OK Senate approves redistricting bills

The full Senate has approved two redistricting measures. House Bill 2145 will provide for new district lines for the State House of Representatives. That measure now returns to the House for further consideration. The Senate also voted on Tuesday in favor of House Bill 1527, redrawing the boundaries for Oklahoma’s five congressional districts. That measure is now headed to Gov. Mary Fallin for her approval.

Oklahoma is required to redraw legislative and congressional district lines every ten years to reflect population changes determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. In the last ten years, the state’s population increased by 8.71 percent. The 2000 Census recorded Oklahoma’s population at 3,450,654. In 2010, it was 3,751,351.

Sen. Eddie Fields, R-Wynona, and Sen. Kim David, R-Wagoner, serve as the Congressional Redistricting Chair and Vice-Chair.

“The goal is to ensure equal representation for all citizens in every part of the state, which means dividing the population equally among the districts,” Fields said. “We were able to give Districts 1 through 4 the exact same number of citizens, with just one additional person for District 5.

Under HB 1527, Oklahoma Congressional Districts 1 through 4 will each have 750,250. District 5 will have 750,251.

“That’s remarkably close to an exact division of population, and all of Oklahoma’s congressional members support the final maps,” David said.

Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, and Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward, are Co-Chairs of the Senate Committee on Redistricting. Jolley said while there is additional work to be done by the House and Senate on their redistricting, he’s very pleased with how the congressional redistricting process has gone.

“I attribute that to our Senate staff. Their experience and knowledge is second to none, and they’ve simply done an excellent job,” Jolley said. “I also want to thank Senator Fields and Senator David for their hard work as well as Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman for his outstanding leadership.”

“Oklahoma’s population has grown by just over 300,000 people, an increase of 8.71 percent over ten years,” Marlatt said. “Our members, staff and leadership have done an excellent job with the 2011 redistricting, and I’m very gratified the congressional redistricting bill is headed to the governor.”

Members of Oklahoma’s congressional delegation were also pleased with the redistricting process.

“The Oklahoma Senate Redistricting Committee has done painstaking work in drawing out the most fair, logical and current boundaries,” said Congressman John Sullivan, OK-1. “They should be commended for their work. These lines meet the population requirements down to the household, and I believe everyone is pleased with the outcome of this lengthy process.”

Congressman Dan Boren, OK-2, said the redistricting process had been fair and without controversy.

“The state's Congressional delegation lead by Congressman Frank Lucas and the leadership of the State Legislature have worked together throughout the entire process in a bipartisan way. I am extremely excited about the possibility of representing Marshall County in Congress. I spent quite a bit of my early childhood on Lake Texoma, my grandmother Oteka was born in Lebanon, and my late mother Janna grew up in Madill. I would also like to welcome the constituents in the western part of Rogers County to the district. It has been a very rewarding experience representing portions of Rogers County since I was elected in 2004, and I fought hard throughout the redistricting process to make sure it remained a part of the district. I look forward to representing the views and wishes of the voters in both these areas as fervently as I do all of my constituents in eastern Oklahoma. I encourage the people living in Murray County and western Rogers County to contact my office should they need assistance with a federal agency, or if they have a question about legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives.”

“I congratulate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman and members of the State Senate today on passing congressional redistricting legislation,” said Congressman Frank Lucas, OK-3. “The distinguished efforts of Redistricting Co-Chairs Senators Clark Jolley and Bryce Marlatt have produced a map that ensures that the common interests of our communities will continue to be well represented. I would also like to commend Senator Eddie Fields and Senator Kim David for their work on the congressional redistricting. The committee's ability to redraw lines that assembled broad support is a testament to their professionalism.”

Congressman Tom Cole, OK-4, also praised how well the 2011 redistricting work had gone.

"This has been one of the smoothest redistricting processes in recent memory. House and Senate leaders have demonstrated great leadership and cooperation in ensuring a bipartisan, transparent and fair process,” Cole said. “Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, and Senators Clark Jolley and Bryce Marlatt should be commended for their hard work in guiding the plan through the Senate."

“While the redistricting process is often an acrimonious process, and has been in many other states this year, the process of drawing Congressional districts in Oklahoma was very smooth and equitable. Oklahoma redistricting resulted in fair districts which will serve the citizens of our state well for the next ten years,” said Congressman James Lankford, OK-5. “I commend Redistricting Co-Chairs, Senators Clark Jolley and Bryce Marlatt, Senators Kim David and Eddie Fields, as well as Senate staff for their good work and open communications during this process. I look forward to serving the wonderful people of Pottawatomie County, Seminole County, and most of Oklahoma County.”

OK Governor Approves Bill CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXPENDITURES REPORT

On May 2 2011 Mary Fallin, Oklahoma Governor passed HB1776 which  requires candidates for state office, candidates for municipal office in a municipality of over 250,000 persons and candidates for county office in a county of over 250,000 persons that are allowed to receive the maximum campaign contribution of $5,000 to file a contribution report with the Ethics Commission.  The measure directs the Commission to make such reports available online.  The PCS also imposes the reporting requirement on county, municipal, and school district elections.

the report will include The carryover from a previous campaign or cumulative period. Also the grand total of contributions from the last campaign contributions and expenditures report unless beginning a new campaign or cumulative period.

