House Democrats Call for Rules Reform

Only recently has the general public been privy to the subjective and unnecessarily restrictive parliamentary process that impedes or allows the passage of legislation. Legislators working within the confines of House Rules for years have fought and debated against arbitrary rules that cripple opportunity for discussion of policies important to the state. 

This morning Democratic House Leaders submitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives fifteen recommendations to ensure transparency, accountability and equity in House Rules.

Top Educator’s New Chief Lacks Credentials

One state lawmaker today stated he was troubled by the hiring of staff who were demonstrably unqualified for their positions, most notably that of the new Chief of Staff to the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Janet Barresi.

The Chief of Staff assists the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in directing the overall activities of the State Department of Education, and acts for and represents the Superintendent in her absence. The Chief of Staff also relieves the Superintendent of the routine administration of the Department of Education.

The Party of Small Government…? An editorial by Rep. Al McAffrey

It’s self-evident that actions speak louder than words. What’s also true is that political actions speak louder than campaign promises.

Ambrose Bierce once defined politics as a strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. Of note is that the party of “small government” has already in earnest expanded their government offices, with much of the positions being awarded to former Republican legislators who lost elections or left office due to term limits.

First Representative Calls on Speaker to Initiate Investigative Committee of Lawmaker’s Bribery Allegations

Today Representative Mike Brown, D–Tahlequah became the first State Representative to call for a House investigation of the charges surrounding Representative Randy Terrill, R-Moore, and the allegations of impropriety in his dealings while a member of the Oklahoma State House. 

Lawmaker Wants to Bring ‘Common Sense’ and Local Control to School Background Check Requirement

State Rep. Donnie Condit said today he plans to introduce legislation that would bring “more common sense” to a state requirement that schools request national criminal background checks on prospective employees.

“I want to be clear that I support background checks on all new hires at any school,” Condit, D-McAlester, said. “The problem is that when Senate Bill 2199 became law, it created unnecessary hardships for substitute and part-time teachers. For example, in McAlester, a substitute only makes $60 a day. The substitute has to pay $55 each year for a background check. This means that a substitute makes almost no money on their first day. I would like to see a one-time background check conducted instead.”

PUSH-BACK: WILL THE NEW STATE LEADERS LIVE UP TO THEIR PROMISES?

An Editorial by Representative Ed Cannaday – On December the 24th the Tulsa World reported that Oklahoma would receive $20 million for health reform.  During this year’s campaign Republican candidates uniformly voiced opposition to what they refer to as “Obamacare” and stated they would “push back” against any aspect of national health care reform. 

It is both interesting and surprising that our Governor-Elect, Attorney General-Elect and Insurance Commissioner-Elect have been silent about the $20 million coming to Oklahoma as part of “Obamacare.”  Equally surprising is the fact that this is now referred to by its official title as the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” instead of “Obamacare.” 

Morgan Applauds Free Home Weatherization Program; Encourages Seniors to Seek Assistance

Today one state lawmaker applauded OG&E for offering a free weatherization program for Oklahoma seniors. Democratic Leader Danny Morgan of Prague commended OG&E for their efforts to assist citizens in reducing energy costs.

“This is a time of real economic struggle, particularly for our seniors and those on a fixed income,” said Rep. Morgan. “The services this program provides will go a long way towards curbing utility bills this winter and in the years to come.”

OG&E’s Free Home Weatherization Program is for seniors age 65 and older who earn less than $35,000 annually.

Legislators Seek to Protect Homeless Under Hate Crimes Law

Following the August release of Hate Crimes Against the Homeless: America’s Growing Tide of Violence by the National Coalition for the Homeless, two state lawmakers announced they plan to file legislation to expand protections for the homeless as hate crime victims.

Representative Anastasia Pittman of Oklahoma City and Representative Seneca Scott of Tulsa reside in urban areas where the majority of the people who are homeless populate. In addition, both Democrats represent areas in which violence against the homeless has occurred.

A&E Show to Shine Light on Hoarding in Oklahoma

Behind closed doors, many Oklahomans struggle with a form of obsessive – compulsive disorder known as “hoarding”, which is marked by a need to acquire and keep things, even if the items are worthless, hazardous or unsanitary. Those with this condition often live in homes in which countertops, tables, stairways and essentially every free space is stacked with things, with only narrow pathways leading from room to room. This inability to discard useless items has had a crippling effect on the lives of more than 3 million people in the United States who suffer from this disorder, and come Monday, one family from Edmond will be featured on the series premier of the Hoarders television program on the A&E cable network.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: An editorial by Representative Mike Brown

It’s back to school time for students across the state. Many students are excited to see old friends and return to familiar school grounds, but once that excitement wanes, I wonder how our students will grapple with the ever-changing environment of our under-funded public schools. Shortly our students will be toting around old textbooks, dealing with larger class sizes, losing their library media and possibly their bus route to school. More students may be learning from teachers who have a background in a subject other than the one they are teaching. We already lag 46th nationally in per-pupil expenditures, and 48th in average teacher salary.

With our budget shortfall, the majority leadership focused on ways to scale back the already scarce resources in our schools, and made it easier to bring in for a three month stint lower-paid substitute teachers without bachelors degrees or teaching certificates. They paved the way to dismiss teachers or not give them benefits for up to four semesters. And all the while majority leadership was bemoaning the drastic cuts on top of cuts to our schools, they were also calculating exorbitant tax breaks to those industries that least need them.