FOURTH DISTRICT DEMOCRAT

OPEN DOOR POLICY by Rep Joe Dorman

May 26, 2009

    The legislature ended in a roar this year as we saw members required to vote past the deadline agreed to early on for adjournment.  The Senate held a vote open for almost four hours on a bill to create a Chief Information Officer’s position and agency for the State of Oklahoma.  Republican members were insistent this position be created, yet one of their Senate members was away at a speech out of state on Friday and they could not get the necessary 25 votes.  This forced them to extend session until Tuesday to consider House bills.  The House leadership at this point placed this language in a bill and ran it on Friday to the disapproval of the Democratic members. 

 I visited with a friend who has experience in this field and was told there are no true cost savings by creating a central agency for technology for all the state agencies, simply this allows a new agency to be created and an expansion of government with total control over state agencies and their technology programs with little accountability and oversight.  The House also argued about the time of adjournment and its extension and the vote occurred at the deadline on Friday (some of us argued it was actually past the deadline when it was finally passed, but the presiding officer stated the time limit was not yet reached).  The House and Senate had previously set a time of adjournment and it had to be revised through a resolution (which has not been adhered to over the past two years and had to be extended each of the deadline weeks).

The House proceeded to vote until around 9:30 pm on Friday and passed several bills which dealt with the budget.  The House of Representatives then recessed to the call of the presiding officer should there be a need to reconvene to deal with business from the Senate.  The Senate reconvened on Tuesday morning and took up the final bills of the session.  There is little chance of a special session this summer, but there is always the chance should Governor Henry feel an issue is important enough for us to address.  Otherwise, I will soon be back home for a while and looking forward to seeing everyone and getting back to the normal routine at the coffee shops.  This week I am a delegate to my church’s annual conference and next week I am a participant in the State Firefighter’s Convention.

It was an interesting session this year as the Republicans controlled both bodies of the legislature for the first time in state history.  It was also a tough year in that we had to cut several hundred million dollars out of the state budget. 

The stimulus funds provided by the federal government helped meet shortfalls in education, transportation, public safety and health care, along with assistance in areas of commerce.  The Governor designated State Auditor and Inspector Steve Burrage to oversee the use of the funds in order to provide accountability.  I have worked with Auditor Burrage on several issues this year and he is an excellent elected official in this capacity and I have confidence he will monitor all uses of these funds and provide accurate oversight.  The Republican and Democratic members worked well together on the process to cut many agencies, yet hold harmless some which provide vital services.

I had two excellent students work for me at the Capitol over this past week.  Nicole Barton of Lawton served as a page for the entire week and Steven Doyle of Elgin worked for two days as an office aide.  Both students were a great help and I want to wish them the best over the summer and into the next school year.  I will be opening up opportunities for pages and office aides for next session, so if you are a high school student and are interested, please contact my office.

  Interim study requests are due this week, so I will be working on issues over the summer.  Two which I have turned in are to look at a permanent funding source for emergency management costs related to disasters and to provide municipalities the opportunity to upgrade stoplights within their jurisdiction on highways to allow for pressure plates to activate stoplights and to find ways for this to qualify for federal transportation assistance.  Should you have an idea for bills for the legislature, please contact my office or drop me an email with the suggestion.  We will begin reviewing these studies sometime in August and each representative has the opportunity to submit ten ideas to approval or rejection by Speaker Chris Benge.

It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. My e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work.  My mailing address is PO Box 559, Rush Springs, OK  73082 and my website is www.joedorman.com on the Internet.  Thank you for taking time to read this column and I look forward to seeing you soon.