The specific identification of each contributor who gives a contribution which exceeds Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00), including:

a.            the date the contribution is accepted,

b.            the contributor's address, and

c.             a specific description of the contribution;

The aggregate value of all contributions received from each such contributor during the campaign for candidates and candidate committees or during the current calendar year for other committees and the aggregate total of all contributions in the amount of Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) or less, the total sum of all contributions during the current reporting period, the grand total of all contributions for the campaign or cumulative period to date, the grand total of expenditures from the last campaign contributions and expenditures report, unless beginning a new campaign or cumulative period, and all campaign expenditures in detail by categories or objects of expenditure. Also the total of all expenditures during the current reporting period and the grand total of all expenditures for the campaign or cumulative period to date will be reported.

These reports shall be certified by the candidate, the principal officer of the committee, or the designated agent.  No fictitious names shall be used on the reports.  The reports shall show the correct name of the person actually making the contribution.

New OK Law Amends the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act

Another bill passed by the Governor Fallin of Oklahoma amends 63 O.S. 2001, Section 2-509.

HB1798 creates a new felony for converting marihuana into hashish.  The penalty for a first conviction is a $50,000 fine and imprisonment for 2 years to life.  The penalties for a second or subsequent offense is double that of a first offense.

“It shall be unlawful for any person to cultivate or produce, or to knowingly permit the cultivation, production, or wild growing of any species of such plants, on any lands owned or controlled by such person, and it is hereby declared the duty of every such person to destroy all such plants found growing on lands owned or controlled by him.

Whenever any peace officer of the state shall receive information that any species of any such plants has been found growing on any private lands in the State of Oklahoma, he shall notify the sheriff and county commissioners of the county wherein such plants are found growing.  Within five days of receipt of notice, the county commissioners shall notify the owner or person in possession of such lands that such plants have been found growing on the said lands and that the same must be destroyed or eradicated within fifteen days.  When the fifteen days have elapsed, the reporting peace officer shall cause an investigation to be made of the aforesaid lands, and if any such plants be found growing thereon, the commissioners shall cause the same to be destroyed or eradicated by either cutting and burning or by applications of herbicides approved for such purpose by the Department of Agriculture in accordance with Section 2-505 of this title.

Whenever any such plants are destroyed or eradicated by order of the commissioners as provided herein, the cost of the same shall, if the work or labor be furnished by the commissioners, be taxed against the lands where on the work was performed, and shall be a lien upon such land in all manner and respects as a lien of judgment, if the owner is charged with a violation.

Knowingly violating the provisions of subsection B or subsection H of this section is hereby declared, as to the owner, or person in possession of such lands, to be a felony and punishable as such by a fine not to exceed $50,000.00 and imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than two years nor more than life. Any subsequent offences will receive double the time in prison and double the fines. Any sentence shall not be subject to statutory provisions for suspended sentences, deferred sentences, or probation, except when the conviction is for a first offense.”

The amendatory language adds it shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture or attempt to manufacture any controlled dangerous substance by cooking, burning, or extracting and converting or attempting to extract and convert marihuana or marihuana oil into hashish, hashish oil or hashish powder.  

Bills ending social promotion and creating report card for schools head to Governor Fallin

Two key education reforms are just one step away from becoming law. Senate Bill 346, which received final Senate approval on Monday, would end social promotion. The House gave final approval to House Bill 1456, which would create a report card for public schools. Sen. Clark Jolley is principal Senate author of both measures.

“It comes down to the simple question of whether we want Oklahoma’s children to succeed. The current system has allowed far too many students to slip through the cracks,” said Jolley, R-Edmond. “Unless we want to keep repeating the same mistakes, it is time to try a new approach.”

SB 346 would target children unable to read at grade level.

“This is about doing everything we can to make sure the child is prepared to learn by being able to read. As a last resort, they will be retained in order to get the extra time and help they need to master that fundamental skill,” Jolley said.

HB 1456 would create a grading system for schools, rating them with letter grades so that parents and patrons can easily see how their local schools are performing.

“I want to thank my colleagues in the House and Senate for supporting these important reforms,” Jolley said. “It means more children will be able to succeed in school, in college and in life—and that means a better future for our entire state.”

SB 346 and HB 1456 now await Gov. Mary Fallin’s approval.

Senate amendments to House Bill 1456 removes language that would have allowed a school district receiving a grade of A or that improved at least two grade levels to have greater authority over the allocation of the total budget of the school and would have required districts to adopt site-based budgeting for all schools. The amendments require that the grades of schools be based 33 percent upon test scores, 17 percent learning gains in reading and mathematics, 17 percent on improvement of the lowest 25th percentile of students in the school in reading and mathematics on criterion-referenced tests and end-of-instruction tests and 33 percent on whole school improvement. For middle school grades and elementary school grades, total school improvement will be based upon the drop-out rate, the percentage of students taking higher level coursework at a satisfactory or higher level and any other factors selected by the superintendent of public instruction.

