During the weeks preceding this year's session, I wrote a series of articles in which I explained a proposed schedule of government modernization items designed to cut wasteful government spending and provide more transparency to the way the government spends your money. When I wrote the original articles, I solicited the help of House District 31 constituents in providing ideas and suggestions. I have appreciated this input. Much of this modernization effort has been supported by House leadership and with their help, legislation has advanced through most of the legislative process.
It has been my goal to find those practices which are clearly the most wasteful and difficult for even the most aggressive status quo politicians to defend. I believe this is the perfect opportunity to reduce wasteful spending practices because legislators are feeling the impact of receiving calls from their constituents who are worried about spending cuts due to recent state government revenue shortfalls. It is hard for legislators to vote against cutting out extremely wasteful spending while funding the various programs important to their constituents.
Sometimes there is a double impact to these proposals. Not only do they save taxpayer dollars by reducing wasteful spending, modernization proposals also make Oklahoma a more business-friendly state. One of these initiatives is House Bill 2332 which included a provision to make it easier for business to secure work from the state. As part of reforming Oklahoma's purchasing laws, it was evident that it was becoming difficult for publicly traded companies to do business with the state because they could not justify entering into a state required non-standard liability contract. One major technology vendor explained that fewer entities were willing to do business with state government and as a result, taxpayers may have less opportunity for choice and subsequently be forced to pay higher prices. HB 2332 makes it possible for these companies to utilize standardized liability contracts.
Many of the modernization proposals, including HB 2332, have either been signed into law or are successfully approaching the end of the legislative process. Other initiatives, such as the Gov 2.0 transparency proposal and the expansion of the Open Books web site, are nearing the end of the legislative approval process. While there have been some significant challenges in securing approval, most of the modernization ideas have survived to this point in the session. As we are nearing the final deadlines, I look forward to being able to provide a comprehensive report in which I will detail these changes and their impact on state government.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Effects of the Upcoming Redistricting Process
One of the tasks I undertake this time of year is that of updating my list of House District 31 constituents. The yearly updating provides me with several important insights. This process allows me to review the growth in the District. House District 31 (North Oklahoma county and Logan County) contains some of the fastest growing areas in the state. You may recall that I have written about this explosive growth and the challenges faced by local officials in maintaining the infrastructure which services this growth.
Over the past years I have had as a primary focus the task of building strong lines of communication between myself and the House District 31 constituency. Usually this takes the form of e-mail communication and I have enjoyed using this technology to provide a level of service which I do not believe would have been possible just a few years ago. These contacts have resulted in the building of several hundred friendships which I would not have had the opportunity to make had it not been for this communication. Because the directory provides a documentation of these relationships, it is somewhat a sad task to realize that this will be the last year my list will contain all of these constituents.
Next year at this time I will very likely be observing a very significant change in the makeup of the district. In about a year, it is expected that the House and Senate will be completing the task of redistricting. Because the north Oklahoma County and Logan County area has experienced such an enormous amount of growth, it will be necessary for House District 31 to become much smaller in the number of constituents. Many of those I represent today will no longer be in the district.
There are, however, a number of positive implications brought about by the update of census data and the redistricting process. Here are two of them:
The area will be represented by multiple Representatives and at some point in the next few years, it is possible that the area could have more than one resident state Representative or Senator for the first time in many years. This means that the area will have a stronger voice in state government.
Because much of the growth in the district has occurred in unincorporated areas, I believe that the growth has been under reported in census estimates. This could be the first time that the new growth is completely reflected in government population counts which could have significant implications on issues such as the manner in which state government funds road maintenance accounts of area County Commissioners. State road funding may finally reflect the reality that significant stresses are being placed on the infrastructure.
While I will certainly miss representing some of those I have worked for over the past few years, I do look forward to working with additional local Representatives and Senators to represent the North Oklahoma and Logan County area.
Over the past years I have had as a primary focus the task of building strong lines of communication between myself and the House District 31 constituency. Usually this takes the form of e-mail communication and I have enjoyed using this technology to provide a level of service which I do not believe would have been possible just a few years ago. These contacts have resulted in the building of several hundred friendships which I would not have had the opportunity to make had it not been for this communication. Because the directory provides a documentation of these relationships, it is somewhat a sad task to realize that this will be the last year my list will contain all of these constituents.
Next year at this time I will very likely be observing a very significant change in the makeup of the district. In about a year, it is expected that the House and Senate will be completing the task of redistricting. Because the north Oklahoma County and Logan County area has experienced such an enormous amount of growth, it will be necessary for House District 31 to become much smaller in the number of constituents. Many of those I represent today will no longer be in the district.
There are, however, a number of positive implications brought about by the update of census data and the redistricting process. Here are two of them:
The area will be represented by multiple Representatives and at some point in the next few years, it is possible that the area could have more than one resident state Representative or Senator for the first time in many years. This means that the area will have a stronger voice in state government.
Because much of the growth in the district has occurred in unincorporated areas, I believe that the growth has been under reported in census estimates. This could be the first time that the new growth is completely reflected in government population counts which could have significant implications on issues such as the manner in which state government funds road maintenance accounts of area County Commissioners. State road funding may finally reflect the reality that significant stresses are being placed on the infrastructure.
While I will certainly miss representing some of those I have worked for over the past few years, I do look forward to working with additional local Representatives and Senators to represent the North Oklahoma and Logan County area.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Murphey Receives Conservative Lawmaker of the Year Award
State Representative Jason Murphey (R-Guthrie) has been awarded the designation of Outstanding Conservative State Representative of the Year by the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee (OCPAC).
