Monday on the House Floor we spent the entire morning debating HB 2388 by Rep. Guy Liebman. The measure is a classic example of an idea that went viral. What started out as one of those funny emails that said “why should I have to take a drug test to earn money at my job and people don’t have to take a drug test to get welfare?” That simple statement was emailed and facebooked across the nation and it has kind of grown it’s own legs because now it’s a good possibility that it may become law. The democrat amendment to the bill was also a classic “gotcha” move which said that all candidates for state and local office would have to take a drug test, which nobody seemed to mind. It was an interesting discussion. The bill passed 82-6 and is now on its way to the Senate. Some other issues that have been discussed in the House of Representatives this week include:
House Votes to Fund Bridge Repair, Increase Safety.
State lawmakers have voted to dramatically reduce the backlog of bridges needing repair or replacement in Oklahoma.
House Bill 2248 would increase road funding in the coming fiscal year. Current law calls for an annual increase of $37.5 million in road funding. House Bill 2248 would hike that amount to $56.7 million, directing an additional $19.2 million to the Rebuilding Oklahoma Access and Driver Safety Fund.
The bill directs that the fund continue receiving an additional $56.7 million each year until the total increase equals $550 million.
House Bill 2249 would direct 16 percent of vehicle licensing fees and penalties to the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges Fund, and increases that amount to 20 percent by 2013.
The CIRB program is currently funded with 15 percent of the motor vehicle taxes and fees. House Bill 2249 would increase the estimated annual funding for the CIRB program from approximately $80 million to more than $105 million.
Currently, 706 of nearly 6,800 bridges on the state highway system are identified as structurally deficient. Of the 706 bridges, 413 are currently scheduled to be replaced in the next seven years, but 293 remain unfunded. Many of those bridges will be replaced if House Bill 2249 becomes law.
The two bills are part of Gov. Mary Fallin’s announced transportation agenda for the 2012 session.
House Bill 2248 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on an 86-2 vote.
House Bill 2249 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on an 89-1 vote.
Both bills now proceed to the state Senate.
House Approves Law Enforcement Pension Reforms.
Lawmakers have voted to put the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System on a path to long-term stability.
House Bill 2952 increases both the state and employee contributions to the OLERS plan by 1 percentage point apiece. The combined impact of those changes will provide an extra $1.42 million to the system annually.
OLERS employee contributions, as well as the employer contributions, have not been increased since the early 1980s.
The legislation also eliminates “half-based pay” for new employees. That practice allows a retiring member to use a higher base salary when calculating the final retirement benefits. Moreover, pay raises authorized for active members automatically produce a COLA of half the amount for retirees. As a result, “half-based pay” produces a special benefit unique and more generous than what occurs in all other systems.
Under House Bill 2952, benefits for all new members of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System will be calculated using the same formula as members of other state pension plans: years of service, actual pay and the pre-determined multiplier.
As recently as 2001, the OLERS system was more than 100-percent funded. However, since that time its financial status has continually deteriorated.
Currently, the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System is 75-percent funded, and its financial standing is expected to continue to decline if no changes are made. Under House Bill 2952, the system will be 96-percent funded within 30 years.
House Bill 2952 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on an 84-3 vote. It now proceeds to the state Senate.
Open Carry Bill Gains House Approval.
Oklahomans may soon have the right to openly carry a firearm under legislation approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
House Bill 2522 would allow any individual who obtains a license to carry a firearm under the Oklahoma Self Defense Act to carry the weapon either openly or concealed.
Under the bill, the lawful open carrying of a handgun pursuant to the Oklahoma Self Defense Act could not be designated by any municipality or other political subdivision as disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace or a similar offense against public order.
House Bill 2522 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on an 85-9 vote and now proceeds to the state Senate.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
If you don’t like how things are done, change it. You’re not a tree.-Jim Rohn
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Smart on Crime, Not Soft on Crime
It’s no secret that keeping bad people off our streets is expensive. For generations there was a fear by legislators that anything other than status quo would be perceived as soft on crime. Finally a plan was devised that would arm law enforcement with real tools that help them do their job and hopefully at the same time reduce costs of incarcerations.
Oklahoma’s statewide public safety plan to step up crime fighting activities by local police and require post-release supervision of all felons has received widespread support from state leaders and top local law enforcement officials.
Police chiefs, sheriffs, correctional officers and other stakeholders from across Oklahoma offered their support for House Bill 3052 at a Capitol event this week.
The state District Attorneys Association on Monday formally endorsed the legislation, writing in a letter to legislators that “HB 3052 offers a net benefit to our state, and this Association supports its passage.”
House Bill 3052 establishes a grant program to fund crime reduction initiatives by local law enforcement agencies, requires strict post-release supervision of all felons, and initiates a series of other strategic reforms designed to control prison growth in order to implement strategies proven to increase public safety.
