The U.S. House and Senate probably won’t get much accomplished this year, 4th District Congressman Tom Cole predicted Wednesday.
Speaking at a breakfast meeting of the Cleveland County Business and Industry Council, Cole, R-Moore, said the problem was due to the 2008 presidential election.
“The conventional wisdom is that we won’t get a lot done in a presidential year,” he said.
Cole said House Democrats will want to delay major initiatives until after the fall elections and added the GOP is in a defensive mode.
“That will probably be what happens,” he said. “The focus will be on the normal, governmental appropriations process.”
Still, he said, voters shouldn’t write off initiatives by President George Bush.
“Even as a lame duck president, Bush holds a strong hand,” he said. “He wants to leave a legacy.”
Cole said he would be “interested” to see if President Bush offers a stimulus package to keep the economy from slipping into a recession.
“You business people are worried about your business, and the economy,” he said, “while we politicians are in survival mode. We have to demonstrate to the American people that we can govern. It would be a marvelous way for us to end the year.”
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Lawmakers predict "titanic" fight for State Senate
While most members of Cleveland County’s legislative delegation agreed state lawmakers would work in a “bipartisan fashion” during the upcoming 2008 Legislative session, they also predicted a major political fight this year for control of the Oklahoma State Senate.
“When you don’t have much money, you don’t have many arguments,” state Rep. Bill Nations said Wednesday.
But once the election season rolls around, Nations said, “there will be a titanic struggle for control of the Senate.”
Nations, D-Norman, made the prediction Wednesday morning during a legislative breakfast sponsored by the Cleveland County Business and Industry Council.
Nations, along with state Representatives Scott Martin, Wallace Collins, Randy Terrill, state Senator Jonahan Nichols and U.S. Congressman Tom Cole spoke at the event.
“When things are tough, everyone on both sides of the aisle makes tough decisions,” he said. “When there is a lot of money available, there are a lot of arguments going on.”
And the past three years, he said, have been “the best years for revenue in the history of the state of Oklahoma.”
Though most of the group acknowledged the potential fight in the Senate, all five men agreed the session will have its share of big issues.
“I’m working on legislation to try and help reduce school violence,” Collins said. “I’m still searching for “magic wand,” to solve it. I don’t know if we’re ever completely prevent it, but we’ve got to keep working.”
Collins said violence at school happens “far too often.”
“It happens all around the world and it hits home more personally here in the U.S.”
Along with violence prevention, the Norman Democrat said lawmakers should work to expand the state’s light rail system to help reduce pollution and increase economic development.
“We have to talk about it,” he said. “We have to raise the bar of public awareness and expand the use of light rail.”
Collins said lawmakers should take advantage of a strong budget cycle to explore alternatives to traditional transportation.
“If we won’t do this kind of thing in good budget year, we surely won’t do it in a shortfall. It’s past time for us to look into transportation alternatives, instead of just adding more lanes on the highway.”
While Martin, a Norman Republican said he, too, believed transportation issues would be a top priority this year, the focus, he said, would be on infrastructure and funding.
“You’re going to see legislation to remove the 3 percent trigger on Oklahoma Department of Transportation funding,” he said.
Martin said he also was “anxious to hear” what both sides had to say about extending the length of the public school and potential plans for a performance based pay system for public school teachers. “There will probably be a lot of discussion about those issues,” he said.
Like Martin, Nichols predicted education, transportation and public safety would be issues which occupied a majority of the legislative session.
“I’m looking forward to finally stopping the supplemental funding to the Department of Corrections,” he said. “It’s disingenuous to the taxpayers that we balance the budget knowing we owe bills. What has historically been done to fund DOC is circumventing the State Constitution.”
Hopefully, he said, lawmakers will “fully fund” the department of corrections.
Nichols also said he was pleased by the fact lawmakers had less money to spend in 2008.
“State government has less money to spend this year,” he said, “because we’ve returned more to the taxpayer.”
Nichols said he meant “that less money is less growth money.”
“We’re returning more money to the taxpayer. And there is no better way to insulate the economy than through tax cuts. There is no better way to keep the economy alive and vibrant than to place it in the hands of the private sector.”
Bragging that Republicans in the state house were “driving the train,” Terrill said the House GOP members were framing their legislation against five standards.
“Everything we try to move through the House falls along four lines,” he said. “Whether or not it advances the cause of Constitutionally limited government; whether or not it is advancing the rule of law; whether or not it supports the free enterprise, free market system; and whether or not it promotes traditional family values.”
The House, Terrill said, was pushing a sound, conservative fiscal policy.
“We will continue to fund core essential programs of state government,” he said. “And we will demand performance, accountability and modernization.”
Terrill said lawmakers would continue to focus on performance audits for state agencies and predicted the Department of Human Services “would be next in line” for such an audit.