Murphey was presented with the award April 30 during the organization's awards banquet. OCPAC, one of Oklahoma's largest grassroots conservative organizations, awards the distinction each year to one state Representative and one state Senator. They voted to award Murphey with the designation after he received a rating of 100% on the Oklahoma Conservative Index.
Each year since 1979, the Index has graded Oklahoma legislators so constituents can gauge how conservative or liberal their legislator votes. Murphey was graded on ten issues, including his votes against issuing more government debt and against liberalizing Oklahoma's unemployment benefits to accept federal stimulus money. Murphey was given points for his votes for declaring English to be Oklahoma's official language and for overturning a Gubernatorial veto on a key right-to-life issue.
Murphey says that his polices of voting against issuing new government debt, tax and fee increases and the creation of new government bureaucracies have aided his effort to maintain a conservative voting record. Murphey has also never lost points for missing votes and has maintained a 99% record of being present to vote on legislation.
The award is Murphey's second by a conservative grassroots organization for his work during the 2009 legislative year. Murphey was previously awarded with the designation 2009 Legislation of the year by the group Oklahomans for Responsible Government (OFRG). OFRG presented the award to Murphey based on his work in winning approval for Senate Joint Resolution 12 which puts to a vote of the people whether statewide elected officials should be limited to just two terms in office, and Senate Bill 800 to reform the initiative petition process and require legal challenges to the wording of citizen initiatives to happen before signatures are collected.
"I ran on a platform of representing conservative values when I campaigned for office. I believe this designation shows that I am keeping my word," Murphey said.
Murphey remains the only Oklahoma legislator to maintain a lifetime score of 100% on the Conservative Index, having scored 100% in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Impact of the New Federal Health Care Proposal
Last week the Oklahoma House approved House Joint Resolution 1054 which is the legislative initiative that would codify an Oklahoma law to state that Oklahomans will not be forced to purchase health care and allows Oklahoma's legislative leaders to file suite against the federal law.
I have served as a co-sponsor of the legislation and as a member of the conference committee which approved the proposal. This is an issue which I have included on my 2010 constituent survey (available online at housedistrict31.com) and which currently has the support of approximately 84% of respondents.
The importance of opposing the federal health care initiative has become more and more obvious as the details of the federal law continue to be exposed. The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) recently released the following timeline. Following are just a few of the new provisions:
Because of the health care bill, employers will be required in 2011 to start reporting to the federal government the number of employee benefits they provide.
In 2012, businesses will have to start sending in form 1099s for every business-to-business transaction of $600 or more, which presents a huge paperwork burden for small business. No doubt this cost will be factored into the price of goods and services which we all pay.
In 2013, Medicare payroll tax on wages and self-employment income in excess of $200,000 will increase to 2.35 percent. This will be the first time that funds designated for Medicare will be diverted elsewhere and start a dangerous precedent for using a payroll tax as a revenue raiser.
In 2014, an annual fee will be levied on health insurance companies which will be passed on to small business consumers, but will not apply to big business and labor union self-insured plans. The fee starts at 8 billion dollars in 2014 and by 2019 will increase to 14.3 billion dollars.
Also starting in 2014, penalties will start being assessed to individuals who do not purchase health insurance. By 2016, these penalties will reach a level of 2.5% of each person's income and likely increase from that time forward. Certain businesses will also start to be penalized thousands of dollars if they do not offer health coverage. This cost is very likely to be passed on to consumers.
In 2018, the government will start charging a 40 percent tax on health plans which cost more than $10,200 per year (subject to certain changing conditions). This tax will greatly discourage businesses from offering higher-end health plans to their employees.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of the mandates which will be forced on Oklahoma businesses if the federal government is successful in implementing their health care plan. I believe these efforts will destroy many jobs and it is imperative that we do what we can to prevent the plan from taking effect.
I have served as a co-sponsor of the legislation and as a member of the conference committee which approved the proposal. This is an issue which I have included on my 2010 constituent survey (available online at housedistrict31.com) and which currently has the support of approximately 84% of respondents.
The importance of opposing the federal health care initiative has become more and more obvious as the details of the federal law continue to be exposed. The National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) recently released the following timeline. Following are just a few of the new provisions:
Because of the health care bill, employers will be required in 2011 to start reporting to the federal government the number of employee benefits they provide.
In 2012, businesses will have to start sending in form 1099s for every business-to-business transaction of $600 or more, which presents a huge paperwork burden for small business. No doubt this cost will be factored into the price of goods and services which we all pay.
In 2013, Medicare payroll tax on wages and self-employment income in excess of $200,000 will increase to 2.35 percent. This will be the first time that funds designated for Medicare will be diverted elsewhere and start a dangerous precedent for using a payroll tax as a revenue raiser.
In 2014, an annual fee will be levied on health insurance companies which will be passed on to small business consumers, but will not apply to big business and labor union self-insured plans. The fee starts at 8 billion dollars in 2014 and by 2019 will increase to 14.3 billion dollars.
Also starting in 2014, penalties will start being assessed to individuals who do not purchase health insurance. By 2016, these penalties will reach a level of 2.5% of each person's income and likely increase from that time forward. Certain businesses will also start to be penalized thousands of dollars if they do not offer health coverage. This cost is very likely to be passed on to consumers.
In 2018, the government will start charging a 40 percent tax on health plans which cost more than $10,200 per year (subject to certain changing conditions). This tax will greatly discourage businesses from offering higher-end health plans to their employees.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of the mandates which will be forced on Oklahoma businesses if the federal government is successful in implementing their health care plan. I believe these efforts will destroy many jobs and it is imperative that we do what we can to prevent the plan from taking effect.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Common Sense Election Reforms
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.
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 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.
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