The legislation is based on the recommendations of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), which found that Oklahoma has experienced a 30-percent increase in prison spending over the past decade but essentially no decrease in statewide violent crime. During that same time, the number of per capita police officers declined while the number of felons released from prison unsupervised increased.
House Bill 3052’s grant program seeks to reduce violent crime statewide by 10 percent in five years by allowing local law enforcement agencies to apply for funds for crime fighting initiatives in high-crime areas. The recommended grant program would send $40 million to local law enforcement agencies over the next ten years.
House Bill 3052 also requires at least nine months of post-release supervision for any felon who leaves prison. Oklahoma has no such requirement currently and as a result, 51 percent of felons who leave prison do so without any supervision. A majority of felons who offend again do so within their first year of release from prison.
House Bill 3052 would also impose faster, stricter sanctions on felons who commit technical violations of their probation programs. Technical violations are violations of the terms and conditions of probation, such as curfew violations, positive drug tests, failure to attend treatment or other issues. Upon a first-time technical violation, an offender would immediately be sent to an intermediate revocation facility where they would undergo extensive treatment programs for six months in order to address substance abuse and behavioral issues. Offenders who have shown a propensity for violence would go to prison rather than an intermediate revocation facility.
House Bill 3052 also has provisions that would help correctional officers by reducing unruly inmate behavior in prisons. In addition to requiring at least nine months of post-release supervision of all felons, the bill would allow credits earned for good behavior to be applied only after certain offenders serve 85 percent of their sentence. The bill does not change 85 percent crime sentences.
Gov. Mary Fallin requested more funding for mental health beds in her executive budget, which mirrors a recommendation in the JRI report to increase mental health services as a way to support law enforcement. A current shortage of mental health beds is forcing police officers to drive mental health patients to available beds hundreds of miles away.
During this year’s appropriations process, legislative leaders plan to pursue funding for additional mental health beds and startup dollars for the law enforcement grant program, as well as other components of House Bill 3052.
House Bill 3052 gained approval in the House Appropriations and Budget Committee this week and now goes to the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
No man suffers injustice without learning, vaguely but surely, what justice is. ~Isaac Rosenfeld
Oklahoma’s statewide public safety plan to step up crime fighting activities by local police and require post-release supervision of all felons has received widespread support from state leaders and top local law enforcement officials.
Police chiefs, sheriffs, correctional officers and other stakeholders from across Oklahoma offered their support for House Bill 3052 at a Capitol event this week.
The state District Attorneys Association on Monday formally endorsed the legislation, writing in a letter to legislators that “HB 3052 offers a net benefit to our state, and this Association supports its passage.”
House Bill 3052 establishes a grant program to fund crime reduction initiatives by local law enforcement agencies, requires strict post-release supervision of all felons, and initiates a series of other strategic reforms designed to control prison growth in order to implement strategies proven to increase public safety.
The legislation is based on the recommendations of the Justice Reinvestment Initiative (JRI), which found that Oklahoma has experienced a 30-percent increase in prison spending over the past decade but essentially no decrease in statewide violent crime. During that same time, the number of per capita police officers declined while the number of felons released from prison unsupervised increased.
House Bill 3052’s grant program seeks to reduce violent crime statewide by 10 percent in five years by allowing local law enforcement agencies to apply for funds for crime fighting initiatives in high-crime areas. The recommended grant program would send $40 million to local law enforcement agencies over the next ten years.
House Bill 3052 also requires at least nine months of post-release supervision for any felon who leaves prison. Oklahoma has no such requirement currently and as a result, 51 percent of felons who leave prison do so without any supervision. A majority of felons who offend again do so within their first year of release from prison.
House Bill 3052 would also impose faster, stricter sanctions on felons who commit technical violations of their probation programs. Technical violations are violations of the terms and conditions of probation, such as curfew violations, positive drug tests, failure to attend treatment or other issues. Upon a first-time technical violation, an offender would immediately be sent to an intermediate revocation facility where they would undergo extensive treatment programs for six months in order to address substance abuse and behavioral issues. Offenders who have shown a propensity for violence would go to prison rather than an intermediate revocation facility.
House Bill 3052 also has provisions that would help correctional officers by reducing unruly inmate behavior in prisons. In addition to requiring at least nine months of post-release supervision of all felons, the bill would allow credits earned for good behavior to be applied only after certain offenders serve 85 percent of their sentence. The bill does not change 85 percent crime sentences.
Gov. Mary Fallin requested more funding for mental health beds in her executive budget, which mirrors a recommendation in the JRI report to increase mental health services as a way to support law enforcement. A current shortage of mental health beds is forcing police officers to drive mental health patients to available beds hundreds of miles away.
