FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Joe Dorman
Capitol: (405) 557-7305
E-mail: joedorman@okhouse.gov
House OKs Dorman Bill to Assist Firefighter Training
OKLAHOMA CITY – Under legislation passed today by the Oklahoma House of Representatives, volunteer firefighters would be eligible for two new levels of tax credits for the training they receive.
Current Oklahoma law allows firefighters to earn one of two tax credits for the training they receive. House Bill 3123, by state Rep. Joe Dorman and state Sen. Mike Schulz, would create a system of four levels of tax credits.
“I worked with fire service officials over the fall to find out if the tax credits we currently offer do enough to incentivize training that will help small fire departments better protect their communities,” Dorman, D-Rush Springs, said. “Two additional levels of tax credits were suggested as well as changes to our current tax credits. The legislation will ensure firefighters are encouraged to earn the necessary skills to perform at their upmost level and better protect rural Oklahomans.”
To qualify for a $200 tax credit, a volunteer firefighter would have to complete 12 hours towards either Volunteer Firefighting Practices or State Support Firefighter.
To qualify for the $300 tax credit, a volunteer firefighter would be required to have completed their Volunteer Firefighting Practices or State Support Firefighter training and complete an additional six hours of a State Basic Firefighter, State Firefighter, or any internationally accredited Firefighter I program.
To qualify for the $400 tax credit, a volunteer firefighter would be required to have completed their Volunteer Firefighting Practices of State Support Firefighter training and complete an additional six hours of a State Intermediate Firefighter or any internationally accredited Firefighter I program.
To qualify for the $500 tax credit, a volunteer firefighter would need to complete their Firefighter I certification and complete an additional six hours of credit towards training identified and approved by a local fire chief.
The legislation also allows a Fire Service Stakeholder Group to identify equivalent, out-of-state programs that would qualify. A local fire chief could also identify training necessary for the protection of a specific community for which a volunteer firefighter could receive the tax credits.
Various fire service organizations were present for the passage of the legislation, including the State Fire Marshall’s office, the Oklahoma Firefighter’s Association, the Oklahoma Fire Chief’s Association, Oklahoma State University Fire Service Training, the Oklahoma Career Technology Centers, the Council on Fire Training, and volunteer fire chiefs from around the state.
“Each of these groups helped draft this legislation and provided invaluable input to better provide tax credits and appropriate training for volunteer firefighters around the state,” Dorman said. “We want to make sure the training is the best available and actually fits the needs of volunteer firefighters if they are going to go to this extra effort.”
House Bill 3123 passed unanimously by a 87-0 vote and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
-30-
Monday, March 15, 2010
House Approves Disaster Relief Legislation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Joe Dorman
Capitol: (405) 557-7305
E-mail: joedorman@okhouse.gov
House Approves Disaster Relief Legislation
OKLAHOMA CITY – Lawmakers voted today to create an income tax check-off to fund the 12.5 percent match required by FEMA to help pay the state portion of disaster response, relief and recovery.
House Joint Resolution 1018, by state Rep. Joe Dorman, will help local emergency management officials get relief for residents after a disaster such as this year’s ice storm, the Rush Springs lawmaker said.
“In a year when state revenue is more secure, I plan to push the Legislature to appropriate the match because of its critical importance,” Dorman said. “But because it is such a tight year, I’m pushing this funding mechanism that will allow Oklahomans to voluntarily contribute to the matching fund on their income tax returns.”
The income tax check-off would also provide funding for phone lines used to take emergency calls.
“The subject of providing monetary assistance for the phone lines came from a conference I co-hosted to look into the issue,” Dorman said. “I think it’s critical that residents be able to get in contact with emergency management officials and responders during a disaster.”
Dorman said he has worked for a long time to find funding for the match.
“I have repeatedly asked the Legislature to fund this important matching grant,” Dorman said. “This is an important first step, but I hope to secure a better funding source for the 12.5 percent match in the future.”
House Joint Resolution 1018 passed unanimously by a 69-0 vote and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
-30-
Contact: State Rep. Joe Dorman
Capitol: (405) 557-7305
E-mail: joedorman@okhouse.gov
House Approves Disaster Relief Legislation
OKLAHOMA CITY – Lawmakers voted today to create an income tax check-off to fund the 12.5 percent match required by FEMA to help pay the state portion of disaster response, relief and recovery.