“DHS is next in line because of their foster care and daycare programs,” he said. “The death of one child because of DHS’ bureaucratic black hole is one too many.”
In addition, Terrill said House Republicans would continue to try to reduce the state’s income tax rate to “ultimately get it below” 5 percent, which, he said, is the GOP’s short-term goal.
Known for his immigration reform bill, Terrill said the measure is being modeled by 25 to 30 other states.
“I’m very pleased we’ve gotten Oklahoman to the forefront in the immigration reform movement,” he said.
Terrill said he would file legislation in 2008 to add to the measure, including provisions which would make English the state’s official language and to allow local law enforcement officials to seize an undocumented alien’s property.
“It would be much like seizing certain drug assets,” he said.
Terrill said he also would push for “transparency in education” to show taxpayers how much education for undocumented aliens is costing.
State lawmakers will return to the capitol for the 2008 Legislative session in February.
“When you don’t have much money, you don’t have many arguments,” state Rep. Bill Nations said Wednesday.
But once the election season rolls around, Nations said, “there will be a titanic struggle for control of the Senate.”
Nations, D-Norman, made the prediction Wednesday morning during a legislative breakfast sponsored by the Cleveland County Business and Industry Council.
Nations, along with state Representatives Scott Martin, Wallace Collins, Randy Terrill, state Senator Jonahan Nichols and U.S. Congressman Tom Cole spoke at the event.
“When things are tough, everyone on both sides of the aisle makes tough decisions,” he said. “When there is a lot of money available, there are a lot of arguments going on.”
And the past three years, he said, have been “the best years for revenue in the history of the state of Oklahoma.”
Though most of the group acknowledged the potential fight in the Senate, all five men agreed the session will have its share of big issues.
“I’m working on legislation to try and help reduce school violence,” Collins said. “I’m still searching for “magic wand,” to solve it. I don’t know if we’re ever completely prevent it, but we’ve got to keep working.”
Collins said violence at school happens “far too often.”
“It happens all around the world and it hits home more personally here in the U.S.”
Along with violence prevention, the Norman Democrat said lawmakers should work to expand the state’s light rail system to help reduce pollution and increase economic development.
“We have to talk about it,” he said. “We have to raise the bar of public awareness and expand the use of light rail.”
Collins said lawmakers should take advantage of a strong budget cycle to explore alternatives to traditional transportation.
“If we won’t do this kind of thing in good budget year, we surely won’t do it in a shortfall. It’s past time for us to look into transportation alternatives, instead of just adding more lanes on the highway.”
While Martin, a Norman Republican said he, too, believed transportation issues would be a top priority this year, the focus, he said, would be on infrastructure and funding.
“You’re going to see legislation to remove the 3 percent trigger on Oklahoma Department of Transportation funding,” he said.
Martin said he also was “anxious to hear” what both sides had to say about extending the length of the public school and potential plans for a performance based pay system for public school teachers. “There will probably be a lot of discussion about those issues,” he said.
Like Martin, Nichols predicted education, transportation and public safety would be issues which occupied a majority of the legislative session.
“I’m looking forward to finally stopping the supplemental funding to the Department of Corrections,” he said. “It’s disingenuous to the taxpayers that we balance the budget knowing we owe bills. What has historically been done to fund DOC is circumventing the State Constitution.”
Hopefully, he said, lawmakers will “fully fund” the department of corrections.
Nichols also said he was pleased by the fact lawmakers had less money to spend in 2008.
“State government has less money to spend this year,” he said, “because we’ve returned more to the taxpayer.”
Nichols said he meant “that less money is less growth money.”
“We’re returning more money to the taxpayer. And there is no better way to insulate the economy than through tax cuts. There is no better way to keep the economy alive and vibrant than to place it in the hands of the private sector.”
Bragging that Republicans in the state house were “driving the train,” Terrill said the House GOP members were framing their legislation against five standards.
“Everything we try to move through the House falls along four lines,” he said. “Whether or not it advances the cause of Constitutionally limited government; whether or not it is advancing the rule of law; whether or not it supports the free enterprise, free market system; and whether or not it promotes traditional family values.”
The House, Terrill said, was pushing a sound, conservative fiscal policy.
“We will continue to fund core essential programs of state government,” he said. “And we will demand performance, accountability and modernization.”
Terrill said lawmakers would continue to focus on performance audits for state agencies and predicted the Department of Human Services “would be next in line” for such an audit.
“DHS is next in line because of their foster care and daycare programs,” he said. “The death of one child because of DHS’ bureaucratic black hole is one too many.”
In addition, Terrill said House Republicans would continue to try to reduce the state’s income tax rate to “ultimately get it below” 5 percent, which, he said, is the GOP’s short-term goal.