During this year’s appropriations process, legislative leaders plan to pursue funding for additional mental health beds and startup dollars for the law enforcement grant program, as well as other components of House Bill 3052.
House Bill 3052 gained approval in the House Appropriations and Budget Committee this week and now goes to the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
No man suffers injustice without learning, vaguely but surely, what justice is. ~Isaac Rosenfeld
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Circle of Life
As our kids grew up, we watched a lot of videos or maybe as MY kids grew up we watched videos, maybe as your kids are growing up you watch DVD’s but one of my girls’ favorites was The Lion King. In The Lion King they referred to the circle of life. I’ve had some sobering moments in the past year or two. One was when my dad passed, the other was turning 50 and realizing that we’re all only dealt a few short years to live on this earth and the most recent was just last Thursday when I decided, after several nudges from friends and family that I needed to be at my mother’s bedside in Ft. Worth, Texas when they did a biopsy to see what the tumor in her brain consisted of.
I missed a few votes on the House Floor and I always struggle with not letting things in my personal life get in the way off me getting my job done, but I went, and I was where I needed to be and I’m very glad because for the first time in my life I saw my mom scared. We knew there had been some issues and that she was having trouble processing information and that her speech had changed, her writing had gone down hill and several of those tell-tell signs indicating that something is not right in the computer and after doing a brain scan, the tumor was found. What we were yet to find out was what the tumor consisted of. Was it an abscess, or a benign tumor of some kind or the dreaded “C” word? We found out after the needle biopsy was performed that it was indeed cancer. We don’t know exactly at this point what the prognosis will be but we did find from the initial pathology reports that it was lymphoma which probably means there is cancer in other places. We also are encouraged that this is the most treatable form, from what we are hearing. Mom will be 79 in April and she’s not in too bad of shape otherwise and wants to take treatments. The doctor was pretty realistic with us and we don’t know what the future will hold but we are hopeful that she will respond well and that the tumor can be shrunk and that her brain function can come back to some degree and that we can manage this disease. My mom is a fighter, always has been and I’m just hoping that that fighting spirit is in there somewhere because she’s going to need it. Of course she will need lots of prayer and it’ll take a lot of determination to win this battle.
There’s nothing that realigns your priorities like having a ton of bricks dropped on you from a second story window which is kinda’ what this feels like. My challenge in the next 3-4 months will be to stay focused on what’s really important and to try to be supportive of my family as we deal with what will be a long, bumpy road. I know that we are not the only ones to have to face this there are many, many families that are dealing with or have dealt with a loved one that is being treated for various types of cancer. I always hung my hat on the fact that there was not a lot of cancer in my family, until now. This changes the game and it makes you reevaluate and probably the good news is that it helps you focus on what’s really important. Hopefully, by the time you are reading this we will have a lot more information and a treatment plan in place and a little more clarity on where we are and what we can expect, but I do see more trips to Ft. Worth in my future and it really doesn’t matter what gas prices are or what else is going on in my life that under any other circumstances would seem really important. I’ve gotta’ try to be there as much as I can for the lady who brought me into this world. So I’ll do everything I can do to support and encourage her as she begins this journey and will pray for a good outcome. We’ll keep you posted as things progress and as always, prayers are appreciated.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
“From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health.”-Catalan Proverb
I missed a few votes on the House Floor and I always struggle with not letting things in my personal life get in the way off me getting my job done, but I went, and I was where I needed to be and I’m very glad because for the first time in my life I saw my mom scared. We knew there had been some issues and that she was having trouble processing information and that her speech had changed, her writing had gone down hill and several of those tell-tell signs indicating that something is not right in the computer and after doing a brain scan, the tumor was found. What we were yet to find out was what the tumor consisted of. Was it an abscess, or a benign tumor of some kind or the dreaded “C” word? We found out after the needle biopsy was performed that it was indeed cancer. We don’t know exactly at this point what the prognosis will be but we did find from the initial pathology reports that it was lymphoma which probably means there is cancer in other places. We also are encouraged that this is the most treatable form, from what we are hearing. Mom will be 79 in April and she’s not in too bad of shape otherwise and wants to take treatments. The doctor was pretty realistic with us and we don’t know what the future will hold but we are hopeful that she will respond well and that the tumor can be shrunk and that her brain function can come back to some degree and that we can manage this disease. My mom is a fighter, always has been and I’m just hoping that that fighting spirit is in there somewhere because she’s going to need it. Of course she will need lots of prayer and it’ll take a lot of determination to win this battle.
