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Should Private Companies Be Allowed To Own Our Roads?
By Rep. Jason Murphey
As a member of the House of Representative’s Transportation Committee I have been able to observe one of the most controversial but rarely talked about and mostly under the radar issues regarding the long term development of our highway system.
One year ago I wrote in my update about an the issue at the heart of which has been Oklahoma’s membership in a group known as the North America SuperCorridor Coalition (NASCO), the desire of big corporations to enhance the movement of Chinese-manufactured goods throughout North America, the possible privatization of new state and federal highways and NASCO’s desire to deploy sophisticated tracking devices along I-35.
In the past I written about what I believe to be the inappropriate and frightening alliance of big business monopolies backed up by the power of big government. Nowhere is this abuse more evident than when big companies buy long term leases of public roads. You can only imagine how your power as a citizen is minimized when a big (and likely foreign owned) corporation has complete control over a public road on which you depend in order to get where you need to go.
The issue of private ownership of public roads is in its infancy in Oklahoma but appeared to be growing after Texas planned out the construction of the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) network. The TTC was to be owned and financed over the next 50 years by a foreign investment group based in Spain known as Cintra. Read more…
Most of the interim studies have been heard, but I have one coming up on November 6th regarding the possibility of updates for voter rolls and notification to state agencies upon the death of an Oklahoman. The Department of Health does not currently share this information automatically and it would help a great deal for other agencies to know this information.
I remember seeing my grandmother’s name on the voter rolls after she had passed and thought this would be good to have the names removed so the family does not have to go through current channels. Should a name be mistakenly removed, provisional ballot would still be allowed so a vote will not be prohibited. I authored the bill that allowed provisional ballots here in Oklahoma. Read more…
It was a very informative two weeks for me as I participated in a program called the New Generation Seminar. This was conducted through a Congressional grant by a program established 18 years ago with the University of Hawai’i and their East-West Center. I had the opportunity to visit with politicians and journalists from Asian countries, along with three other politicians from the United States. It truly was a small world as one of the American politicians, Rep. Tim Moore, R – North Carolina, was a friend of mine during my college days. Tim attended Oklahoma City University for law school and we were both active in the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature during the same period of time.
Senator Chuck Hagel, R – Nebraska (center) poses with delegates from the 18th New Generation Seminar, including Rep. Joe Dorman (far right)
The conference was established to build better relations between the United States and these various countries that participate. The delegates had the opportunity to learn from each other’s cultures and also spend time on a predetermined topic. This topic was globalization, which primarily focused on the job sectors in America that have been affected through companies moving large segments of their industry overseas. Each delegate was responsible for a discussion on an area of their home and I chose Agritourism. For more on this topic, check out http://www.oklahomaagritourism.com/ for a great breakdown of this new industry in our state that is assisting rural farmers, ranchers and landowners establish tourism. Read more…
Hello again, everybody! The Oklahoma Constitution guarantees “all political power is inherent in the people.”
One of the clearest expressions of that power is that the sole ability to amend the state Constitution rests with voters. The Legislature can only propose constitutional amendments; the ultimate decision to ratify constitutional amendments rests with you. This is an important right we as Oklahomans have.
On Election Day – just four weeks away – you will have the ability to pass judgment on a proposed constitutional amendment that I strongly supported when it was before the Senate. In fact, I was a co-sponsor of the proposal.
State Question 742 would guarantee one of the rights we as Oklahomans cherish the most: the right to hunt, fish, trap and take game. The wording you will see on the November 4 ballot is:
“This measure adds a new section to the State Constitution. It adds Section 36 to Article 2. It gives all people of this state the right to hunt, trap, fish and take game and fish. Such activities would be subject to reasonable regulation. It allows the Wildlife Conservation Commission to approve methods and procedures for hunting, trapping, fishing and taking of game and fish. It allows for taking game and fish by traditional means. It makes hunting, fishing, and trapping the preferred means to manage certain game and fish. The new law will not affect existing laws relating to property rights.”