House Joint Resolution 1018, by state Rep. Joe Dorman, will help local emergency management officials get relief for residents after a disaster such as this year’s ice storm, the Rush Springs lawmaker said.
“In a year when state revenue is more secure, I plan to push the Legislature to appropriate the match because of its critical importance,” Dorman said. “But because it is such a tight year, I’m pushing this funding mechanism that will allow Oklahomans to voluntarily contribute to the matching fund on their income tax returns.”
The income tax check-off would also provide funding for phone lines used to take emergency calls.
“The subject of providing monetary assistance for the phone lines came from a conference I co-hosted to look into the issue,” Dorman said. “I think it’s critical that residents be able to get in contact with emergency management officials and responders during a disaster.”
Dorman said he has worked for a long time to find funding for the match.
“I have repeatedly asked the Legislature to fund this important matching grant,” Dorman said. “This is an important first step, but I hope to secure a better funding source for the 12.5 percent match in the future.”
House Joint Resolution 1018 passed unanimously by a 69-0 vote and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
-30-
House Passes Dorman Legislation to Keep Student Athletes Safe
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: State Rep. Joe Dorman
Capitol: (405) 557-7305
E-mail: joedorman@okhouse.gov
House Passes Dorman Legislation to Keep Student Athletes Safe
OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation that would improve emergency medical assistance for student athletes was passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives today.
House Bill 1658, by state Rep. Joe Dorman, would place health care service providers volunteering their services at secondary school activities under the Good Samaritan Act. The legislation was in response to the death of Justin Barney, a freshman football player from Rush Springs who died from an injury at a game two years ago. The bill would allow chiropractors, podiatrists, dentists, allopathic and osteopathic physicians, physician assistants, optometrists, and nurses (advance practice, registered and practical) to volunteer their services within their specific scope of practice.
“Justin Barney’s death was a tragedy that might have been prevented had some form of immediate medical assistance been available to prevent complications from his injury,” Dorman said. “It took 20 minutes for an ambulance to reach the scene. My legislation would expand legal protections for those who could provide immediate care in such an emergency.”
The bill will have no impact on the state budget, but will reduce the potential for money spent on individual health concerns, Dorman said.
“This originally included a tax credit to provide incentives for medical personnel to volunteer services, but we just could not add that in this year,” Dorman said. “In a tight budget year, it is the type of change to state law we can make with no cost, but still improve public safety. I hope to look at credits in the future to increase participation and eventually have some medical professional cover every single secondary sports event in Oklahoma in the future at no additional cost to schools.”
Heather Nottingham, aunt to Justin Barney and his legal guardian at the time of his death, said she was pleased by the passage of the legislation.
“I can’t thank you enough for the work you have done and continue to do in Justin’s memory,” Nottingham said. “I truly feel that this bill will help incentivize doctors to volunteer services that will one day save the life of someone’s child. My goal is that we never have to see another family suffer the loss of a child in high school sports, which might have been prevented.”
According to a recent article on www.newsok.com, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are some 300,000 sports-related concussions each year in America – a number similar to the total number of concussions suffered by service members in Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of the war.
“In Oklahoma , we do not have enough ambulances to cover every Tuesday or Friday night football game in the state,” Dorman said. “If this will encourage doctors to work with a school and provide assistance in the case of an emergency, this will go a long ways to assisting immediate care and treatment of an injury and reduce potential health problems.”
The bill passed 92-5 and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
-30-
Contact: State Rep. Joe Dorman
Capitol: (405) 557-7305
E-mail: joedorman@okhouse.gov
House Passes Dorman Legislation to Keep Student Athletes Safe
OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation that would improve emergency medical assistance for student athletes was passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives today.
House Bill 1658, by state Rep. Joe Dorman, would place health care service providers volunteering their services at secondary school activities under the Good Samaritan Act. The legislation was in response to the death of Justin Barney, a freshman football player from Rush Springs who died from an injury at a game two years ago. The bill would allow chiropractors, podiatrists, dentists, allopathic and osteopathic physicians, physician assistants, optometrists, and nurses (advance practice, registered and practical) to volunteer their services within their specific scope of practice.
