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Unlikely Legislator Offers SchoolVoucher Am endment to HB 1062

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K a r e n A n s o ne n i o r E d i t o r

S h i r l e n e C o f e rv e n t s E d i t o r

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ATTABOY! NICE H O M E R U N

L A 'MP F O R A HAT TRICK!

S H E O C C A S I O N A L L Y

H A S T R O U B L E W H E NS P O R T S S E A S O N S

OVERLAP.

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Opinion Page1 Phe Seminole Producer - Sun., March 17, 2013 - Section B - Page 12

Senate GivesBipartisan

Approval toAnti-Smoking

LegislationCities that want to ban smoking in municipal

parks would have the legal authority to do sounder a measure approved by the State Senate onWednesday. Members voted 44 to 1 in favor ofSenate Bill 501 authored by Sen. Frank Simpson,R-Springer. The legislation would give localgovernments the authority to ban smok ing on anyproperty they own or operate, including munici-

pal parks and sports complexes."Many communities in Oklahoma had already

approved city ordinances to do that, but the Attor-ney General recently ruled that was a violation ofstate law limiting local government control over

the use of tobacco," Simpson said. "SB 501establishes that right for county and municipalgovernments."

Among those praising passage of the bill wasOklahoma Municipal League Board PresidentHomer Nicholson, who also serves as Mayor of

Ponca City."This is a good bill and I am happy to see it

passed," Nicholson said. "I think it is to the ben-

efit of all citizens of the state of Oklahoma to be

more aware of smoking and second-hand smoke.Statistics indicate that about 6,000 Oklahomans

die each year because of smoking, and many ofthese deaths are from second-hand smoke. SB

501 gives local control to cities in their efforts

to better protect people from the dangers oftobacco."

Dr. Stephen Cagle, Chairman of the Okla-homa City-County Health Department Board,

also applauded passage of the measure."On behalf of our board I want to thank Sen.

Simpson for his continued hard work in protect-

ing the health of Oklahomans. This represents astep in the right direction," Cagle said. "Anytimeyou can diminish people's exposure, especially

children, to these toxins and carcinogens you're

doing a good thing. There's more work to bedone in the fight against tobacco-related illnessand deaths, but this is definitely a positive step."

Sen. Rob Johnson, R-Yukon, also voiced hisstrong support of SB 501.

"People have a choice about whether to dobusiness with a restaurant or other establishment

that allows smoking," said Johnson. "But when

it comes to city parks, those are owned by thepublic. I fully support the right of their locally

elected officials to enact smoking bans on gov-ernment properties. SB 501 ensures that theycan."

SB 501 will now be sent to the House of Rep-resentatives.

Food Stam p

Users M ust W orkThe Oklahoma House of Representativesoverwhelmingly passed a major initiative toreform social programs..

House bill 1909 would require able-bodiedrecipients ages 18 to 50, who are not disabledor raising a child, to perform at least 20 hours of

work activities as a condition of receiving foodstamps. Those work requirements come fromthe 1996 Welfare Reform Law, by PresidentClinton.

Currently able-bodied individuals do nothave to fulfill work requirements due to waiv-

ers handed out by the federal government. Thisbill will order DHS to no longer seek those work

requirement waivers."I hope this legislation will end a longstand-

ing cycle of generational welfare recipients,too many people are raised on a cruel cycle of

government subsidized poverty," RepresentativeJames Lockhart said. "Hopefully this bill willencourage personal responsibility and m otivationto strive for a better life."

The bill will now mov e on to the Senate.

A House Democrat opposed to schoolvouchers amended a bill that will allow guns inschool so that parents who object can send theirchildren to private schools.

House Bill 1062 allows a handgun to be car-ried into an elementary or secondary school bya teacher or administrator with a certain amountof training, if the school district permits it. The

school board of education must also pay forthe gun training, which must occur during the

summer."If the House passes this bill, they should

at least let parents who object to gun-toting

teachers and principals opt out," said Rep.Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City. "I would not

support vouchers otherwise, but if parents feeltheir children are unsafe- and arming teachers

does not secure our kids- than schools should

A spokesperson for AARP Oklahoma today

praised a resolution passed by House lawmak-ers recognizing Oklahoma's family caregivers

and encouraging the creation of a special unitwithin the Aging Services Division of theDepartment of Human Services focused on

supporting caregivers."We are so pleased that Oklahoma lawmakers

passed this resolution and, in doing so, showed

their awareness and concern for the agingpopulation in their comm unities," said MarjorieLyons, state president of AARP Oklahoma. "I

would especially like to thank RepresentativesHarold Wright and David Dank, who authoredthe resolution and who are strong advocates forOklahoma's aging population."

House Resolution 1008, by state Reps.Harold Wright and David Dank, notes thatthe population of Oklahoma that is 85 years

or older is projected to reach 131,000 in 2032

Legislation that would allow veterans to pur-chase a lifetime hunting and fishing license has

been approved by a House committee.House Bill 1500, by state Rep. Jason Smal-

ley, would allow Oklahoma veterans who havebeen honorably discharged from active military

duty, National Guard duty or military reserve

duty to purchase a lifetime hunting and fishinglicense for $200.

"It is important to hold up our veterans andhonor their sacrifices on our behalf," said Smal-

provide vouchers so kids can go elsewhere.There are other ways to address the issue ofschool security than effectively militarizing ourschools."

Shelton also offered an amendment to HB

1062 that would make schools provide cellphones in each grade, in case of emergencies.