GOODMAN ON SCOTUS

Goodman Praises Pres. Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee   Sen. Jim Inhofe statement on this historic nomination "In the months ahead, it will be important for those of us in the U.S. Senate to weigh her qualifications and character as well as her ability to rule fairly without undue influence from her own personal race, gender, or political preferences." Oklahoma City (May 27, 2009) – Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Todd Goodman issued the following statement after President Obama announced his selection of Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to the United States Supreme Court. "Nominating a justice to the Supreme Court of the United States is one of a President's most serious and consequential responsibilities. President Obama pledged to select a nominee with a rigorous intellect, a mastery of the law and a commitment to impartial justice. He promised to select someone who has a broader perspective on how the world works and has a commonsense understanding of how the law affects the daily realities of every day life. "Yesterday President Obama delivered on his promise with the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor. I commend President Obama on his outstanding choice and congratulate Judge Sotomayor on her nomination," Goodman concluded. When confirmed, Sotomayor will be the third woman to serve and the Court's first Hispanic justice. Oklahoma Republican Senator Jim Inhofe yesterday released his own statement regarding Sotomayor's nomination, questioning her abilities to serve in a manner befitting a justice and "without undue influence from her own personal race, gender, or political preferences." Goodman responded to Inhofe, saying that Sotomayor's proven track record and stated judicial philosophy render Inhofe's comments "unfortunate and clearly partisan." During her confirmation hearings in 1997, Sotomayor summed up her judicial philosophy, saying, "I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it." "To single out Sotomayor for such unfounded remarks is at best misguided, and at worst, racist and sexist," Goodman stated. "I don't recall Sen. Inhofe questioning whether Justice Alito's or Justice Roberts' race or gender would influence their judgment." Goodman continued, "Sotomayor's stirring life story and outstanding career - at nearly every level of our judicial system - makes her uniquely qualified to serve as America's next Supreme Court Justice. Throughout her career on the bench, she has been lauded as a fearless jurist, with a sharp and independent mind and a deep commitment to the rule of law and our constitutional traditions," Goodman continued. "Clearly Pres. George H.W. Bush was impressed by her when he first nominated her to federal court. I hope all Senators will give her the respect she deserves and judge her fairly on her r

LEGISLATURE OKAYS MEASURE TO KEEP SEX OFFENDERS OUT OF ICE CREAM TRUCKS

OKLAHOMA CITY – On what was to have been the final day of the 2009 session of the Oklahoma Legislature, Sen. Jay Paul Gumm and Rep. Joe Dorman succeeded in their session-long effort to make children safer in their own neighborhoods.

The lawmakers had worked all session to pass legislation that prevents registered sex offenders from being ice cream truck vendors. While the measure enjoyed unanimous support in the Oklahoma Senate, a committee chair in the House of Representatives continually blocked the proposal.

“I never understood the opposition to this common sense proposal,” said Gumm, a Democrat from Durant. “Ice cream trucks are in countless neighborhoods in our state, and ice cream truck operators are in close contact with children – especially in the summer months. We were not about to let this proposal fall through the cracks.”

Dorman, D-Rush Springs, said the original bill was drafted in response to a number of high profile cases throughout the nation. “While we were fighting to make this idea a law, there was a frightening situation involving an ice cream truck in Chickasha near my district this very year,” he said.
The lawmakers’ ice cream vendor language was added to Senate Bill 1020, a bill to strengthen state laws on domestic violence and increase penalties for child pornography. On Friday, both the Senate and House of Representative gave final approval to bill – unanimously in the Senate and overwhelmingly in the House; it is now on Governor Henry’s desk.

If signed into law, the bill would criminalize the operation of ice cream trucks by sex offenders, with a punishment of up to two and a half years in prison and/or a fine. Further, the measure requires ice cream vending companies to search the sex offender database to determine if any employees are convicted offenders.

The company would be required to keep proof of the search. Upon discovering any employee is violating the law, the company would be required to contact the district attorney with that information.

    “We have to take every potential precaution in our effort to protect children from predators,” Gumm said. “It would have been irresponsible to simply wait until a tragedy occurs in our own back yard before we addressed the issue.

“I’m relieved that we were able to reach an agreement and close this loophole; passage of this law allows Oklahoma parents and children to rest easier.”

    The lawmakers expressed gratitude to Sen. Jonathan Nichols, R-Norman, and Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, who agreed to add the proposal to SB 1020.

“Both Jonathan and Randy looked beyond partisan politics and helped pass a bill that will keep children safer,” said Gumm. “This bill shows what we can accomplish when the power of ideas triumphs over partisan concerns. I appreciate their essential help on this important bill.”

Dorman also expressed gratitude to his fellow legislators for passing the measure. “As lawmakers, we have a responsibility to make our state a safe place for the most vulnerable members of our society,” he said. “I’m pleased that members of the Legislature recognized the need to be proactive on this issue and eliminate a dangerous risk.”

The language approved Friday also got positive reviews from the ice cream vending industry. Chris T. Long, legislative chairperson with the International Association of Ice Cream Vendors, said the measure should be considered a national model for the issue.

