A lot of you have followed my musings and ramblings about life in office and have heard me describe the legislative process sometimes as a series of gates. I also use the analogy of a series of filters. Not every idea that hits the Capitol is a good one, sometimes the ideas are good and with more than one pair of eyes can be made better, sometimes the ideas are just plain bad and the filters need to catch the idea. We have now reached the half way point which means that the first major deadline of this year’s legislative session has passed. All the bills that came through the House have either made it through that series of filters or were stopped and did not become reality. The next step is for us to send our House bills over to the Senate for further scrutiny and we have now started the process of running the Senate’s ideas through our filters. This process seems very cumbersome to some and in some ways it is, but as frustrating as it can be for myself and my colleagues and as unorganized as it looks to the casual observer, I really am a believer in the process as a whole. It’s still one of the best methods in the world and as an old buddy of mine used to say “you can sure get a snoot full of it.” But I still think that it’s good that 149 people basically have to look at an idea and consider its merits and shortcomings and passes through the final gates where the Governor has the power of the pen to either sign it into law or veto it.
This past Monday a very important bill passed through the last gate and is headed to the Governor for a signature and that was SB447. This bill addressed several concerns raised by the murder of Diane Dye. Our Comanche County treasurer Barbara Burk and her husband Larry were on hand to see that Senate bill passed in the House. The bill was actually a Senate bill from last session and in my mind it did some very positive things that may help curb domestic violence by shortening the days before a hearing when a protective order is issued and several other tweaks to the law that may well prevent the tragedy like the one we saw in Elgin Oklahoma and hopefully can prevent more of the same. Senator Barrington started the process last year and it has taken two sessions to get this bill passed and headed to the Governor. The vote was unanimous in the House and we don’t anticipate any trouble when it gets to Governor Fallin’s desk. I was proud to do my part in carrying the water and as I said on the House floor Monday afternoon, it’s too late for Diane Dye but her mother Barbara Burk took up the torch, pushed through her grief and helped change a law that hopefully will prevent another family from having the same kind of tragedy.
We are now back in the committee process and have just started to get our first look at the Senate bills. It’ll be interesting to see how many House bills survive the Senate and vice versa.
Probably the weightiest issue still facing us is the discussion on the elimination of the State income tax. I’ve talked about this issue many times and we know that we must proceed with extreme caution. I can’t speak for any other member but I can tell you my position and that is we can’t do income tax reduction on the backs of our seniors or our veterans and probably my favorite way to state it is that we must have enough fuel to run the train. I represent one of the largest agriculture regions in the state and I can tell you from the calls that I’ve received that land owner’s are leery of anything that might increase property taxes and I think it is wise to continue to discuss this very important issue and I truly believe we must proceed with extreme caution. We’ll keep you posted on developments that relate to one of the biggest issues we’ve seen in many years.
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:
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. –Henry Ford.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
Big Week in Oklahoma City
Last week was full of activity not only at the State Capitol where it was deadline week but also at the State Fair Grounds where the Oklahoma Youth Expo was taking place. Young people from across Oklahoma, moms, dads, grandparents and other family members in tow came to participate in what has become the World’s largest junior livestock show. It was a week full of kids showcasing their agricultural skills as they paraded through the various arenas.
One of the big events that tied the two together was what has become known as the Legislative show. The legislative show was the brain child of my good friend, the late Justin Whitefield who most of us who knew him well simply called him “Whitey”. As many of you may know he was killed in a plane crash several years ago but the best way to describe the situation was that Whitey “got it.” He got the connection that needed to be made between Senators and Representatives and other high ranking Government officials and the ag youth of our state. The legislative show was created to actually put the legislator on the halter or leading or driving an actual animal from a young 4-H or FFA member from their respective districts but it serves many purposes. One of the most important being that, that connection makes it much easier for urban and semi-rural legislators to understand the power of the program that we all already know creates some of the best young people in the state. Everyone that participates always has great things to say about that brief interaction with a young showman and their animal. They get the ever important connection of how these animal projects take the educational process off the school grounds and on to the fair grounds and the many life lessons that are learned like how to win humbly and how to lose graciously all while instilling a work ethic that the normal educational process struggles with. Among the Senators and Representatives that actually showed animals, additional showmen were Mr. Bob Funk, CEO of one of the largest worldwide temporary service companies in the nation, Express Personnel, State Superintended Janet Barresi, Mr. Terry Detrick, President of American Farmer’s and Rancher’s, Mr. Mike Spradling President of Oklahoma Farm Bureau and numerous other dignitaries that actually led or drove animals in that legislative show. It’s an awesome opportunity to sell the program and to showcase some of the hardest working young people in our state. My roll in that process evolved at the passing of my friend, and Oklahoma icon Clem McSpadden where I was handed the microphone to take over where Clem left off and to continue the tradition of introducing agriculture youth to state leaders who really need to know them. It’s a huge honor for me to continue that tradition. As I write this article from my office at the Capitol I am looking at a picture of myself and the late Clem McSpadden as we worked together on this event in his later years. The week was packed full of shows and various sales and capped off with a huge premium auction last Monday night which is the grand finale for that great event.