"Our children need less violence in theirlives, not more," said Rep. Mike Shelton, D-

Oklahoma City. "I understand that we wantsolutions to the mass gun violence againstschool children, but why should we makeviolence more natural for our children than it

already is by allowing teachers and administra-tors to carry guns? Children do not need to feel

comfortable with adults with gun holsters walk-ing around them. If this is our solution, thenparents need other options for their children."

and that nationally 70 percent of people with

Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder live at

home and need assistance.The resolution further notes that three-

fourths of older people living in the com munityreceive personal assistance exclusively fromunpaid caregivers and that this type of care is

much less expensive than nursing home care.

An estimated 596,000 adults in the state providecare to adult relatives or friends, which equates

to an estimated 570 million hours and an esti-mated $6 billion each year.

Wright said AARP Oklahoma is a powerfuladvocate for the aging population.

"This is an organization that keeps the Legislatureinformed about aging issues and regularly brings uspolicy solutions to important problems faced in ourstate," said Wright, R-Weatherford. "I am proud towork w ith them on these policy solutions. They area great resources for Ok lahoma legislators."

ley, R-Stroud. "One of the best things Oklahomahas to offer is outdoor recreation, so we wanted

to make it a little easier for all veterans, not justdisabled veterans, to obtain a license that willallow them to hunt and fish for the remainder oftheir lives."

House Bill 1500 was approved unanimously

by the House Veterans and Military Affairs

Committee. If approved by the House Calendar

Committee, it will be available for consider-ation on the House floor.

This past week, some of the most heateddebate of the session occurred as a Senate com-

mittee took up a measure that would have givenOklahoma communities the right to determinetheir own smoking ordinances.

Currently, Oklahoma is one of only a coupleof states that forbids municipalities from enact-

ing any smoking ordinances that are morerestrictive than those approved at the state level.

Many communities throughout our state haveasked for that right, but that request was deniedwhen the committee voted six to two againstSenate Bill 36.

Those opposing the bill argued restaurantshad already complied when the law was changeda few years ago to require them to install sepa-rate ventilation systems and areas for sm okers toprotect non-smokers from second-hand smoke.

They said it was unfair to change the rules afterthey'd already gone to great expense to follow

the law. Others argued towns that didn't restrictsmoking in businesses such as restaurants might

have an unfair economic advantage over those

that did.The head of the State Health Department

urged the committee to approve the bill, tellingmembers that six thousand Oklahomans dieevery year from smoking. Although we have

enacted programs to reduce the number of smok -ers in our state, this is still one of the highestsmoking states in the nation—one out of everyfour adult Oklahomans is a smoker.

Several communities wishing to improve theircitizens' health had already taken steps in thatdirection by banning smoking in public parks.But just this month the Attorney General saidOklahoma com munities that had passed smoking

bans in municipal parks did not have the author-ity to do that under current state law.Even Governor Mary Fallin had made this

policy change one of her top priorities in her

State of the State address this year. She stated

that when Pueblo, Colorado had banned smok-ing in local taverns and restaurants, they saw thecity's heart attack rate go down.

Although the bill was not approved, the Gov-

ernor held a press conference the next day andannounced she would look at changing state

law using an initiative petition as another way

to reduce smoking deaths in Oklahoma andimprove the health of our citizens. As a result,

ultimately, the people of this state may have the

final say on this issue.As always if you have a question about a

legislative matter, please do not hesitate to con-tact my office at (405) 521-5541 or by email at

paddack@oksenate .gov . It is an honor to

serve as your voice at the State Capitol. If I maybe of help, please contact me. May God Bless

you!

Bill in House kills

B i g B i r d in O k la hom aPublic broadcasting will lose all public money

if HB 2218 passes the House during deadline

week.House Bill 2218 will reduce appropriated

funds until fiscal year 2022 to the OklahomaEducational Television Authority, which broad-

casts quality, commercial-free children's, arts,

and cultural programming. After 2022, OETA

will no longer receive public funds."I don't think this bill reflects the will of the

people," said Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, D-Tulsa."Public broadcasting is a rich cultural resource.People love what they get to watch on OETA andwe all gain from having it. This bill is an attemptto suffocate one of the people of Oklahoma's

most valuable assets, which is already on lifesupport from reduced appropriations from the

legislature. Our constituents need to know about

this bill and what we'll lose if it passes."

Currently, OETA only receives approximatelya third of its funding, $3.8 million, from stateappropriations.

"OETA is a highly valued organization, cher-

ished by so many Oklahomans," said McDaniel.

"Legislators must be good stewards to protectthis important education, entertainment, andhistory outlet. We must p reserve this agency andwork together with their board as we build for

tomorrow's audiences."

"With that in mind," said McDaniel. "Rather

than HB2218, we should implement a process tocarefully consider the role of OETA in our future.This jewel in Oklahoma's crown is a collabora-tion of public/private funds. While the state of

Oklahoma provides approximately 36 percent of

the program's funding, we must work together toassure the program's continuance and look to astrong and healthy tomorrow."

L o c a l O p i n i o n s S o u g h tH o w t o W r i te T h e P r o d u c e r : T h e P r o d u c e r w e l c o m e s o t h e r p o i n t s

of view(letters to the editor). Y ou may write on any subject,

i n c l u d i n g d i s a g r e e i n g w i t h e d i t o r i a l s t a n d s o f T h e P r o d u c e r . Y o u r

l e t te r m a y b e e d i t e d t o d e l e t e a n y m a t e r ia l t h o u g h t t o b e l i b e l o f

i n v a s i o n o f p r i v a c y , o r t o c o n f o r m t o s p a c e a v a i l a b le . T h e t h r u s t

o f t h e l e t t e r w i l l n o t b e e l i m i n a t e d . A d d r e s s y o u r l e t t e r t o : A n o t h e r

P o i n t o f V i e w , P .O . B o x 4 3 1 , S e m i n o l e , O K 7 4 8 6 8

AARP O klahoma Praises

House Resolution

Com m ittee Approves LifetimeHunting/Fishing Licenses 4 Vets