Known for his immigration reform bill, Terrill said the measure is being modeled by 25 to 30 other states.
“I’m very pleased we’ve gotten Oklahoman to the forefront in the immigration reform movement,” he said.
Terrill said he would file legislation in 2008 to add to the measure, including provisions which would make English the state’s official language and to allow local law enforcement officials to seize an undocumented alien’s property.
“It would be much like seizing certain drug assets,” he said.
Terrill said he also would push for “transparency in education” to show taxpayers how much education for undocumented aliens is costing.
State lawmakers will return to the capitol for the 2008 Legislative session in February.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
COMMENTARY: Ford Center tax proposal a bad idea...
So Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett wants to bring an NBA team to town.
And Cornett’s buddy, businessman and NBA fan Clayton Bennett — plus a cast of favorites — purchased the Seattle SuperSonics.
Then Bennett and company decide Seattle wasn’t being nice to his team and they should move it to Oklahoma City.
Further, since Seattle wouldn’t give into Bennett’s extortion, he threw a tantrum to justify his reason for pulling up stakes.
I know, you’ve heard all this before.
And, at this point, the debate is nothing more than a fight between millionaires.
“These are significant issues dealing with big numbers of dollars in taxpayer money,” Cornett told the Daily Oklahoman’s John Estus. “These are significant decisions, and we’re asking people in a matter of weeks to make up their minds. We’ve got a lot to do in a short time.”
Yeah, come up with a bad idea and try to shove it down the public’s throat quickly.
For the record: I have some swampland near Guthrie I’d like to sell you, too.
While I’ve said — and written — before that Bennett’s actions toward the people of Seattle have given Oklahoma a bad name, the proposal to have taxpayers foot the bill to upgrade the Ford Center so Bennett will bring his team here is even worse.
Public money for a private gain.
Bull.
If Mr. Bennett wants to spend his fortune (and, apparently, the fortunes of others) on a basketball team that’s fine.
And if he wants to try and extort money from the good people of Seattle, so be it (of course if I were him I wouldn’t travel there any time soon).
But now Clay, Cornett and company are playing on the home court.
And the voters should flush their plans.
The original MAPS proposal was a great idea.
As was MAPS for Kids.
But MAPS for Millionaires is a stupid, silly concept that does nothing but help make a few rich people richer.
And it’s not good public policy.
Rest assured chamber officials, Bennett and company and other insiders will do everything possible to sell this snake oil as economic development. They’ll tell you how Oklahoma City will move into the big leagues with its own NBA team.
They’ll tell you how much money the team will generate.
And they’ll tell you what a swell idea it is to have a Sooner state NBA team.
Don’t believe them.
Tell them ‘no.’
I find it ironic that Oklahomans will raise cain about taxes and even force a public vote on a tax for our schools, and in the same breath, come begging hat in hand for public funds so a millionaire will being his basketball team to Oklahoma City.
The whole idea would be funny if it wasn’t so stupid.
Cornett, Bennett and others should be ashamed they’ve even asked. With thousands living in poverty, the economy struggling and our schools and infrastructure needing million of dollars in improvements, earmarking taxpayer money to help a millionaire support hisbasketball team is the last thing we should consider.
And it shows just how messed up our priorities are.
And Cornett’s buddy, businessman and NBA fan Clayton Bennett — plus a cast of favorites — purchased the Seattle SuperSonics.
Then Bennett and company decide Seattle wasn’t being nice to his team and they should move it to Oklahoma City.
Further, since Seattle wouldn’t give into Bennett’s extortion, he threw a tantrum to justify his reason for pulling up stakes.
I know, you’ve heard all this before.
And, at this point, the debate is nothing more than a fight between millionaires.
“These are significant issues dealing with big numbers of dollars in taxpayer money,” Cornett told the Daily Oklahoman’s John Estus. “These are significant decisions, and we’re asking people in a matter of weeks to make up their minds. We’ve got a lot to do in a short time.”
Yeah, come up with a bad idea and try to shove it down the public’s throat quickly.
For the record: I have some swampland near Guthrie I’d like to sell you, too.
While I’ve said — and written — before that Bennett’s actions toward the people of Seattle have given Oklahoma a bad name, the proposal to have taxpayers foot the bill to upgrade the Ford Center so Bennett will bring his team here is even worse.
Public money for a private gain.
Bull.
If Mr. Bennett wants to spend his fortune (and, apparently, the fortunes of others) on a basketball team that’s fine.
And if he wants to try and extort money from the good people of Seattle, so be it (of course if I were him I wouldn’t travel there any time soon).
But now Clay, Cornett and company are playing on the home court.
And the voters should flush their plans.
The original MAPS proposal was a great idea.
As was MAPS for Kids.
But MAPS for Millionaires is a stupid, silly concept that does nothing but help make a few rich people richer.