There’s nothing that realigns your priorities like having a ton of bricks dropped on you from a second story window which is kinda’ what this feels like. My challenge in the next 3-4 months will be to stay focused on what’s really important and to try to be supportive of my family as we deal with what will be a long, bumpy road. I know that we are not the only ones to have to face this there are many, many families that are dealing with or have dealt with a loved one that is being treated for various types of cancer. I always hung my hat on the fact that there was not a lot of cancer in my family, until now. This changes the game and it makes you reevaluate and probably the good news is that it helps you focus on what’s really important. Hopefully, by the time you are reading this we will have a lot more information and a treatment plan in place and a little more clarity on where we are and what we can expect, but I do see more trips to Ft. Worth in my future and it really doesn’t matter what gas prices are or what else is going on in my life that under any other circumstances would seem really important. I’ve gotta’ try to be there as much as I can for the lady who brought me into this world. So I’ll do everything I can do to support and encourage her as she begins this journey and will pray for a good outcome. We’ll keep you posted as things progress and as always, prayers are appreciated.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
“From the bitterness of disease man learns the sweetness of health.”-Catalan Proverb
Friday, February 24, 2012
Week Three
I’d like to kick off this weeks visit with the particulars on a bill that I am authoring that will hopefully give schools some predictability as far as school land money goes. I have been working with officials from the school land commission and we hope it will at least smooth up a little of the budgeting process.
Two years ago Oklahoma public schools and colleges asked the Commissioners of the Land Office to find a way to help stabilize the amount of money that is sent to our schools from the money it receives on oil and gas exploration and land leases. When the oil and gas industry is booming in Oklahoma, revenue to the Land Commission goes up and in turn more money goes to the schools, when the drilling slows the money slows. Working with the Land Office, I have created legislation that allows the Land Office to create a five year rolling average on the money. This will allow the schools to begin to budget money coming from the Land Office and to have a bit of predictability. The legislation will also allow the Land Commission to be able to spend some of the money coming in to the agency for conservation on the land it controls in our area. The projects will include everything from water wells to red cedar and juniper eradication. We all know how important it is to insure that the land will be there for the schools and how important the funding is currently for the schools. To give you some examples, since July Grandfield as received over 20 thousand dollars, Frederick over 103 thousand dollars and Tipton over 45 thousand dollars and those numbers will all increase before the end of June. Right now we don’t know where the conservation project will begin but I will keep you posted as work on those moves forward.
Other highlights of the session include
House Passes Bill to Protect Living Center Residents’ Right to Choose Pharmacy
Legislation approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives would allow assisted living center residents to continue doing business with local pharmacies without fear of penalty.
House Bill 2566 would ban assisted living centers from penalizing residents for using their choice of providers for medical services and supplies.
The legislation was approved by a vote of 88-6 and now proceeds to the Senate.
Committee Approves Safeguards for Places of Worship
A state House committee has approved legislation giving officials clear legal authority to use deadly force against dangerous individuals at a place of worship.
House Bill 2988 declares that “the citizens of the State of Oklahoma have a right to expect absolute safety within their own homes, places of business, or places of worship” and that officials at any place of worship are allowed to use defensive force in cases where there is “a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm.”
There have been several cases where acts of violence have occurred or threats have been issued at places of worship in Oklahoma.
In 2009, Pastor Carol Daniels was killed at the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko
In Edmond, the Fairview Baptist Church received a bomb threat after its pastor spoke out against a city policy regarding homosexuals.
House Bill 2988 has passed out of the House Judiciary Committee and now goes to the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call me at 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov.
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied—Arnold H. Glasgow
Two years ago Oklahoma public schools and colleges asked the Commissioners of the Land Office to find a way to help stabilize the amount of money that is sent to our schools from the money it receives on oil and gas exploration and land leases. When the oil and gas industry is booming in Oklahoma, revenue to the Land Commission goes up and in turn more money goes to the schools, when the drilling slows the money slows. Working with the Land Office, I have created legislation that allows the Land Office to create a five year rolling average on the money. This will allow the schools to begin to budget money coming from the Land Office and to have a bit of predictability. The legislation will also allow the Land Commission to be able to spend some of the money coming in to the agency for conservation on the land it controls in our area. The projects will include everything from water wells to red cedar and juniper eradication. We all know how important it is to insure that the land will be there for the schools and how important the funding is currently for the schools. To give you some examples, since July Grandfield as received over 20 thousand dollars, Frederick over 103 thousand dollars and Tipton over 45 thousand dollars and those numbers will all increase before the end of June. Right now we don’t know where the conservation project will begin but I will keep you posted as work on those moves forward.
Other highlights of the session include
House Passes Bill to Protect Living Center Residents’ Right to Choose Pharmacy
Legislation approved by the Oklahoma House of Representatives would allow assisted living center residents to continue doing business with local pharmacies without fear of penalty.
House Bill 2566 would ban assisted living centers from penalizing residents for using their choice of providers for medical services and supplies.