“In the end, I believe your final draft…should be presented as a model bill on this issue in the future,” he wrote in a letter to Gumm. “With your permission, I will be archiving this bill so that it can be presented to other states, cities, or municipalities in the future.”

If signed into law, SB 1020 would take effect July 1. Governor Henry has 15 days following the adjournment of the session to pass judgment on the bill.

LAWMAKERS EXPECT COBURN TO RUN FOR SENATE

Lawmakers expect U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn to seek new Senate term | NewsOK.com.

!BY CHRIS CASTEEL Published: May 24, 2009 WASHINGTON — Two Oklahoma congressmen who might have U.S. Senate ambitions if Sen. Tom Coburn were to retire say they fully expect the Muskogee Republican to seek another term next year. Featured Gallery Advertisement Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, said he was so "supremely confident” that Coburn was going to run for re-election that he hadn’t given any thought to the Senate race. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, said he also believes Coburn will run again and that he would continue his "strong partnership” with him. Coburn, R-Muskogee, plans to announce his decision June 1.

PELOSI GETS POOR MARKS FOR HANDLING INTERROGATION MATTER

Pelosi Gets Poor Marks for Handling Interrogation Matter.

PRINCETON, NJ -- More Americans disapprove than approve of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's handling of the matter concerning the government's use of harsh interrogation techniques on terrorism suspects. Majorities approve of President Barack Obama's and the CIA's handling of the matter.

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SORORITY TO PRESENT AWARDS SCHOLARSHIPS

Lawton Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will honor five citizens who served the Lawton community by supporting the sorority’s national Five Point Programmatic Thrust at a ceremony at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Barnett A.M.E. Chapel, 3401 SW Abilene.

Recipients of the awards include: Billy Taylor, Goodyear Plant; Robbie Gillis, principal of Lincoln Elementary School; Clantford Drummond, associate minister, Greater Galilee Baptist Church; Dr. Wayne Johnson, orthopedic surgeon, and Betty Simmons, Oklahoma’s 4th District Democratic Chair.
The Five Point Programmatic Thrust focuses on economic development; educational development; international awareness and involvement; physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement and these five recipients have done their part to help support the program.
The newly-elected slate of officers of the sorority will be presented to the public at the ceremony. Officers for 2009-2011 include: Barbara Ellis, president; Geraldine Prince, vice president; Jackie Carter-Hill, financial secretary; V. Paulette McNair, treasurer; Marie Stewart, corresponding secretary; and Ellouise Love, recording secretary.

The sorority will also present five scholarships to area high school students. The winners this year include: Taniqua Ward, Eisenhower High School; Richard Brooks and Samuel Peters, Macarthur High School; Jasmine Shumaker, Altus High School and Christopher Jefferies, Chickasha High School.
The sorority’s DreamCatcher Academy will also recognize 12 members and graduate five of its members from the academy.  The event is free and open to the public.  

DORMAN PRAISES CONGRESS FOR RESTRICTING PREDATORY CREDIT CARD LENDING

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 20, 2009) – State Rep. Joe Dorman praised the U.S. Congress today for voting to restrict predatory credit card lending practices such as sudden interest rate increases and lending to those under 21 without an income.

    “As a lawmaker who is concerned about predatory lending practices, I am pleased to see the federal government taking great steps to curb high interest loans that create tremendous hardships for average Americans,” Dorman, D-Rush Springs said. “Here in Oklahoma, I have introduced measures for financial literacy classes in schools and to curb predatory lending practices on college campuses over the years, so it is good to see similar policies being considered for the entire nation.”
 

   Currently, 82 percent of credit cards have a stipulation that the rate can increase to any amount if a person is determined to be too much of a credit risk, according to estimates from the Pew Health Group. The federal legislation would require lenders to allow customers to be late up to 60 days before seeing a rate increase. The legislation would also require the lender to restore the previous, lower rate after six months if the cardholder pays the minimum balance on time.
   

“Federal legislators are seeking to insert regulation that is not overly stringent, but will do a lot to protect the finances of average Americans,” Dorman said.  “One of the worst situations we see for college graduates is the severe debt they find themselves in at graduation due to the ease with which they can get multiple credit cards and the inability to crawl out of that trap.”
   