“Justin Barney’s death was a tragedy that might have been prevented had some form of immediate medical assistance been available to prevent complications from his injury,” Dorman said. “It took 20 minutes for an ambulance to reach the scene. My legislation would expand legal protections for those who could provide immediate care in such an emergency.”
The bill will have no impact on the state budget, but will reduce the potential for money spent on individual health concerns, Dorman said.
“This originally included a tax credit to provide incentives for medical personnel to volunteer services, but we just could not add that in this year,” Dorman said. “In a tight budget year, it is the type of change to state law we can make with no cost, but still improve public safety. I hope to look at credits in the future to increase participation and eventually have some medical professional cover every single secondary sports event in Oklahoma in the future at no additional cost to schools.”
Heather Nottingham, aunt to Justin Barney and his legal guardian at the time of his death, said she was pleased by the passage of the legislation.
“I can’t thank you enough for the work you have done and continue to do in Justin’s memory,” Nottingham said. “I truly feel that this bill will help incentivize doctors to volunteer services that will one day save the life of someone’s child. My goal is that we never have to see another family suffer the loss of a child in high school sports, which might have been prevented.”
According to a recent article on www.newsok.com, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are some 300,000 sports-related concussions each year in America – a number similar to the total number of concussions suffered by service members in Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of the war.
“In Oklahoma , we do not have enough ambulances to cover every Tuesday or Friday night football game in the state,” Dorman said. “If this will encourage doctors to work with a school and provide assistance in the case of an emergency, this will go a long ways to assisting immediate care and treatment of an injury and reduce potential health problems.”
The bill passed 92-5 and now moves to the Senate for consideration.
-30-
Dorman offers compromise to restore electric car tax credits - Defeated in House Vote
Representative Joe Dorman
House District 65
State Capitol Building
2300 North Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 325
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
Contact: Eric Berger
405-962-7819
Dorman offers compromise to restore electric car tax credits
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 8, 2010) Honoring his commitment to constituents and other Oklahomans who contacted him in recent months, Rep. Joe Dorman , D-Rush Springs, this week fulfilled his promise to find a way to honor tax credits owed by the state to citizens who bought Low-Speed Vehicles that use alternative energy sources.
Dorman is offering his solution in the form of two amendments to related bills. They would effectively reverse last year’s Oklahoma Tax Commission ruling that left many electric vehicle purchases excluded from the tax credit program. The 2009 OTC ruling held that several vehicles purchased under the belief that they were eligible for state and federal tax credits would not qualify under Oklahoma law, due to similarities with golf carts, as defined by Oklahoma Statutes. Many of these vehicles have been certified as roadworthy by the state, but have since been determined to not qualify for the tax credit offered under Oklahoma Statute for Low-Speed Vehicles powered by electricity.
"Many CPA's in Oklahoma encouraged citizens to purchase these vehicles to take advantage of a recent federal tax credit and combine it with the credit which has been in Oklahoma law since the mid-1990's," said Dorman. "After the Tax Commission ruled many of these vehicles would not qualify for the state tax, I received many calls and emails requesting this revision."
Dorman promised he would find a way to address this subject, but would not file a bill to find the solution.
"In our current legislative system, if you file a bill, the fate of that legislation is often left up to a committee chairman or a few members," said Dorman. "This subject deserves the attention of the entire legislature and the best way to get something through the system is to file an amendment to a bill on the floor where the entire body gets to make an "up or down" vote on the subject when on the floor of the House or Senate.
Dorman reviewed several bills, and found the best fit for the solution with House Bill 2641, filed by Rep. Steve Martin, R-Bartlesville, which would lower any future state credit to equal the credit offered by the federal government on any tangible goods and House Bill 3024, authored by Speaker Chris Benge, which establishes a $500 credit for Low-Speed Vehicles and extends the original credit to Medium-Speed Vehicles. These two bills are intended to keep Oklahoma tax credits from exceeding more than would be honored by the federal government in a credit to taxpayers in different ways.
"I do not like the idea of automatically reducing a commitment on the books without a vote of the legislature," said Dorman. "Many do long-range planning for purchases based upon some credits, but if we can get my amendment in place on one of these bills and address the current problem, I will have to support the legislation as it fixes the current problem with LSV's."