The legislation was approved by a vote of 88-6 and now proceeds to the Senate.
Committee Approves Safeguards for Places of Worship
A state House committee has approved legislation giving officials clear legal authority to use deadly force against dangerous individuals at a place of worship.
House Bill 2988 declares that “the citizens of the State of Oklahoma have a right to expect absolute safety within their own homes, places of business, or places of worship” and that officials at any place of worship are allowed to use defensive force in cases where there is “a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm.”
There have been several cases where acts of violence have occurred or threats have been issued at places of worship in Oklahoma.
In 2009, Pastor Carol Daniels was killed at the Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko
In Edmond, the Fairview Baptist Church received a bomb threat after its pastor spoke out against a city policy regarding homosexuals.
House Bill 2988 has passed out of the House Judiciary Committee and now goes to the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call me at 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov.
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied—Arnold H. Glasgow
Thursday, February 16, 2012
It’s Broke, Should we fix it?
One of the jobs ahead of us this session will be trying to decide how to address the ever worsening problem of our crumbling State Capitol. Oklahoma has many icons that color our history. Many of those icons are people, like Will Rogers. They live on in our history books and in tales told to children and adults alike. The list of famous Oklahomans is long and colorful. On the other hand, some of the icons that help tell our story are buildings. These buildings are still in use every day and no less important to our state and our history. One such building is the State Capitol.
Ground was broken for our Capitol on July 20th 1914 on land donated by William F. Harn and John T. Culbertson at what is now the intersection of 23rd and Lincoln. The building was completed on June 30th 1917. Of course it was not really complete and would not be until the year 2002 when the crown jewel was dedicated, which of course, was the dome. House Bill 2827 was passed in 1998 The Oklahoma Centennial Act which formed the Oklahoma Centennial Commemoration Commission. This commission was charged with the dome project. I will never forget my first official function as a newly elected member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives; it was November 16th 2002 on a very cold night. The Dome Dedication was an unbelievable celebration marking the completion of the final chapter in our Capitols construction. I have to tell you it’s hard not to be in awe of this magnificent lady every time I pull into the parking lot. The dome is adorned on the very top with a 22’ foot tall bronze statue created by then Senator Enoch Kelly Haney. The Guardian stands ever vigilant and is breath taking sight to view from I-235 as you head north in the sunrise. It is a grand building and absolutely one of the most important symbols of Oklahoma. It is chocked full of art work and if those walls could talk? She is ours, as Oklahomans and she is having issues. If you visit the Capitol and park south you will see yellow barricades that prevent you from entering through what was once the Grand entry way. The problem I’m told is that some of the concrete is crumbling and is not safe. It is a shame to see her suffer, but what to do?
The issue at hand is this. “Is it important enough to make repairs’? “What will it cost”? And of course the really hard question, “How will we pay for it”? Many folks say we should use bonds. It amounts to making a loan to do the needed repairs. There are some in our legislature who think borrowing is not a good idea. Some think it is no big deal. I have to think it’s a lot like your house. If the roof is bad, at what point do you start to do irreparable harm to the main structure if you don’t do the work? I’m sure not an architect or an engineer. I’m probably not the one to ask that question, but I do know that we better get it on our minds because it seems to not be getting any better. I have tried to listen to some folks who seem to be good business men. One is Rep. Guy Liebmann. Guy is a very savvy gentleman when it comes to money. He was in the Ice business in OKC for many years and almost every ice machine you saw out side stores in the metro area bore his name. Guy says that you must do maintenance when it is needed and right now, money is cheap. Meaning that, interest rates are at all time lows. In his opinion, there is now time like the present to get this repair work started. I tend to think he is right. I don’t know all the numbers, but I do think that we need to start addressing the problem soon. I don’t know if we are past the point of no return. I’m facing the same kind of things at my house. And the ever present question of “If we don’t fix it now, how much will it cost later”? I sure don’t profess to know all the answers, but it is our question, all of ours. After all, it is not just my Capitol; it belongs to all of us. As always, I’m interested in what you think. In the meantime, watch out for falling concrete.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
Never act until you have clearly answered the question, “What happens if I do nothing”? Robert Brault.