  "The legislation also targets predatory lending to minors by requiring those under 21 provide proof of an ability to pay or get an adult to co-sign.

    “The practice of lending to young people who have not earned a living and don’t understand how to handle money is something we must monitor and regulate,” Dorman said. “High school students and college students in their first years of school should not have credit card applications thrown at them along with a free gift just to get a credit card without any proof of ability to make that payment.  Students are the only group out there who do not have to show income in order to qualify for a credit card.  In my mind, that is predatory lending.”

    Dorman noted that the federal legislation was so popular that only five senators voted against it.

    “Two of those senators were from a state – South Dakota – which houses a number of these companies,” Dorman said. “Both Oklahoma senators voted to restrict the lenders.  This will help protect from defaults in payment, bankruptcies and eventual excessive debt with these new standards which will hopefully soon become law.”

    Dorman said after years of trying to do something at the state level, he is pleased to see the federal government step in.

    “Former Senator Robert Milacek (R-Waukomis), who was the original author of this in Oklahoma, and I pushed for credit card reform in this area for years and were constantly stifled due to the fact these companies are located out of state and we could not regulate them,” Dorman said. “I am happy to see regulation on the horizon and the ability to prevent predatory practices on our college students finally at hand.”
 

OPEN DOOR POLICY

It has been an interesting two weeks at the Capitol as we have been reviewing the final rounds of legislation for this session.  The legislature determined a date for adjournment of May 22, which is one week earlier than the Constitutional deadline. 

We discussed bills regarding the lowering of penalties for persons engaging in teeth floating for horses, limitations on human cloning and a tax check-off for YMCA Youth & Government programs to allow for donations to be given by those with refunds.  There was an agreement reached on the state budget for the year earlier last week, but it eliminated Rural Economic Action Plan funding.  The amount given for these development grants to rural communities is about $15 million each year, but it was taken to zero over the weekend. 

Efforts by several of the legislators to replace those funds resulted in a penalty for late payment of car tags to be increased and redirected to cover the shortfall in REAP.  These funds are vital for communities outside of Oklahoma City and Tulsa and it allows for tax dollars spent in our to metropolitan areas to be allocated back to the home areas of rural citizens.  There is also talk about use of about $11 million in stimulus funds which were allocated to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, so I’m hoping this will be used to help offset many of the losses we would see for very worthy economic development programs in rural areas.

There was a healthy discussion in regards to the placement of a Ten Commandments monument somewhere on the State Capitol Complex.  This is a monument similar to other erections placed around the United States by the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, through a project in conjunction with Cecil B. DeMille and the premiere of The Ten Commandments.  Some groups opposed mass distribution in the public arena as early as 1958, but then agreed to the distribution because of the usage of several symbols along with the Ten Commandments and because of the universal acceptance among religious leaders of various faiths.  I actually had the chance to see one during a visit to the Mayor’s office in Youngstown, Ohio and it is a very moving monument.  The Governor signed this into law just this week, so we will likely see this monument in the near future.

We have heard the arguments from many in regards to the separation of Church and State and the use of tax dollars for this monument.  Legislators made certain that all funds used for this display would be raised through private donations, and if the necessary funds are not raised, the author of the bill promised to pay for the remainder out of his own pocket.  We have several other displays which tie to religious symbolism at the State Capitol, including an angel on the painting above the grand staircase, a Franciscan monk on one of the historical paintings and even the crosses seen on our state flag.  If nothing else, I certainly hope it serves as a reminder to the persons who work at the state capitol to live as decent people, follow the Ten Commandments in their daily lives and to vote for policies as would be expected to benefit the citizens of our state, whatever faith they might be.  I would also hope that tolerance would be extended to the various denominations and faiths and respect be paid to each that had a part in our state history in the ways they have benefitted our state.  Those of us who have faith in a higher power cannot separate our beliefs from the actions we take and the votes we often cast as this guides us through our lives.  We have to remember that we represent many citizens with different perspectives and try to do the best to not trample on their views.

Along those lines, I will be serving as the delegate to the annual United Methodist Conference in Oklahoma City next week on behalf of my home church, so I will have an additional week in Oklahoma City.  I look forward to making it back home to enjoy time with friends and family this summer and plan out my legislation for the next year.  I also will be submitting interim studies for the summer, so please feel free to send me ideas on subjects which you feel would be good for the legislature to consider.  The deadline for those is at the end of this month.