Dorman's amendment will address the issue in two respects. The first would change the definition for an eligible vehicle to any vehicle considered road-worthy by the Department of Public Safety, as they issue licenses and plates for vehicles. This would negate the effect of the OTC ruling. The second provision allows the state to honor any credit on such vehicle purchases back to 2008, but the credit will not be paid by the state until Oklahoma ’s General Revenue Fund grows by at least 3 percent. House Fiscal Staff estimates the total cost of honoring the LSV credit could exceed $39 million.
"This should address all the concerns brought forth with taking the authority of determining qualifying vehicles away from the Oklahoma Tax Commission and delaying payment on the credits until revenues increase, therefore not depriving funding to education, seniors, public safety and any other state entity," said Dorman. "I know people would like to receive their money now for this purchase, but any tax credit we pay out now, which is not otherwise planned for in the budget, takes money away from our kids and seniors. I hope this show of good faith will be enough for purchasers of the vehicles that we will honor the credit which otherwise would not be paid due to OTC rulings and fears of declining budgets by state lawmakers."
Dorman attached the amendment to HB 2641 and HB 3024 on the final day to make amendments to the bill. Both bills are on the calendar for consideration by the House of Representatives this week, the final week for consideration of House Bills by the House of Representatives.
“I believe the State of Oklahoma has an obligation to keep its word to our citizens, and my amendment would accomplish that without harming services in a period of a budget crisis,” said Rep. Dorman. “I also believe the Department of Public Safety is far better qualified than the Tax Commission to determine what vehicles are roadworthy, and thus qualify for this tax credit, which has been Oklahoma law since the mid-1990’s.”
(Final note) Both amendments were killed on floor votes in the House. The Senate will attempt to attach the same amendments as they progress through the process.
-30-
House District 65
State Capitol Building
2300 North Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 325
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
Contact: Eric Berger
405-962-7819
Dorman offers compromise to restore electric car tax credits
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 8, 2010) Honoring his commitment to constituents and other Oklahomans who contacted him in recent months, Rep. Joe Dorman , D-Rush Springs, this week fulfilled his promise to find a way to honor tax credits owed by the state to citizens who bought Low-Speed Vehicles that use alternative energy sources.
Dorman is offering his solution in the form of two amendments to related bills. They would effectively reverse last year’s Oklahoma Tax Commission ruling that left many electric vehicle purchases excluded from the tax credit program. The 2009 OTC ruling held that several vehicles purchased under the belief that they were eligible for state and federal tax credits would not qualify under Oklahoma law, due to similarities with golf carts, as defined by Oklahoma Statutes. Many of these vehicles have been certified as roadworthy by the state, but have since been determined to not qualify for the tax credit offered under Oklahoma Statute for Low-Speed Vehicles powered by electricity.
"Many CPA's in Oklahoma encouraged citizens to purchase these vehicles to take advantage of a recent federal tax credit and combine it with the credit which has been in Oklahoma law since the mid-1990's," said Dorman. "After the Tax Commission ruled many of these vehicles would not qualify for the state tax, I received many calls and emails requesting this revision."
Dorman promised he would find a way to address this subject, but would not file a bill to find the solution.
"In our current legislative system, if you file a bill, the fate of that legislation is often left up to a committee chairman or a few members," said Dorman. "This subject deserves the attention of the entire legislature and the best way to get something through the system is to file an amendment to a bill on the floor where the entire body gets to make an "up or down" vote on the subject when on the floor of the House or Senate.
Dorman reviewed several bills, and found the best fit for the solution with House Bill 2641, filed by Rep. Steve Martin, R-Bartlesville, which would lower any future state credit to equal the credit offered by the federal government on any tangible goods and House Bill 3024, authored by Speaker Chris Benge, which establishes a $500 credit for Low-Speed Vehicles and extends the original credit to Medium-Speed Vehicles. These two bills are intended to keep Oklahoma tax credits from exceeding more than would be honored by the federal government in a credit to taxpayers in different ways.
"I do not like the idea of automatically reducing a commitment on the books without a vote of the legislature," said Dorman. "Many do long-range planning for purchases based upon some credits, but if we can get my amendment in place on one of these bills and address the current problem, I will have to support the legislation as it fixes the current problem with LSV's."