Ground was broken for our Capitol on July 20th 1914 on land donated by William F. Harn and John T. Culbertson at what is now the intersection of 23rd and Lincoln. The building was completed on June 30th 1917. Of course it was not really complete and would not be until the year 2002 when the crown jewel was dedicated, which of course, was the dome. House Bill 2827 was passed in 1998 The Oklahoma Centennial Act which formed the Oklahoma Centennial Commemoration Commission. This commission was charged with the dome project. I will never forget my first official function as a newly elected member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives; it was November 16th 2002 on a very cold night. The Dome Dedication was an unbelievable celebration marking the completion of the final chapter in our Capitols construction. I have to tell you it’s hard not to be in awe of this magnificent lady every time I pull into the parking lot. The dome is adorned on the very top with a 22’ foot tall bronze statue created by then Senator Enoch Kelly Haney. The Guardian stands ever vigilant and is breath taking sight to view from I-235 as you head north in the sunrise. It is a grand building and absolutely one of the most important symbols of Oklahoma. It is chocked full of art work and if those walls could talk? She is ours, as Oklahomans and she is having issues. If you visit the Capitol and park south you will see yellow barricades that prevent you from entering through what was once the Grand entry way. The problem I’m told is that some of the concrete is crumbling and is not safe. It is a shame to see her suffer, but what to do?
The issue at hand is this. “Is it important enough to make repairs’? “What will it cost”? And of course the really hard question, “How will we pay for it”? Many folks say we should use bonds. It amounts to making a loan to do the needed repairs. There are some in our legislature who think borrowing is not a good idea. Some think it is no big deal. I have to think it’s a lot like your house. If the roof is bad, at what point do you start to do irreparable harm to the main structure if you don’t do the work? I’m sure not an architect or an engineer. I’m probably not the one to ask that question, but I do know that we better get it on our minds because it seems to not be getting any better. I have tried to listen to some folks who seem to be good business men. One is Rep. Guy Liebmann. Guy is a very savvy gentleman when it comes to money. He was in the Ice business in OKC for many years and almost every ice machine you saw out side stores in the metro area bore his name. Guy says that you must do maintenance when it is needed and right now, money is cheap. Meaning that, interest rates are at all time lows. In his opinion, there is now time like the present to get this repair work started. I tend to think he is right. I don’t know all the numbers, but I do think that we need to start addressing the problem soon. I don’t know if we are past the point of no return. I’m facing the same kind of things at my house. And the ever present question of “If we don’t fix it now, how much will it cost later”? I sure don’t profess to know all the answers, but it is our question, all of ours. After all, it is not just my Capitol; it belongs to all of us. As always, I’m interested in what you think. In the meantime, watch out for falling concrete.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
Never act until you have clearly answered the question, “What happens if I do nothing”? Robert Brault.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Bolt Your Doors & Lock Your Windows
For the past several years people have asked “are you all in session.” My standard tongue and cheek reply has always been “no, you’re safe.” We can’t hurt you if we’re not running in a pack. Well, all that is fixin’ to change because Monday February 6th will mark the opening gavel of the second session o the 53rd legislature. Of course I joke pretty regularly about the danger of us being in that building in a group and it’s about half true. It seems like a lot of what we do is try to block things that can cause harm or be ever mindful of a great idea that can turn south at a moment’s notice. There’s always someone who has a notion to save the world or to make streets safer or right some wrong and I guess that even with all its faults it’s still probably the best system in the world.
I truly believe that most who take on this job do so with mostly good intentions and really have no intent to harm anyone or cost anybody any excess money. I also know that one of my favorite analogies is of a common household dog, that might be just like the pet you have at your house, under normal circumstances they wouldn’t bite a hot biscuit but if you put that dog in a pack and kick em’ out in the country they’ll take down a cow. While I don’t consider myself an expert on politics, I do understand group dynamics and I know we have to guard against that pack mentality. Quite frankly, I think we are much more dangerous in a group than any of us ever would be individually. Sometimes I wanna’ stand on top of my desk and scream at the top of my lungs “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” There are a whole lot of things in our State that work just fine and if we could figure out exactly what those things are and learn how to leave them alone we’d be miles ahead of the game. It’s kinda’ like Larry the cable guy walking up to a space shuttle and saying to the crew of rocket scientists “hey, I can work on these” and when they look at him astonished, then of course his next line is “I can’t fix em’ but I can work on em’.” It seems that we always have to work on something. Sometimes I wish we could just leave it alone but then again it’s hard for a young politician to go back to his district and when asked “what did you accomplish?” he can’t very well say “I just stood guard.” It’s not the answer his constituents wish to hear. We have to work on something or what good are we? So, I guess it’s just the nature of the beast. We’ve gotta’ work on stuff even if it’s not broken. We’ll try not to tear anything up.