And it’s not good public policy.
Rest assured chamber officials, Bennett and company and other insiders will do everything possible to sell this snake oil as economic development. They’ll tell you how Oklahoma City will move into the big leagues with its own NBA team.
They’ll tell you how much money the team will generate.
And they’ll tell you what a swell idea it is to have a Sooner state NBA team.
Don’t believe them.
Tell them ‘no.’
I find it ironic that Oklahomans will raise cain about taxes and even force a public vote on a tax for our schools, and in the same breath, come begging hat in hand for public funds so a millionaire will being his basketball team to Oklahoma City.
The whole idea would be funny if it wasn’t so stupid.
Cornett, Bennett and others should be ashamed they’ve even asked. With thousands living in poverty, the economy struggling and our schools and infrastructure needing million of dollars in improvements, earmarking taxpayer money to help a millionaire support hisbasketball team is the last thing we should consider.
And it shows just how messed up our priorities are.
Wesselhoft back with more dog legislation
OKLAHOMA CITY — Despite two previous legislative setbacks, state Rep. Paul Wesselhoft confirmed this week he would again author legislation to prevent attacks by vicious dogs.
Wesselhoft’s previous bills — written in 2006 and 2007 — attempted to outlaw pit bull dogs, and would have allowed communities to outlaw dog breeds they considered a public health risk. Both bills were put down by legislative committees.
This year, the Moore Republican said, he plans to write a proposal which is “non-breed specific.”
“This bill is modeled after similar legislation which passed in Texas,” he said. “It passed their Legislature and was signed by the governor.”
In Texas, Wesselhoft said, lawmakers approved the legislation “because three or four adults were killed by pit bull attacks.”
“They had many maulings by pit bull, so they developed legislation which was non-breed specific.”
Wesselhoft said his new proposal could make a dog’s “first-bite” a felony.
“If a dog gets off its property and if that dog attacks someone and if that attack is serious — that is if a prudent person would seek medical help — then my legislation calls for making that attack a felony offense with a mandatory 20 days in jail,” he said.
Wesselhoft said a serious attack would include deep, penetrating wounds, torn muscles or a wound requiring sutures.
“My bill will make people hesitate when purchasing pit bulls because it would be a felony if the dog bit someone,” he said. “You will think twice before you buy.”
Should the bill become law, Wesselhoft said he hoped it would “dramatically” reduce the state’s pit bull population.
“It will make people think,” he said. “And I hope it will reduce the number of attacks.”
At least twice, since 2004, Wesselhoft has authored legislation to outlaw pit bulls. Both times his bills have failed to make it out of the House of Representatives.
His most recent proposal, HB 1082, would have allowed communities to outlaw dog breeds they considered a public health risk.
That bill, he said, was blocked last year by Tulsa Republican Sue Tibbs.
“I’m amazed I didn’t get it out of committee,” Wesselhoft said last May. “I am not presenting a bill that outlaws any particular breed of dog. But I’m trying to give that right to cities who have daily interaction with dog owners and victims of dog attacks.”
Across the state many dog owners lobbied against the proposal.
“Animals are like people; some are just bad, some are not,” Tibbs said. “But most are good-natured and take on the nature of their owner.”
Tibbs said Wesselhoft’s legislation wasn’t needed because the state, “already (had) laws on the books about vicious dogs.
And research has shown that allowing municipalities to decide issues such as this on their own, doesn’t work.”
Wesselhoft said he will introduce his bill when state lawmakers return to the Capitol in February for the 2008 legislative session.
Wesselhoft’s previous bills — written in 2006 and 2007 — attempted to outlaw pit bull dogs, and would have allowed communities to outlaw dog breeds they considered a public health risk. Both bills were put down by legislative committees.
This year, the Moore Republican said, he plans to write a proposal which is “non-breed specific.”
“This bill is modeled after similar legislation which passed in Texas,” he said. “It passed their Legislature and was signed by the governor.”
In Texas, Wesselhoft said, lawmakers approved the legislation “because three or four adults were killed by pit bull attacks.”
“They had many maulings by pit bull, so they developed legislation which was non-breed specific.”
Wesselhoft said his new proposal could make a dog’s “first-bite” a felony.
“If a dog gets off its property and if that dog attacks someone and if that attack is serious — that is if a prudent person would seek medical help — then my legislation calls for making that attack a felony offense with a mandatory 20 days in jail,” he said.
Wesselhoft said a serious attack would include deep, penetrating wounds, torn muscles or a wound requiring sutures.
“My bill will make people hesitate when purchasing pit bulls because it would be a felony if the dog bit someone,” he said. “You will think twice before you buy.”
Should the bill become law, Wesselhoft said he hoped it would “dramatically” reduce the state’s pit bull population.
“It will make people think,” he said. “And I hope it will reduce the number of attacks.”