Dorman's amendment will address the issue in two respects. The first would change the definition for an eligible vehicle to any vehicle considered road-worthy by the Department of Public Safety, as they issue licenses and plates for vehicles. This would negate the effect of the OTC ruling. The second provision allows the state to honor any credit on such vehicle purchases back to 2008, but the credit will not be paid by the state until Oklahoma ’s General Revenue Fund grows by at least 3 percent. House Fiscal Staff estimates the total cost of honoring the LSV credit could exceed $39 million.
"This should address all the concerns brought forth with taking the authority of determining qualifying vehicles away from the Oklahoma Tax Commission and delaying payment on the credits until revenues increase, therefore not depriving funding to education, seniors, public safety and any other state entity," said Dorman. "I know people would like to receive their money now for this purchase, but any tax credit we pay out now, which is not otherwise planned for in the budget, takes money away from our kids and seniors. I hope this show of good faith will be enough for purchasers of the vehicles that we will honor the credit which otherwise would not be paid due to OTC rulings and fears of declining budgets by state lawmakers."
Dorman attached the amendment to HB 2641 and HB 3024 on the final day to make amendments to the bill. Both bills are on the calendar for consideration by the House of Representatives this week, the final week for consideration of House Bills by the House of Representatives.
“I believe the State of Oklahoma has an obligation to keep its word to our citizens, and my amendment would accomplish that without harming services in a period of a budget crisis,” said Rep. Dorman. “I also believe the Department of Public Safety is far better qualified than the Tax Commission to determine what vehicles are roadworthy, and thus qualify for this tax credit, which has been Oklahoma law since the mid-1990’s.”
(Final note) Both amendments were killed on floor votes in the House. The Senate will attempt to attach the same amendments as they progress through the process.
-30-
House Video Feed Yields Positive Results
I have enjoyed observing first signs of tangible impact from the recent decision by Speaker Chris Benge to provide a live video feed of House proceedings on the Internet.
When I served as a City Councilman in Guthrie, I made the observation that the city policy makers' decision to televise city council meeting had an impact on city policy. No longer could councilmen count on supporting bad policy with the knowledge that the public would be unable to see their actions in context. This important transparency limited policy leaders' ability to cloak their opposition to good policy in the usual cliches and sound bytes because they could not risk the fact that the public had seen the whole debate and were aware of the true context of the issue.
Providing a video feed of House proceedings will have the exact same impact. Legislators are professionals at opposing change based on the flimsiest excuses. Earlier this year, the House debated a bill to put in place new openness policies and expand the ability of the public to access government performance data online. I believe these types of initiatives will revolutionize the way citizens are able to hold government accountable and and has the potential to help put an end to abuses of the taxpayer dollars in Oklahoma government. As an example, with strong performance data made available to the citizens regarding state agency performance I believe it will become very difficult for past scandals such as the ghost employee scandal to re-occur.
Those debating against the effort pointed to tired old arguments against transparency such as the minimal cost of allowing access or utilized scare tactics to inaccurately claim that such openness would provide too much information to citizens. Had this debate occurred last year, I suspect that would have been the end of this story. However, a writer with the Oklahoman posted a link to the video of the debate on the NewsOK.com web site and the public became aware of the debate and the effort to prevent transparency. By the end of the week I was being contacted by citizens outraged by the disingenuous debate, people wanting a breakdown of the votes, and a candidate who wanted to talk about the issue in his campaign.
As more and more instances like this take place, lawmakers will learn the power of this new medium. I suspect they will greatly fear being exposed on sites such as YouTube when they debate against a transparency proposal using the same tired excuse-based logic. Because many lawmakers aspire to higher office, the last thing they want is to have a future opponent expose their opposition to good policy by simply sending a link to a video clip.
Providing a live video feed of House proceedings took great courage by House leadership. I believe that this single act will provide the leverage necessary to enable a series of good policy legislation to meet with success.
When I served as a City Councilman in Guthrie, I made the observation that the city policy makers' decision to televise city council meeting had an impact on city policy. No longer could councilmen count on supporting bad policy with the knowledge that the public would be unable to see their actions in context. This important transparency limited policy leaders' ability to cloak their opposition to good policy in the usual cliches and sound bytes because they could not risk the fact that the public had seen the whole debate and were aware of the true context of the issue.