On a much more positive note, we’ve had several applications for the Southwest Oklahoma Honor Flight that we talked about last week in the column. I can’t stress enough how important it is to seek out our Southwest Oklahoma WWII vets and make sure that they get this opportunity to view the memorial in DC. They may be a little ol’ neighbor of yours that may not be able to access a computer or a widower that lives down the road from ya’ that served his country and deserves this honor, you never know. I know that sometimes we tend not to want to bother people but I’m asking you to get outside your comfort zone and if you know of one of these fellas’, let us know. Time is of the essence. We need to move quickly to get these men and women applied. Again, the website is www.oklahomahonorflights.org and the phone number is 405-259-9000. One important point is, and I can’t stress this enough, when you look at the website you are gonna’ see a large waiting list. Remember, Southwest Oklahoma WWII vets will be moved to the front because of the angel donor and if this flight is not filled with Southwest Oklahoma veterans they will go to the back of the waiting list and I hate to waste such a great opportunity. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the special send off ceremonies at the fair grounds in Lawton the evening of May 3rd. Please reach out and help us find these vets so we can say thanks.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
''Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.''
—Will Rogers
I truly believe that most who take on this job do so with mostly good intentions and really have no intent to harm anyone or cost anybody any excess money. I also know that one of my favorite analogies is of a common household dog, that might be just like the pet you have at your house, under normal circumstances they wouldn’t bite a hot biscuit but if you put that dog in a pack and kick em’ out in the country they’ll take down a cow. While I don’t consider myself an expert on politics, I do understand group dynamics and I know we have to guard against that pack mentality. Quite frankly, I think we are much more dangerous in a group than any of us ever would be individually. Sometimes I wanna’ stand on top of my desk and scream at the top of my lungs “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” There are a whole lot of things in our State that work just fine and if we could figure out exactly what those things are and learn how to leave them alone we’d be miles ahead of the game. It’s kinda’ like Larry the cable guy walking up to a space shuttle and saying to the crew of rocket scientists “hey, I can work on these” and when they look at him astonished, then of course his next line is “I can’t fix em’ but I can work on em’.” It seems that we always have to work on something. Sometimes I wish we could just leave it alone but then again it’s hard for a young politician to go back to his district and when asked “what did you accomplish?” he can’t very well say “I just stood guard.” It’s not the answer his constituents wish to hear. We have to work on something or what good are we? So, I guess it’s just the nature of the beast. We’ve gotta’ work on stuff even if it’s not broken. We’ll try not to tear anything up.
On a much more positive note, we’ve had several applications for the Southwest Oklahoma Honor Flight that we talked about last week in the column. I can’t stress enough how important it is to seek out our Southwest Oklahoma WWII vets and make sure that they get this opportunity to view the memorial in DC. They may be a little ol’ neighbor of yours that may not be able to access a computer or a widower that lives down the road from ya’ that served his country and deserves this honor, you never know. I know that sometimes we tend not to want to bother people but I’m asking you to get outside your comfort zone and if you know of one of these fellas’, let us know. Time is of the essence. We need to move quickly to get these men and women applied. Again, the website is www.oklahomahonorflights.org and the phone number is 405-259-9000. One important point is, and I can’t stress this enough, when you look at the website you are gonna’ see a large waiting list. Remember, Southwest Oklahoma WWII vets will be moved to the front because of the angel donor and if this flight is not filled with Southwest Oklahoma veterans they will go to the back of the waiting list and I hate to waste such a great opportunity. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the special send off ceremonies at the fair grounds in Lawton the evening of May 3rd. Please reach out and help us find these vets so we can say thanks.
If you would like to contact me at the Capitol, feel free to call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
''Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.''
—Will Rogers
Thursday, February 2, 2012
WWII Vets Front & Center Please
I really feel a little hesitant to bark orders at our greatest generation but I honestly don’t have time to lolly-gag. We have a fabulous window of opportunity to honor our WWII Veterans and like many windows I don’t want any of you, who are able, to miss it.
There is a program called Honor Flights which provides an all expense paid trip to take WWII veterans to see the memorial that was built in their honor. Just the fact that this program exists is tremendous and there have been numerous veterans that have made the trip to Washington DC whether they could afford it or not and our window of opportunity for our veterans in Southwest Oklahoma was made possible by a gentleman from Jackson County who stepped up and paid for an entire flight. His only stipulation was that he wanted WWII veterans from Southwest Oklahoma to have first shot at this particular opportunity. Prior to this, the flights have always gone out from Oklahoma City or Tulsa. This special flight will leave from Lawton on May 4, 2012. We want to fill that plane. We’ve had several inquiries as we have posted on facebook, made calls, met with civic clubs etc. and the first step is to go to the website which is www.oklahomahonorflights.org or call this phone number, 405-259-9000. Be sure to indicate when you call or access the website that you, or your loved one, are a Southwest Oklahoma veteran and you are applying for the special Lawton flight. It’s important to remember that the veteran will make this flight at no charge and each veteran will be accompanied by a guardian. We also need guardians. The guardians will pay their own way. The fee for being a guardian is $500. The charge for the guardians helps defray the cost to the veterans. There will also be medical personal on the flight. There will be wheelchairs available even for those who can walk so that they can expedite their movement once they get to DC. This trip will not be an overnight trip. This trip leaves around 5 a.m. and the veterans will be back home late the same night. It’s a strenuous day but it allows the cost to be kept low so that more of our heroes can make the trip to see their memorial. We not only need veterans to sign up as well as guardians willing to make the trip but we also need HS bands, student groups, letter writers, and just plain warm bodies to make the send off ceremony one that we can be proud of.