At least twice, since 2004, Wesselhoft has authored legislation to outlaw pit bulls. Both times his bills have failed to make it out of the House of Representatives.
His most recent proposal, HB 1082, would have allowed communities to outlaw dog breeds they considered a public health risk.
That bill, he said, was blocked last year by Tulsa Republican Sue Tibbs.
“I’m amazed I didn’t get it out of committee,” Wesselhoft said last May. “I am not presenting a bill that outlaws any particular breed of dog. But I’m trying to give that right to cities who have daily interaction with dog owners and victims of dog attacks.”
Across the state many dog owners lobbied against the proposal.
“Animals are like people; some are just bad, some are not,” Tibbs said. “But most are good-natured and take on the nature of their owner.”
Tibbs said Wesselhoft’s legislation wasn’t needed because the state, “already (had) laws on the books about vicious dogs.
And research has shown that allowing municipalities to decide issues such as this on their own, doesn’t work.”
Wesselhoft said he will introduce his bill when state lawmakers return to the Capitol in February for the 2008 legislative session.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Lawmakers should be prudent with budget, taxes, Meacham says
State lawmakers should be conservative in their spending and in their plans to additionally reduce taxes, the state's top budget official said Sunday.
State Treasurer Scott Meacham -- who also serves as Gov. Brad Henry's cabinet secretary for revenue and finance -- urged lawmakers to hold the line on spending increases and new tax cuts during the upcoming legislative session until officials know how the latest round of tax reductions and spending will affect the state's revenue picture.
The Oklahoma Legislature reconvenes in February.
"Our rate of growth has slowed significantly," Meacham said. "And prudence dictates we don't make a lot more commitments; both on revenue reduction and expenditures in this environment."
Lawmakers, Meacham said, have passed major tax cuts and spending initiatives during the past few years and the effects of both just now are being felt.
"At this point, with state revenue slowing down and our spending commitments, we need to assess things. We just enacted the largest tax cuts in state history, we need to see how that will go."
Financial data seems to support Meacham.
November tax revenues, he said, showed "marginal improvement" from October, and failed to meet collections from the prior year.
Additionally, tax records show that net income tax and gross production collections failed to meet the estimate, while sales tax was equal to the estimate.
Preliminary reports indicate general revenue fund collections totaled $403.6 million for the month of November.
That amount, Meacham said, is $27.4 million -- almost 6.5 percent -- below the same month of the prior year and $11.4 million or 2.7 percent below the estimate for the same period.
"It would appear the growth of Oklahoma's economy has slowed," Meacham said in a recent media release. "Compared to the previous month, November's collections have improved -- but only slightly. We hope the (recent) ice storms won't significantly curtail retail spending in the coming days and weeks and our economy will pick up strength."
With the 2008 Legislative session only weeks away, Meacham said lawmakers should take a "conservative approach" with the state's budget.
"We need to be more conservative on both sides," he said. "We've just gone through the highest four years of growth in state history, we're spoiled a little bit."
Meacham's call is drawing support from both Democrats and Republicans.
Last fall, former Governor David Boren -- now the president of the University of Oklahoma -- urged legislators to put a moratorium on future tax cuts.
"I think we ought to have a moratorium on tax reductions right now," Boren, a Democrat, told the Associated Press in September of 2007. "I think we're bumping the limits and I think we certainly don't need to proceed down that path."
Since then, other lawmakers, including Moore Representative Paul Wesselhoft, have taken a "wait and see" attitude about addition revenue reduction.
"Don't get me wrong, I support tax cuts," Wesselhoft, a Republican said. "But I think we need to see what the effect of our recent cuts will be. We need to see the whole picture and what our needs are."
Advice that Meacham supports.
"I believe that soon, we're going to get to a point our rate of growth is not fast enough to keep up with our rate of spending," he said. "And when we hit the point were those two lines cross, we've gotta decide 'where am I gonna cut?' We could be making tough some tough decisions soon, as soon as two years."
State Treasurer Scott Meacham -- who also serves as Gov. Brad Henry's cabinet secretary for revenue and finance -- urged lawmakers to hold the line on spending increases and new tax cuts during the upcoming legislative session until officials know how the latest round of tax reductions and spending will affect the state's revenue picture.
The Oklahoma Legislature reconvenes in February.
"Our rate of growth has slowed significantly," Meacham said. "And prudence dictates we don't make a lot more commitments; both on revenue reduction and expenditures in this environment."
Lawmakers, Meacham said, have passed major tax cuts and spending initiatives during the past few years and the effects of both just now are being felt.
"At this point, with state revenue slowing down and our spending commitments, we need to assess things. We just enacted the largest tax cuts in state history, we need to see how that will go."
Financial data seems to support Meacham.