It was a tough week for a rural legislator such as myself to try to wear two hats and get the work done that we had in our deadline week as well as trying to be at the livestock show as much as possible . It was bitter sweet for the Armes’ family as my youngest daughter Kelsey showed for her last time as a high school student marking the end of an era for two girls who were raised with livestock projects and hopefully benefited from the lessons those teach. Kelsey will head to OSU next year to begin her college studies in the area of agriculture communications.
As for activity at the Capitol the issue of income tax reduction continues to be discussed and is probably one of the weightiest issues we’ve dealt with in a long time. All the various bills pertaining to elimination of income tax seem to be simmering in one big pot. I don’t know as of yet what the final outcome will be, I’m hoping that the end product will be responsible and that we won’t do away with income tax on the backs of our Veterans or senior citizens or at the expense of core Government function. There is much work to do and the work continues and my hope is that at the end of the day we come up with a good solution that really works. Until next time.
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:
Without labor nothing prospers---Sophocles
One of the big events that tied the two together was what has become known as the Legislative show. The legislative show was the brain child of my good friend, the late Justin Whitefield who most of us who knew him well simply called him “Whitey”. As many of you may know he was killed in a plane crash several years ago but the best way to describe the situation was that Whitey “got it.” He got the connection that needed to be made between Senators and Representatives and other high ranking Government officials and the ag youth of our state. The legislative show was created to actually put the legislator on the halter or leading or driving an actual animal from a young 4-H or FFA member from their respective districts but it serves many purposes. One of the most important being that, that connection makes it much easier for urban and semi-rural legislators to understand the power of the program that we all already know creates some of the best young people in the state. Everyone that participates always has great things to say about that brief interaction with a young showman and their animal. They get the ever important connection of how these animal projects take the educational process off the school grounds and on to the fair grounds and the many life lessons that are learned like how to win humbly and how to lose graciously all while instilling a work ethic that the normal educational process struggles with. Among the Senators and Representatives that actually showed animals, additional showmen were Mr. Bob Funk, CEO of one of the largest worldwide temporary service companies in the nation, Express Personnel, State Superintended Janet Barresi, Mr. Terry Detrick, President of American Farmer’s and Rancher’s, Mr. Mike Spradling President of Oklahoma Farm Bureau and numerous other dignitaries that actually led or drove animals in that legislative show. It’s an awesome opportunity to sell the program and to showcase some of the hardest working young people in our state. My roll in that process evolved at the passing of my friend, and Oklahoma icon Clem McSpadden where I was handed the microphone to take over where Clem left off and to continue the tradition of introducing agriculture youth to state leaders who really need to know them. It’s a huge honor for me to continue that tradition. As I write this article from my office at the Capitol I am looking at a picture of myself and the late Clem McSpadden as we worked together on this event in his later years. The week was packed full of shows and various sales and capped off with a huge premium auction last Monday night which is the grand finale for that great event.
It was a tough week for a rural legislator such as myself to try to wear two hats and get the work done that we had in our deadline week as well as trying to be at the livestock show as much as possible . It was bitter sweet for the Armes’ family as my youngest daughter Kelsey showed for her last time as a high school student marking the end of an era for two girls who were raised with livestock projects and hopefully benefited from the lessons those teach. Kelsey will head to OSU next year to begin her college studies in the area of agriculture communications.
As for activity at the Capitol the issue of income tax reduction continues to be discussed and is probably one of the weightiest issues we’ve dealt with in a long time. All the various bills pertaining to elimination of income tax seem to be simmering in one big pot. I don’t know as of yet what the final outcome will be, I’m hoping that the end product will be responsible and that we won’t do away with income tax on the backs of our Veterans or senior citizens or at the expense of core Government function. There is much work to do and the work continues and my hope is that at the end of the day we come up with a good solution that really works. Until next time.
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:
Without labor nothing prospers---Sophocles
Thursday, March 15, 2012
A Classic Example
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
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 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.
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