It's Your Turn

During the upcoming general election you will have the opportunity to weigh in on a series of issues which have been considered by the Legislature during the past legislative session. For instance, you will have the opportunity to term limit Oklahoma politicians, opt out of the federal government's planned health care mandate, and prohibit state courts from using international law when deciding cases.

Many of these issues were approved by a bi-partisan vote of the Legislature. Because these are matters which must be placed in the State Constitution, they must also be approved by the people of Oklahoma. This important check and balance will give voters the final say as to whether or not they will become law. Following are some of what I believe to be the most interesting state questions:

State Question Number 747 would place a term limit of eight years on Oklahoma's elected office holders and a limit of twelve years on Oklahoma Corporation Commissioners. I authored this proposal in conjunction with State Senator Randy Brogdon and am anxious to see what the voters think.
House Joint Resolution 1056 directs that Oklahoma voters be asked to approve an amendment to the Oklahoma Constitution to prohibit state courts from using international or other forms of law when making decisions. You may have seen the bill's author Representative Rex Duncan explaining this legislation on the Sean Hannity show last Friday night. Passage of this proposal would make Oklahoma the first state to propose this pre-emptive strike on the use of Islamic and international law to guide the decisions of Oklahoma judges. The proposal was seen by the Legislature as a necessary step in light of the fact that Sharia courts have been established in Great Britain and international law has been used as a possible guiding legal example by a Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

State Question Number 746 would establish a voter ID requirement such as a driver's license or voter ID card. This has been an important issue which the Legislature has considered a number of times before finally meeting with success in sending the issue to a vote of the people.

State Question 751 establishes the English language as the language to be used by state government. This legislation would establish the principle that a lawsuit could not be filed according to state law against the state or county governments because the state or county did not use a language other than English.

Senate Joint Resolution 59, a resolution which I co-sponsored, would prohibit laws making a person or employer use a particular health care system. It is Oklahoma's response to the recent federal health care proposal and it is known as Oklahoma's opt-out proposal. I believe if enough states approve these types of proposals, the federal governments health care expansion could be significantly reduced.

There is one issue that should also have been on this list of important ballot questions. This issue is the idea that property taxes should be capped at no more than a 3% increase each year. I am very disappointed that the Legislature did not give the people to right to vote on property tax reform this year.

There are a series of other state questions which will also be on the ballot. If you would like more information about these, please do not hesitate to contact me.