The send off will occur the evening of May 3rd at the Great Plains Coliseum where we will honor this greatest generation of heroes and pay respect as they prepare to make what for many of them will be the trip of a lifetime. We know that many of you will be hesitant to send dad or granddad on this type of journey. We want to assure you that they will be very well attended as well as cared for. I also want to stress again that we have an awesome window of opportunity to honor these veterans from our corner of the state who may not be able to make a trip to Oklahoma City or Tulsa. We feel that all of our WWII vets deserve this honor regardless of their financial where with all. I know we have a large number of heroes out there and we need your help in identifying those folks. There may be some who need help with various parts of the application and so on and I know that all of us, especially in our corner of the state, with its rich military history will want to help make this trip a reality for these people who greatly deserve it. So, once again the website is www.oklahomahonorflights.org and the phone number is 405-259-9000. If you need further information feel free to contact my office and we will help with the flow of information so we can make sure as many of our friends and neighbors can experience this great trip.
When you view the website you will see a waiting list of 450 veterans. It is very important to note that Southwest Oklahoma veterans will have priority on the Lawton flight due to the generosity of our donor. At the time of this writing there were about 50 Southwest Oklahoma vets who have signed up. We have room for approximately 50 more. Let’s fill this flight!
To contact me at the Capitol, you can call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick
There is a program called Honor Flights which provides an all expense paid trip to take WWII veterans to see the memorial that was built in their honor. Just the fact that this program exists is tremendous and there have been numerous veterans that have made the trip to Washington DC whether they could afford it or not and our window of opportunity for our veterans in Southwest Oklahoma was made possible by a gentleman from Jackson County who stepped up and paid for an entire flight. His only stipulation was that he wanted WWII veterans from Southwest Oklahoma to have first shot at this particular opportunity. Prior to this, the flights have always gone out from Oklahoma City or Tulsa. This special flight will leave from Lawton on May 4, 2012. We want to fill that plane. We’ve had several inquiries as we have posted on facebook, made calls, met with civic clubs etc. and the first step is to go to the website which is www.oklahomahonorflights.org or call this phone number, 405-259-9000. Be sure to indicate when you call or access the website that you, or your loved one, are a Southwest Oklahoma veteran and you are applying for the special Lawton flight. It’s important to remember that the veteran will make this flight at no charge and each veteran will be accompanied by a guardian. We also need guardians. The guardians will pay their own way. The fee for being a guardian is $500. The charge for the guardians helps defray the cost to the veterans. There will also be medical personal on the flight. There will be wheelchairs available even for those who can walk so that they can expedite their movement once they get to DC. This trip will not be an overnight trip. This trip leaves around 5 a.m. and the veterans will be back home late the same night. It’s a strenuous day but it allows the cost to be kept low so that more of our heroes can make the trip to see their memorial. We not only need veterans to sign up as well as guardians willing to make the trip but we also need HS bands, student groups, letter writers, and just plain warm bodies to make the send off ceremony one that we can be proud of.
The send off will occur the evening of May 3rd at the Great Plains Coliseum where we will honor this greatest generation of heroes and pay respect as they prepare to make what for many of them will be the trip of a lifetime. We know that many of you will be hesitant to send dad or granddad on this type of journey. We want to assure you that they will be very well attended as well as cared for. I also want to stress again that we have an awesome window of opportunity to honor these veterans from our corner of the state who may not be able to make a trip to Oklahoma City or Tulsa. We feel that all of our WWII vets deserve this honor regardless of their financial where with all. I know we have a large number of heroes out there and we need your help in identifying those folks. There may be some who need help with various parts of the application and so on and I know that all of us, especially in our corner of the state, with its rich military history will want to help make this trip a reality for these people who greatly deserve it. So, once again the website is www.oklahomahonorflights.org and the phone number is 405-259-9000. If you need further information feel free to contact my office and we will help with the flow of information so we can make sure as many of our friends and neighbors can experience this great trip.
When you view the website you will see a waiting list of 450 veterans. It is very important to note that Southwest Oklahoma veterans will have priority on the Lawton flight due to the generosity of our donor. At the time of this writing there were about 50 Southwest Oklahoma vets who have signed up. We have room for approximately 50 more. Let’s fill this flight!
To contact me at the Capitol, you can call 1-800-522-8502 or email me at donarmes@okhouse.gov
And here’s a little something to think about as you go down the road:
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)