Providing a video feed of House proceedings will have the exact same impact. Legislators are professionals at opposing change based on the flimsiest excuses. Earlier this year, the House debated a bill to put in place new openness policies and expand the ability of the public to access government performance data online. I believe these types of initiatives will revolutionize the way citizens are able to hold government accountable and and has the potential to help put an end to abuses of the taxpayer dollars in Oklahoma government. As an example, with strong performance data made available to the citizens regarding state agency performance I believe it will become very difficult for past scandals such as the ghost employee scandal to re-occur.
Those debating against the effort pointed to tired old arguments against transparency such as the minimal cost of allowing access or utilized scare tactics to inaccurately claim that such openness would provide too much information to citizens. Had this debate occurred last year, I suspect that would have been the end of this story. However, a writer with the Oklahoman posted a link to the video of the debate on the NewsOK.com web site and the public became aware of the debate and the effort to prevent transparency. By the end of the week I was being contacted by citizens outraged by the disingenuous debate, people wanting a breakdown of the votes, and a candidate who wanted to talk about the issue in his campaign.
As more and more instances like this take place, lawmakers will learn the power of this new medium. I suspect they will greatly fear being exposed on sites such as YouTube when they debate against a transparency proposal using the same tired excuse-based logic. Because many lawmakers aspire to higher office, the last thing they want is to have a future opponent expose their opposition to good policy by simply sending a link to a video clip.
Providing a live video feed of House proceedings took great courage by House leadership. I believe that this single act will provide the leverage necessary to enable a series of good policy legislation to meet with success.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Murphey Legislative Update
This week marks the House deadline for voting on legislation before it goes to the Senate, so this is the time of year when Representatives begin to spend a significant deal of time on the House floor. It is also the first major test for many of the more interesting and controversial issues.
One of the bills recently considered by the House was House Bill 3393 which was sponsored by state Representative Jason Nelson. Nelson has invested significant effort in developing HB 3393 which provides a method for special needs students to go to schools which provide them with needed support.
In the past I have written about the immorality of state government's policy regarding inner city students in failing school districts. State government could enable these students to be placed into an environment which is more conducive to their success by refunding their tax contribution to the education system in the form of a refund such as a voucher or tax credits.
A similar issue exists in those areas where parents have disabled or challenged children who cannot receive the help they need in many school districts. The districts simply do not have the resources necessary to properly assist these children with their education. House Bill 3393 takes a step towards the implementation of a common sense school choice policy by providing an opportunity for school choice to disabled students. The bill was approved by a bipartisan vote of 78-19. In my view, this strong vote reflects real progress on the school choice issue.
Speaker of the House Chris Benge won approval for the first of what I believe will be several consolidation and money savings proposals. House Joint Resolution 1080 would allow Oklahomans to vote on consolidating the Pardon and Parole Board with the Department of Corrections. The consolidation should save the taxpayers several thousand dollars each year as these two groups will be able to use the same infrastructure to provide service to their respective boards. Since the subject matter is often duplicative, this is an extremely common sense approach to savings. It is important to note that the members of the Pardon and Parole Board will still be independently appointed and as such, should not lose their independence in making the important decisions they are charged with considering.
The Speaker used the opportunity of this legislation to explain to the Representatives that because of the state budget shortfall, our state government will look much different after this legislative session comes to a close.
Speaker Benge's proposal was approved by a vote of 64-30 and will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
One of the bills recently considered by the House was House Bill 3393 which was sponsored by state Representative Jason Nelson. Nelson has invested significant effort in developing HB 3393 which provides a method for special needs students to go to schools which provide them with needed support.
In the past I have written about the immorality of state government's policy regarding inner city students in failing school districts. State government could enable these students to be placed into an environment which is more conducive to their success by refunding their tax contribution to the education system in the form of a refund such as a voucher or tax credits.
A similar issue exists in those areas where parents have disabled or challenged children who cannot receive the help they need in many school districts. The districts simply do not have the resources necessary to properly assist these children with their education. House Bill 3393 takes a step towards the implementation of a common sense school choice policy by providing an opportunity for school choice to disabled students. The bill was approved by a bipartisan vote of 78-19. In my view, this strong vote reflects real progress on the school choice issue.