It is an honor to represent your views at the State Capitol. If you wish to contact me and discuss one of these or another issue, I can be reached at my office in Oklahoma City toll-free at 1-800-522-8502, or directly at 1-405-557-7305. My e-mail address is joedorman@okhouse.gov at work.  My mailing address is PO Box 559, Rush Springs, OK  73082 and my website is www.joedorman.com on the Internet.  Thank you for taking time to read this column and I look forward to seeing you soon.

GOP LOSSES SPAN NEARLY ALL DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS

GOP Losses Span Nearly All Demographic Groups.

Only frequent churchgoers show no decline in support since 2001

by Jeffrey M. Jones PRINCETON, NJ -- The decline in Republican Party affiliation among Americans in recent years is well documented, but a Gallup analysis now shows that this movement away from the GOP has occurred among nearly every major demographic subgroup. Since the first year of George W. Bush's presidency in 2001, the Republican Party has maintained its support only among frequent churchgoers, with conservatives and senior citizens showing minimal decline.

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OUTRAGEOUS SPENDING MUST STOP by Mickey Hepner

The Edmond Sun

EDMOND — When most people find themselves deep in debt, the first thing they do is look for ways to cut their spending. Unfortunately, the federal government is doing just the opposite.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the national debt this year will approach a record $8 trillion, with $1.8 trillion of that added this year alone. Amazingly, just eight years ago our national debt was only $3.3 trillion, meaning that in just the past eight years we have more than doubled the debt it took our nation 225 years to amass. To make matters worse, the CBO projects that the debt will continue to rise for the foreseeable future, nearly reaching $12 trillion by 2019, and this includes large tax increases scheduled for 2011.

This must stop.

Contrary to what some of our elected officials believe, every penny the government spends must be paid for in taxes on somebody, somewhere at some time. If we do not pay the taxes today, and decide to incur a debt instead, we are simply passing the tax off onto future generations.

This must stop.

What is even more troubling is that the larger our debt grows, the larger the interest payments we must make. The CBO estimates that by 2019 taxpayers will be paying $566 billion of interest each year on our debt — more than the federal government spends on any current government program except for Social Security and the military. Remember, when we make these interest payments we do not receive any government services. This is money we will be effectively throwing away.

This must stop.

The most troubling thing about having a growing national debt, though, is that it slows the rate of economic growth, thereby making future generations poorer. When governments run a debt, they must borrow money to fund government programs. Yet, when the government borrows money it is more difficult for private businesses to borrow money, making it more difficult for businesses to expand. This process, what economists call the “crowding out of investment,” leads to slower economic growth and lower future incomes.

This must stop.

The only way we can stop this madness is to stop spending so much money. CBO estimates that next year all federal government outlays will total $3.5 trillion. They will be a little higher under the Congressional Budget Resolution approved recently. If we freeze total government spending at that level we still would not balance the budget until 2015 — again assuming large tax increases in 2011. Still, freezing government spending at $3.5 trillion annually will shave nearly $4 trillion off the national debt in the next 10 years. Notice that under a government spending freeze we would have the same national debt in 2019 that we will have this year … we would have stopped the madness.

It is important to remember that a true freeze on government spending does not mean that every program must be frozen. We can spend more on defense if we need to. We can spend more on health care if we need to. We can spend more on education if we need to. We can spend more on Social Security payments if we need to. Under a spending freeze, though, every penny of increased spending in these programs must be offset by penny decreases elsewhere in the budget.

Where can we cut? We can start with farm subsidies. The federal government will spend more than $10 billion this year on farm subsidies, which the USDA admits mainly go to large, wealthy farmers, instead of the small, family farms. We can eliminate tens of billions more by eliminating programs from the stimulus package that are not scheduled to begin until after the economy already has recovered. And we eventually can save hundreds of billions by seriously exploring ways to control entitlement spending.

There is no doubt that some government spending is important, necessary and beneficial. There also is no doubt that we cannot afford the level of government spending currently being proposed in Congress. If we continue down this path of profligacy, we will only make our children poorer. Speaking as a father of two young children who are counting on me to protect them, I will continue to say that this must stop.

MICKEY HEPNER is an associate professor of economics at the University of Central Oklahoma.