter training."
House bill 1520 also creates the "Oklahoma Controlled Burn Indemnity Fund" within the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.
The fund would be used to compensate landowners who utilize controlled burning land-management practices for losses incurred if a fire spreads "beyond the control of the burner." The fund would only cover losses not covered by insurance.
Participating landowners would have to work with a local conservation district office and the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture to develop a controlled burn plan. Landowners would also pay a $100 fee when they file their plan, which would be placed into the indemnity fund.
The Conservation Commission would be allowed to invest assessments and up to $50,000 in annual earnings would be used to compensate landowners for losses incurred as the result of out-of-control fires.
Clay Pope, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts said that the Burn Indemnity Fund would greatly enhance the ability of landowners to use fire as a management tool.
"Fire is underutilized as a management tool for controlling invasive species like cedar trees and for ensuring that brush is controlled because of fear of liability from fires that get away," Pope said. "This bill not only provides some additional financial protection for folks using fire reasonably for management, it also encourages other landowners that are using fire or want to use fire to use it right by filing a prescribed burn plan through the Natural Resources Conservation Service and their local Conservation District. If landowners follow their prescribed burn plan it is highly unlikely that a fire would ever get away from them. This would give us the ability to encourage more landowners to use fire correctly and then give them some assurance that in the unlikely case of a prescribed fire getting out of control, they have some financial protection if they take part in this program."
House Bill 1520 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 92-7 vote on Monday. The bill now goes to the state Senate for a final vote before reaching the governor's desk.
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Contact: State Rep. Joe Dorman
Capitol: (405) 557-7305
Email: joedorman@okhouse.gov
House Votes to Secure Fire Funding
OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation that prevents the diversion of state money intended for firefighting service training is one vote away from the governor's desk.
House Bill 1520, by state Rep. Joe Dorman, creates the "Firefighter Training Revolving Fund." The bill directs funding for firefighting programs through Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training, funneling the cash primarily through the State Fire Marshal Commission. The commission would be required to ensure the money is used for training programs as lawmakers intend.
"In the past there have been problems with money not being spent as intended for fire-service training in times of financial cuts to the state budget," said Dorman, D-Rush Springs. "Having faced severe drought conditions and loss of lives, land and property in wildfires over the last few years, it's time the Legislature guaranteed that fire funding is used for its intended purpose.
"Oklahoma's firefighters – both volunteers and paid professionals – did a great job protecting our land and families, but it remains crucial for them to receive up-to-date training in the latest techniques and equipment each year."
The bill would also create the "Incident Management Site Task Force," charged with studying and making recommendations for effective emergency command site management consistent with the federal National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines.
The bill will also include other reforms that reduce the cost of training for Oklahoma firefighters and make training more widely available, including developing, in conjunction with the Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, a program to educate firefighters on a unified command protocol for fire incidents.
While the training would be provided through Oklahoma State University's nationally recognized Fire Service Training School, it would be conducted at CareerTech and college campuses across Oklahoma and other facilities with qualified classrooms that have the proper equipment in place or even at local fire departments. Currently, most training is done at the OSU campus in Stillwater, though training in recent years has been increased in other areas.
"Providing training at accessible locations will reduce traveling expenses on fire departments with already tight budgets," Dorman said.
Dorman noted many of the proposals contained in House Bill 1520 have been developed by the Council on Fire Training (COFT) and other individuals from various sectors of fire service around the state.
The legislation has been praised by other state officials.
"The passing of HB 1520 develops partnerships between Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training, Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security, Oklahoma State Fire Marshal's Office, institutions of higher education, Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, local fire department and other qualified entities," said Robert Doke, Oklahoma State Fire Marshal. "These agencies may utilize live classroom session, live exercises and drills, interactive television, independent study and web-based methods. No fire department or firefighter will be too remote to receive firefighter training. With the passage of HB 1520 I believe that Oklahoma will be setting the high standard for firefighter training."
House bill 1520 also creates the "Oklahoma Controlled Burn Indemnity Fund" within the Oklahoma Conservation Commission.
The fund would be used to compensate landowners who utilize controlled burning land-management practices for losses incurred if a fire spreads "beyond the control of the burner." The fund would only cover losses not covered by insurance.
Participating landowners would have to work with a local conservation district office and the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture to develop a controlled burn plan. Landowners would also pay a $100 fee when they file their plan, which would be placed into the indemnity fund.
The Conservation Commission would be allowed to invest assessments and up to $50,000 in annual earnings would be used to compensate landowners for losses incurred as the result of out-of-control fires.
Clay Pope, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts said that the Burn Indemnity Fund would greatly enhance the ability of landowners to use fire as a management tool.
"Fire is underutilized as a management tool for controlling invasive species like cedar trees and for ensuring that brush is controlled because of fear of liability from fires that get away," Pope said. "This bill not only provides some additional financial protection for folks using fire reasonably for management, it also encourages other landowners that are using fire or want to use fire to use it right by filing a prescribed burn plan through the Natural Resources Conservation Service and their local Conservation District. If landowners follow their prescribed burn plan it is highly unlikely that a fire would ever get away from them. This would give us the ability to encourage more landowners to use fire correctly and then give them some assurance that in the unlikely case of a prescribed fire getting out of control, they have some financial protection if they take part in this program."
House Bill 1520 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 92-7 vote on Monday. The bill now goes to the state Senate for a final vote before reaching the governor's desk.
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