November tax revenues, he said, showed "marginal improvement" from October, and failed to meet collections from the prior year.
Additionally, tax records show that net income tax and gross production collections failed to meet the estimate, while sales tax was equal to the estimate.
Preliminary reports indicate general revenue fund collections totaled $403.6 million for the month of November.
That amount, Meacham said, is $27.4 million -- almost 6.5 percent -- below the same month of the prior year and $11.4 million or 2.7 percent below the estimate for the same period.
"It would appear the growth of Oklahoma's economy has slowed," Meacham said in a recent media release. "Compared to the previous month, November's collections have improved -- but only slightly. We hope the (recent) ice storms won't significantly curtail retail spending in the coming days and weeks and our economy will pick up strength."
With the 2008 Legislative session only weeks away, Meacham said lawmakers should take a "conservative approach" with the state's budget.
"We need to be more conservative on both sides," he said. "We've just gone through the highest four years of growth in state history, we're spoiled a little bit."
Meacham's call is drawing support from both Democrats and Republicans.
Last fall, former Governor David Boren -- now the president of the University of Oklahoma -- urged legislators to put a moratorium on future tax cuts.
"I think we ought to have a moratorium on tax reductions right now," Boren, a Democrat, told the Associated Press in September of 2007. "I think we're bumping the limits and I think we certainly don't need to proceed down that path."
Since then, other lawmakers, including Moore Representative Paul Wesselhoft, have taken a "wait and see" attitude about addition revenue reduction.
"Don't get me wrong, I support tax cuts," Wesselhoft, a Republican said. "But I think we need to see what the effect of our recent cuts will be. We need to see the whole picture and what our needs are."
Advice that Meacham supports.
"I believe that soon, we're going to get to a point our rate of growth is not fast enough to keep up with our rate of spending," he said. "And when we hit the point were those two lines cross, we've gotta decide 'where am I gonna cut?' We could be making tough some tough decisions soon, as soon as two years."
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Immigration, corrections and education will top 2008 Legislative session, county lawmakers say
OKLAHOMA CITY — Call it the problem of “what they need to be doing versus what they’ll get to do.”
With just over five weeks left before lawmakers return to the state capitol, the list of issues needing legislative action grows almost daily — education funding, teacher pay, health care, transportation, corrections and, of course, the budget all “desperately need attention.”
But many legislators — including some from Cleveland County — are concerned those issues will take a back seat to one which has dominated the state’s political landscape for more than a year: immigration.
And some worry the issue — like Frankenstein’s monster — just won’t go away.
With Moore Rep. Randy Terrill’s recent announcement that he plans to file the “son of” his previous immigration bill, House Bill 1804, some state lawmakers worry Terrill’s newest bill could divert attention from many other pressing issues.
“Immigration, it’s an issue that shouldn’t be No. 1, but it is,” said state Rep. Bill Nations, a Norman Democrat. “We ought to be talking about education and health care and other things, but Rep. Terrill has us talking about immigration.”
And that debate, Nations says, is a distraction.
“They should be dealing with it in Washington, D.C,” he said. “The bill that Randy wrote is causing economic hardships. It’s going to distract us from dealing with more important things. But you can rest assured there will be a lot of press and immigration will be a front page issue.”
Instead, Nations said, lawmakers should be working on issues such as health care.
“We need to look at some type of universal health care for children,” he said. “I don’t know if we are where it can happen, but there is a moral obligation to see if we can cover all the children in Oklahoma.”
And while Nations says lawmakers and policy experts haven’t solved the health care problem yet, he believes there is hope.
“State Insurance Commissioner (Kim) Holland’s task force isn’t quite finished with its study,” he said. “She and I have talked and I may be pushing their timing, but I believe there is a need to keep the conversation in people’s mind. We have a need and responsibility to do that.”
But health care isn’t Nations’ only concern.
A slow down in growth has the five-term Representative cautious.
“Our budget will be fairly quiet,” he said. “It’s not so bad a revenue picture that we’ll have to make drastic cuts.”
That is, cuts in spending or cuts in the tax rate.
“I certainly hope we don’t try any more tax cuts,” he said. “I agree with (OU President) Boren and the State Chamber of Commerce. We can’t afford any more tax cuts at this point. We already have incredibly low taxes and, by any way you want to slice it, we need to hold off on any future ones.”
An idea that some of Nation’s more conservative colleagues support.
“I think we’ll probably have to assess our situation,” said Moore Republican Paul Wesselhoft. “We don’t know how important additional tax cuts will be until we can see what our needs are and know how much money is available.”
Wesselhoft, who says “he’s not against tax cuts” said lawmakers should “exercise some caution” with future reductions in state revenue. “I read what President Boren had to say,” he said. “You’ve got to see the whole picture and see what the needs are.”
