This year’s legislative session has passed its midpoint and in just a few weeks Oklahomans will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as the Legislature stops making new laws, adjourns, and goes home. What follows is an update of some of this year’s significant legislative proposals.
State Reprenstative Jason Murphey
Who can forget the controversial national popular vote proposal which would have forced Oklahoma’s presidential electors to vote for the presidential candidate who received the most votes nationwide? If approved, the legislation would have made Oklahoma the first “red” state to sign onto the initiative.
The bill was approved by the Senate early in the year and sent to the House of Representatives for its approval. The group advocating for the bill offered various travel junkets to legislators, including a proposed trip to St. Croix which would have been provided to members of the House just days before they voted on the bill. In order to continue its progress, the bill needed to be heard in a House committee last week. It was not heard and appears to have expired. After the word got out about the St. Croix trip, it was unceremoniously canceled.
I received many responses to the article about the proposed $30 million expenditure for the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum in Oklahoma City. Many of those who responded were extremely passionate in opposition to the proposal. This proposal remains alive for the time being as it has been approved by Senate and House committees. However, there are many in the House who are passionately opposed to the idea. Over 30 House Republicans, including myself, have signed a petition in opposition.
I have written about the proposal to undo our very important reform of Oklahoma’s construction purchasing laws. Our reform was approved last year and attempts to stop the practice of “sole specing” which occurs when government agencies draw up construction contract specifications so tightly that only one provider can be awarded the contract. This results in higher than market costs and punishes taxpayers. Last year, we had to work very hard to preserve this reform, and those who would undo our work are trying again this year. I will say that the authors of the bill who would reverse the reform have been very accommodating to my suggestions and I very much hope the reform will stay in place. For the time being, however, their bill remains alive.
A few days ago, a Senate committee made headlines by approving a bill that would take money away from transportation funding. For several years now, I have written of our ongoing effort to ensure that transportation funding increases will catch up with the need to replace dilapidated bridges and state roads. This effort has been a priority since 2005, and the Senate committees’ vote reflected a frightening and unprecedented departure from our effort. Fortunately, I don’t expect the proposal to advance any farther but must say it was shocking that it received committee approval.
Of course, there are many more initiatives that are ongoing. Please never hesitate to let me know if you want to know the status and additional details about a bill which interests you. Just send me the bill number. I can be reached by email at [email protected].
Thank you for reading this article. Your interest and input are much appreciated. Please do not hesitate to email [email protected] with your thoughts and suggestions.
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