Speaker of the House Chris Benge won approval for the first of what I believe will be several consolidation and money savings proposals. House Joint Resolution 1080 would allow Oklahomans to vote on consolidating the Pardon and Parole Board with the Department of Corrections. The consolidation should save the taxpayers several thousand dollars each year as these two groups will be able to use the same infrastructure to provide service to their respective boards. Since the subject matter is often duplicative, this is an extremely common sense approach to savings. It is important to note that the members of the Pardon and Parole Board will still be independently appointed and as such, should not lose their independence in making the important decisions they are charged with considering.
The Speaker used the opportunity of this legislation to explain to the Representatives that because of the state budget shortfall, our state government will look much different after this legislative session comes to a close.
Speaker Benge's proposal was approved by a vote of 64-30 and will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
Monday, March 1, 2010
A Common Sense Answer to Lobbyist Gift Giving
As candidate for State Representative, it was my pledge to the citizens of House District 31 to not accept personal gifts from lobbyists. At that time I had no idea how challenging it would be to enforce this pledge. In the past, these gifts have been mailed to my home, left at the office, or placed on the desk of my legislative assistant even when she was not in the office. These actions force me or my staff to spend resources and time tracking down the lobbyists and returning the gifts. In addition, sometimes lobbyists would enter reports of across-the-board gift giving, such as dinner for an entire committee or lunch for the whole Republican caucus which included my name, even though I wasn't even present to accept the gift.
As a way of helping legislators avoid going to these lengths to return gifts, I believe an online no gift list would draw a clear line in the sand by which legislators and lobbyists could establish a firm relationship based on professionalism. I also believe it would start putting an end to the perception that all legislators and lobbyists engage in an inappropriate game of quid-pro-quo.
In the past I have sought to establish this list through a legislative initiative. Even though the idea was approved by two House committees, it was not given a hearing on the floor of the House. I suspect it will be very difficult to receive legislative approval. However, the list could be established by a simple vote of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission to provide an official no gift list on its web site where Oklahoma legislators could request to be placed.
In speaking to other lawmakers, I am convinced that a number of them would avail themselves of this service. Several legislators do not enjoy their names being listed in the paper for receiving gifts they did not desire in the first place. I also believe there are a number of lobbyists who would be supportive of this feature. In my view there are a number of lobbyists who do not appreciate the public perception that all lobbyists advance their position based on the size of their expense account, rather than the merits of the position.
It is my opinion that any minuscule investment required to maintain this feature on the existing Ethics Commission web site would be offset by a corresponding decrease in expenses related to processing lobbyists' reports. In a down budget year, this idea would present the Ethics Commission with the opportunity to save taxpayer funds.
It is my intent in the upcoming days to formally request that the Ethics Commission consider this option as a valuable tool for saving taxpayer dollars and restoring some trust in the legislative process.
As a way of helping legislators avoid going to these lengths to return gifts, I believe an online no gift list would draw a clear line in the sand by which legislators and lobbyists could establish a firm relationship based on professionalism. I also believe it would start putting an end to the perception that all legislators and lobbyists engage in an inappropriate game of quid-pro-quo.
In the past I have sought to establish this list through a legislative initiative. Even though the idea was approved by two House committees, it was not given a hearing on the floor of the House. I suspect it will be very difficult to receive legislative approval. However, the list could be established by a simple vote of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission to provide an official no gift list on its web site where Oklahoma legislators could request to be placed.
In speaking to other lawmakers, I am convinced that a number of them would avail themselves of this service. Several legislators do not enjoy their names being listed in the paper for receiving gifts they did not desire in the first place. I also believe there are a number of lobbyists who would be supportive of this feature. In my view there are a number of lobbyists who do not appreciate the public perception that all lobbyists advance their position based on the size of their expense account, rather than the merits of the position.
It is my opinion that any minuscule investment required to maintain this feature on the existing Ethics Commission web site would be offset by a corresponding decrease in expenses related to processing lobbyists' reports. In a down budget year, this idea would present the Ethics Commission with the opportunity to save taxpayer funds.
It is my intent in the upcoming days to formally request that the Ethics Commission consider this option as a valuable tool for saving taxpayer dollars and restoring some trust in the legislative process.
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