AZ Governor Brewer signs bill that starts border fence construction

Phoenix, AZ--Governor Brewer has signed SB 1406 into law. Sponsored by Republican Senator Steve Smith, SB 1406 allows for the construction and maintenance of a fence along the Arizona-Mexico border. The legislation provides for an interstate compact, which will allow the Governor to work with other states to build and manage the fence. Additionally, inmate labor, at 50 cents/hour, will be used to construct the fence.

SB 1406 is a major new step in enforcing and ensuring border security. “The federal government has put states like Arizona on the back-burner for far too long, making flawed claims that the border has never been more secure,” says Sen. Smith. “Many in my district have seen the terrors of drug cartels, gang activity, death, and destruction of the land firsthand.”

With the Governor’s signature, Arizona will now be able to work with other states to build a fence that will significantly reduce the infiltration of illegal immigrants unlawfully crossing the border on a daily basis.

“For proof that a well-built fence really works, all you need to do is look at the progress in Yuma County ,” says Sen. Smith.  In 2006, Yuma built a triple-layered wall, standing 20 feet high and reinforced by cement-filled steel piping, steel mesh, and wire.

Wednesday, at a meeting of the Joint Border Security Advisory Committee, Yuma County Chief Deputy Leon Wilmot noted that before the wall was built, he responded to reports of robberies, smuggling, rapes, and killings on a daily basis. Since its construction, he relished in the fact that such reports now are almost non-existent.

Now, border counties will be able to see the same type of progress experienced in Yuma . A website will be launched and maintained by the Joint Border Security Committee, and through this website people can make donations that will go toward the construction of this fence. Its construction will be privately funded, utilizing the services of volunteers and inmate labor. According to Department of Corrections Director Charles Ryan, there are currently about 6,000 prison inmates available and qualified for this kind of work.

Alternative Fuels Tax Reduction Act Becomes Law

A new law passed by Governor Fallin today (May 3, 2011), HB1815, reduces the levy of motor fuel taxation for compressed natural gas from sixteen cents ($0.16) per gallon or gasoline gallon equivalent to thirteen cents ($0.13) per gallon but to have a rate of tax imposed at five cents ($0.05) per gasoline gallon equivalent for a period of time sufficient to allow for the development of compressed natural gas distribution systems.  The bill defines “compressed natural gas” as a volume of natural gas consisting primarily of methane which has been reduced to approximately one percent (1%) of its original volume for purposes of storage and for use as a fuel in motor vehicles.  The bill further provides for apportionment of revenue created by the levy on compressed natural gas and would require a fuel vendor license.  The bill would further modify the definition of “special fuel” to exclude compressed natural gas for purpose of levying the special fuel tax of $100.00 per year.

The CS for HB 1815 removes CNG from the special fuels list and the flat decal fee, levies a $0.05 per gasoline gallon equivalent (gge) and provides for revenue apportionment to that of the gasoline excise tax through tax year 2014 (the data at which a clean burning fuel income tax credit expires) at which time the levy is increased to tax rate for gasoline on a gge basis.

Special fuel decal fee revenue is deposited in the General Revenue Fund, while the apportionment of the per gge levy will include fractional apportionment to the State Transportation Fund, public transit and passenger rail funds and local governments. The Tax Commission estimates taxable volume of CNG of two million gge in FY-12. The Commission is preparing a comparison of decal revenue to that of the levy included in the measure.

At the time the tax rate becomes the equivalent of the of the excise tax on gasoline, the revenue which may be collected on the levy will depend on the volume of taxable gge sold at that time.

The Legislature states that it would promote the development of desirable alternative energy sources to modify the existing taxation scheme for compressed natural gas by lowering the nominal rate of motor fuel taxation for compressed natural gas.

Why the Ron Paul Presidential Run Will Be A MUCH Bigger Deal This Time Around

It’s just obvious that in the last four years, since the last time Ron Paul ran for President, the ideological center of gravity in the GOP — and the whole country for that matter — has shifted a lot closer to Ron Paul’s position.

In 2008, Paul ran a cult campaign as a libertarian, anti-Fed, anti-war Republican.

At the time, nobody in the GOP really cared about the Fed, and for the most part, Bush’s wars enjoyed broad support.

Today they’re Obama’s wars, and the Fed is one of the most disliked institutions around, taking daily abuse even from mainstream outlets like CNBC.

It’s inconceivable to think that in the GOP primary, candidates won’t be asked for their position on Bernanke, quantitative easing, the role of the dollar, and of all the candidates, only Ron Paul has made a career on all these issues. In fact, after decades fighting his fight, he must be somewhat shocked that in just the last few years, his ideology has become so popular (or maybe he’s shocked that it took so long).

In 2008, the GOP primary was dominated by serious candidates like Mitt Romney and John McCain and Fred Thompson and even Rudy Giuliani. They were content to basically ignore what Ron Paul had to say. This time, they’ll be fighting on his turf.

http://www.ronpaul2012.com/