For Wesselhoft, those needs include repairing the state’s ailing roads and bridges and reducing the number of inmates in the state’s corrections system.
“The most important issues are roads and bridges and the corrections system,” he said. “We’re going to have a tighter budget than we did last year and getting our roads and bridges repaired and answering the problems with the corrections department, those issues should be our focus.”
To do that, Wesselhoft said he wants to earmark all the state’s growth revenue — about $32 million — for road and bridge repair.
“That means it won’t go to teaches salaries,” he said. “But infrastructure is not a sexy topic. It doesn’t lend itself to political rhetoric and gamesmanship. It’s not a ribbon cutting kind of policy.”
The state’s bridges, he said, are crumbling.
“Chunks are falling through windows and killing our citizens. That should send a chilling message to lawmakers. It’s a concrete example of why we should invest in infrastructure.”
Wesselhoft also wants to reduce the number of inmates in state prisons by expanding the use of community based sentencing programs, alternative forms of incarceration and drug courts.
“We have an overcrowded prison system,” he said. “We need to give more thought to putting those incarcerated for drugs into different programs. We are going to have to develop an alternative system, such as community sentencing for these people.”
State Sen. John Sparks, a Democrat, agreed.
“We should look at the reasons for incarceration,” he said. “We should decide if we can use alternative sentencing more.”
The issue, Sparks said, comes down to money. “Without over simplifying the deal it comes down to this: How much do we want to pay to keep people in jail?”
Sparks says he would rather earmark state revenue for education.
“We need to get a handle on our higher education system,” he said. “I think everyone would agree that higher education benefits the state. The numbers don’t lie. If you don’t have a healthy, well educated work force, economic development isn’t going to happen.”
Sparks said the state “needs to step up” and make higher education a priority. “It’s important to understand, this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. It’s a commitment, a long term commitment. We’re not going to fix the problem in one year. It’s going to be an ‘every year’ issue that is going to take an ‘every year’ commitment.”
For state Rep. Scott Martin, a Norman Republican, the focus will be on transportation issues.
“We’re going to look at removing the trigger and the cap on transportation spending,” he said. “So I’m sure that will be something that’s heavily debated and discussed.”
Two years ago, Martin said lawmakers passed legislation which had a 3 percent growth trigger. “If growth hit 3 percent, there would be additional funding to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation,” he said. “If it didn’t there would be extra funding, but not as much.”
And while growth didn’t reach the 3 percent threshold during last year’s legislative session, Martin said it hit the mark after the session, but lawmakers “weren’t able to go back and appropriate additional funds for roads and bridges.”
“I’d like to review that,” he said, adding that he also wants to reapportion fuel taxes which should be going for transportation issues but currently are not.
Like Martin, state Rep. Wallace Collins agrees that lawmakers should focus on transportation. But unlike Martin, Collins, a Democrat from Norman, said that discussion will probably be on light rail.
“We should be looking at transportation issues,” he said. “And we’ll probably be dealing with rail, it will get some attention. But I don’t think ethanol as an alternative fuel is going to solve much of anything. I think it’s a distraction.”
Education and mental health, he said, along with the state’s prison system and pay raises for state employees “all need to be dealt with.”
“It’s vital that we deal with them,” Collins said. “I just hope we won’t get bogged down with immigration and more tax cuts.”
Editor’s note: Despite repeated attempts, State Rep. Randy Terrill, Sen. Jonathan Nichols or Sen. Anthony Sykes could not be reached for this story.
With just over five weeks left before lawmakers return to the state capitol, the list of issues needing legislative action grows almost daily — education funding, teacher pay, health care, transportation, corrections and, of course, the budget all “desperately need attention.”
But many legislators — including some from Cleveland County — are concerned those issues will take a back seat to one which has dominated the state’s political landscape for more than a year: immigration.
And some worry the issue — like Frankenstein’s monster — just won’t go away.
With Moore Rep. Randy Terrill’s recent announcement that he plans to file the “son of” his previous immigration bill, House Bill 1804, some state lawmakers worry Terrill’s newest bill could divert attention from many other pressing issues.
“Immigration, it’s an issue that shouldn’t be No. 1, but it is,” said state Rep. Bill Nations, a Norman Democrat. “We ought to be talking about education and health care and other things, but Rep. Terrill has us talking about immigration.”
And that debate, Nations says, is a distraction.
“They should be dealing with it in Washington, D.C,” he said. “The bill that Randy wrote is causing economic hardships. It’s going to distract us from dealing with more important things. But you can rest assured there will be a lot of press and immigration will be a front page issue.”
Instead, Nations said, lawmakers should be working on issues such as health care.
“We need to look at some type of universal health care for children,” he said. “I don’t know if we are where it can happen, but there is a moral obligation to see if we can cover all the children in Oklahoma.”
