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The Express-Star

Dorman speaks on interesting bills that will see floor


We are in the fifth week of the legislature, which means the committee process has ended and the bills to be considered further must now pass the entire body of origin. House bills must pass the House of Representatives by next Thursday to move on if they will become laws, just like the Senate bills in the State Senate. I have detailed my bills so far in my columns, so I want to update you on some of the more interesting bills which have been authored by other legislators and where they stand in the system. These three were authored by Republican colleagues. HB 1706 by Rep. Ann Coody failed in committee last week, but the bill would have created a $500 million bond through the State Department of Education to administer grants for local schools to upgrade facilities to make them safer. Many members had different reasons based on the debate and the vote came down to 7 yes votes and 18 no votes. My concerns with this bill were the amount of the bond, the discretion of the Superintendent Janet Barresi to give the grants to schools based on very little oversight in the bill, and what I feel is the need for the local school districts to have the ability to decide on if and what should go into a bond package for school security, so I voted against this bill. There are also bills by other authors which could be heard to allow teachers and school personnel to carry firearms in schools; HB 1721 by Rep. Leslie Osborn passed the House of Representatives on Monday. This bill would reduce the next income level for qualification for the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP), or Oklahoma's Promise scholarship, which would have increased next year. OHLAP replaced grant programs in the past and provides tuition assistance for low-income college-age students from Oklahoma families to offset the cost of rising cost of tuition. I voted against this bill as this changes the income cap for many families who were about to qualify for the program and makes it harder for those kids to get a college degree. The income levels would have increased to $100,000 to take in double earning middle income families, but if this bill should become law, that level will instead be lowered to $60,000 based on family income rates. Parents who are school teachers with no other income would not qualify, to use an example; HB 1917 By Speaker TW Shannon also passed the House of Representatives on Monday, requiring state agencies to prepare for the possibility of a 25% reduction in federal funds. I supported this bill as we are entering a time when budgets are questionable due to the inaction of our federal government and their inability to prepare a budget. The effectiveness on this will depend Joe on how serious state Dorman agencies will take this State Representative mandate and if the federal government will Lawton Chamber at cut state funding to that their legislative lunlevel. The Oklahoma cheon about work at the Department of Health Capitol so far this year. relies on 56% of their This Saturday evening budget to come from is the Starlight Ball in federal matching dol- Lawton which will benlars, along with the efit the children's proState Department of grams at Comanche Education likely facing County Memorial Hostens of millions of dol- pital. Sunday afterlars being cut from It noon, I will lead a It will be a busy weekend coming up! Read the rest of this colOn Friday, I look for- umn on Chickashanews. ward to visiting with the corn

OP I N ION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH. 6, 2013

Overwhelming voter support should be enough for bill


BY DAVID PERRYMAN Oklahoma State Rep.
The first live bear I ever saw was on Main Street in Kinta, Oklahoma. The year was about 1962 and the Ursus Americanus had not wandered into town from the mountains south of town. Nor was it an escapee from the zoo in Tulsa. Technically, it was not even a part of a circus. This black bear was chained to a tree in front of a tent and was the property of a promoter of one of those rural American holdovers of the 1800's. The event being promoted was bear wrestling and the barker was looking for both spectators and contestants. I was not old enough to qualify as either, but tickets were selling like hotcakes. I don't remember if my older brothers were allowed to go, but I am pretty certain that they did not wrestle the bear. We lived seven miles from town and they would not have had transportation at the time. The tent that was set up was not large enough to keep the crowd very far from the ring, but by the looks of the tired old bear, vicious animal bites were not likely. Apparently the sport of bear wrestling first became popular in France and came to the United States in December 1877. Rural America provided circuits of communities where there was just not a lot of constant commotion. To say that times were slow is an understatement and for decades, into the 1960's any type of entertainment was welcomed. However, before you get too uppity, please realize that once in a while we did get to attend some really special events. For instance, in my home town of around 350 residents in the 1960's , we actually got to meet Meadowlark Lemon when the Harlem Globetrotters came to our old WPA gym. My point is that until 1996 bear wrestling was legal in Oklahoma. The statute that prohibits bear wrestling also prohibits horse tripping. I don't know how bear wrestling and horse tripping were addressed in the same statute. In fact horse tripping doesn't sound fun at all. Historically, Oklahoma has taken the lead and enacted statutes that are needed for the safety of Oklahomans. One of the hottest topics that I have been contacted about over the past ten days is the proposal to ban texting while driving. Unfortunately the majority leadership of the Oklahoma House of Representatives has its head in the proverbial sand and is playing politics with lives concerning this extremely dangerous issue. House Bill 1503 by Rep. Curtis McDaniel (D-Smithville) is a proposal to make texting while driving illegal. Over 80% of Oklahomans support a ban on texting while driving. According to AT&T, a Virginia Tech study showed that persons who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash than persons who are not texting while driving. Rep. McDaniels' Bill passed out of committee, but is being blocked from being heard on the house floor. AT&T reported that a Texas Traffic Institute study showed that When drivers read or send a text message, their reaction time is doubled and when asked to respond to a flashing light while texting behind the wheel, drivers were more than 11 times more likely to miss the light altogether. The telephone giant has dedicated millions of dollars to its "It Can Wait" campaign and says that "No text is worth dying for. And that is why AT&T is committed to putting an end to texting and driving." AT&T says that, "Our goal is to save lives and to make texting and driving as unacceptable as drinking and driving." Under current law, an Oklahoma Highway Patrolman cannot stop a driver who is texting and driving at the very instant that the highway patrolman passes the driver. Thirty-nine other states prohibit texting while driving. Should Oklahoma? According to the Associated Press, House Speaker T.W. Shannon (R-Lawton) stated last week that he is among those who have opposed a ban on texting while driving in the past because he believes that there is a slippery slope argument to be made about what people are doing inside their cars. At this time, the bill is being blocked from being voted on by the full House of Representatives and Oklahoma law does not allow local control by municipalities across the state. The Cities and Towns that could otherwise adopt texting and tobacco laws are being stopped by the state legislature. Ninety-Seven percent (97%) of teens say that texting and driving is dangerous. What is your opinion? Do you want HB 1503 to die without a vote or do you want it to be heard on the House Floor? It is your civic duty to let your voice be heard. Take action for the Common Good. Call or eMail a member of the House Calendar Committee or the Speaker of the House and let them know your opinion about HB1503. Their phone numbers and eMail addresses can be found at www. okhouse.gov. If the House Calendar Committee will allow the bill to be heard, I will vote in favor of it. It is my opinion that the need for a ban on bear wrestling has taken a back seat to the need for a ban on texting while driving. Thank you for allowing me to serve as your State Representative. If there is ever anything that I can do to assist you, please call me at 405-557-7401 or eMail me at David.Perryman @ okhouse. gov I look forward to seeing you soon.

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