And while Nations says lawmakers and policy experts haven’t solved the health care problem yet, he believes there is hope.
“State Insurance Commissioner (Kim) Holland’s task force isn’t quite finished with its study,” he said. “She and I have talked and I may be pushing their timing, but I believe there is a need to keep the conversation in people’s mind. We have a need and responsibility to do that.”
But health care isn’t Nations’ only concern.
A slow down in growth has the five-term Representative cautious.
“Our budget will be fairly quiet,” he said. “It’s not so bad a revenue picture that we’ll have to make drastic cuts.”
That is, cuts in spending or cuts in the tax rate.
“I certainly hope we don’t try any more tax cuts,” he said. “I agree with (OU President) Boren and the State Chamber of Commerce. We can’t afford any more tax cuts at this point. We already have incredibly low taxes and, by any way you want to slice it, we need to hold off on any future ones.”
An idea that some of Nation’s more conservative colleagues support.
“I think we’ll probably have to assess our situation,” said Moore Republican Paul Wesselhoft. “We don’t know how important additional tax cuts will be until we can see what our needs are and know how much money is available.”
Wesselhoft, who says “he’s not against tax cuts” said lawmakers should “exercise some caution” with future reductions in state revenue. “I read what President Boren had to say,” he said. “You’ve got to see the whole picture and see what the needs are.”
For Wesselhoft, those needs include repairing the state’s ailing roads and bridges and reducing the number of inmates in the state’s corrections system.
“The most important issues are roads and bridges and the corrections system,” he said. “We’re going to have a tighter budget than we did last year and getting our roads and bridges repaired and answering the problems with the corrections department, those issues should be our focus.”
To do that, Wesselhoft said he wants to earmark all the state’s growth revenue — about $32 million — for road and bridge repair.
“That means it won’t go to teaches salaries,” he said. “But infrastructure is not a sexy topic. It doesn’t lend itself to political rhetoric and gamesmanship. It’s not a ribbon cutting kind of policy.”
The state’s bridges, he said, are crumbling.
“Chunks are falling through windows and killing our citizens. That should send a chilling message to lawmakers. It’s a concrete example of why we should invest in infrastructure.”
Wesselhoft also wants to reduce the number of inmates in state prisons by expanding the use of community based sentencing programs, alternative forms of incarceration and drug courts.
“We have an overcrowded prison system,” he said. “We need to give more thought to putting those incarcerated for drugs into different programs. We are going to have to develop an alternative system, such as community sentencing for these people.”
State Sen. John Sparks, a Democrat, agreed.
“We should look at the reasons for incarceration,” he said. “We should decide if we can use alternative sentencing more.”
The issue, Sparks said, comes down to money. “Without over simplifying the deal it comes down to this: How much do we want to pay to keep people in jail?”
Sparks says he would rather earmark state revenue for education.
“We need to get a handle on our higher education system,” he said. “I think everyone would agree that higher education benefits the state. The numbers don’t lie. If you don’t have a healthy, well educated work force, economic development isn’t going to happen.”
Sparks said the state “needs to step up” and make higher education a priority. “It’s important to understand, this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon. It’s a commitment, a long term commitment. We’re not going to fix the problem in one year. It’s going to be an ‘every year’ issue that is going to take an ‘every year’ commitment.”
For state Rep. Scott Martin, a Norman Republican, the focus will be on transportation issues.
“We’re going to look at removing the trigger and the cap on transportation spending,” he said. “So I’m sure that will be something that’s heavily debated and discussed.”
Two years ago, Martin said lawmakers passed legislation which had a 3 percent growth trigger. “If growth hit 3 percent, there would be additional funding to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation,” he said. “If it didn’t there would be extra funding, but not as much.”
And while growth didn’t reach the 3 percent threshold during last year’s legislative session, Martin said it hit the mark after the session, but lawmakers “weren’t able to go back and appropriate additional funds for roads and bridges.”
“I’d like to review that,” he said, adding that he also wants to reapportion fuel taxes which should be going for transportation issues but currently are not.
Like Martin, state Rep. Wallace Collins agrees that lawmakers should focus on transportation. But unlike Martin, Collins, a Democrat from Norman, said that discussion will probably be on light rail.
“We should be looking at transportation issues,” he said. “And we’ll probably be dealing with rail, it will get some attention. But I don’t think ethanol as an alternative fuel is going to solve much of anything. I think it’s a distraction.”
Education and mental health, he said, along with the state’s prison system and pay raises for state employees “all need to be dealt with.”
“It’s vital that we deal with them,” Collins said. “I just hope we won’t get bogged down with immigration and more tax cuts.”
Editor’s note: Despite repeated attempts, State Rep. Randy Terrill, Sen. Jonathan Nichols or Sen. Anthony Sykes could not be reached for this story.
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