Some have suggested this constitutional amendment is unnecessary. After all, who would ever try to prevent us from hunting and fishing? The truth is there are groups out there that have it as their mission to take away this cherished right. Read more…
We’ve told you about the energy con artists and their Kool-Aid drinking enablers. We all know who the con artists are, and the thinking ones among us know it’s a scam, but the body count of those claimed by the energy con artist gang just keeps spreading. Note the latest victims to be publicly linked with the scam.
One sure sign of a con artist organization, or their victims, is the refusal to talk to the press. Here’s the latest Joe Isuzu update from the Gazette.
Related:
Burns Hargis Discusses Boone Pickens Energy Plan
Hat tip: OkStateNews
espite recent optimistic news on new shale gas reserves, the totality of North American natural gas production remains on a treadmill, as the grim EROI reaper has relentlessly raised the marginal cost of producing- to currently above the price of natural gas futures. While shutting in production is not easy to do once wells are drilled, low prices with rising cost structures can put the crimp on future expansion. Chesapeake (CHK), the largest US natural gas producer and operator of land rigs, announced last evening they will be curtailing production, cutting their rig count and reducing capital expenditures. Read more…
Quote of the Day: “Well Now, This Makes For an Interesting Game of Connect the Dots”
OK Legislators’ Blog: Dorman Calls Energy Forum an Educational Success
Happy Birthday Rep. Dorman!
I have to start my column off this week by thanking all those who have wished me a happy birthday. I turn 38 on September 18th and I have to say it’s been a great year.
We are seeing the the interim studies at the Capitol finally being scheduled. I have a study with several other legislators regarding autism coverage for children that will meet this week. This will look at possible solutions for assistance for families that are affected by autism and what can be done to help. We will have speakers discuss successes in other states, along with attempts that failed, and also bring in families who might have suggestions on changes in the law where assistance can be provided efficiently.
On Friday, I have my forum regarding alternative energy policies. I hope those of you interested in alternative energy sources and the possibility of the reduction of dependence on foreign oil will have the opportunity to make it up for this meeting. We have a great variety of guest speakers, ranging for the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy to businesses that have shifted to using CNG vehicles for their fleets. This should provide a great outlook on future trends and possible policies we can implement to help our nation. This will occur in the Senate Chamber in the Capitol from 9 AM to noon. Read more…
There has been quite a bit of discussion around the State Capitol the past couple of months in regards to energy policy. Back in August, I unveiled a bill to incentivize local gas stations to put in fueling ports for CNG and other alternative fuels. Following that release, Speaker Benge held a press conference to discuss this and other policies, such as creating classes in the career tech system to teach students how to build and repair equipment for these ports and also for continued work on wind energy turbines. T. Boone Pickens has also unveiled a plan called “The Pickens Plan” that hopes to break our addiction to foreign oil and develop local alternatives.
I’m hoping this discussion will continue, along with ways to bring down the current gas prices. In order to help this along, I’m holding an energy forum at the State Capitol on Friday, September 19th to discuss the upcoming bills and possible solutions that other states have pursued. I have invited several experts in the various energy and tax fields to present to the legislators in attendance and also those in the public that wish to attend. The meeting will begin at 9:00 A.M. in the State Senate Chamber and if you could, please RSVP to my office to let them know so we can prepare enough seating. Read more…
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to hold an interim study on tuition and fee increases within our university system in Oklahoma. Due to time constraints, it was broken into two meetings, the second of which will conclude next Tuesday at the Capitol at 11 A.M. should you wish to attend.
It was stated by staff from the State Regents that 236,000 students are currently enrolled in the higher education system in Oklahoma. Numbers given by them show the amount for appropriations for financial aid is roughly $91 million for FY 2009, which comes out of our $7 billion budget. Roughly half the state budget currently goes to educational programs. This was an area the committee certainly felt needed to be addressed. We also saw that veterans and military personnel in combat situations are often affected by income caps placed on Oklahoma’s Promise qualifications. Oklahoma’s Promise is the program used to fund state assistance to students with income needs and who meet certain academic requirements. This was amended this past legislature to fund these scholarships before any other program can be given state dollars. We will be reviewing this since only tuition can be covered through this and no fees are allowed to be paid from this program.
Another event I had the opportunity to attend was the wrap-up breakfast of the Oklahoma State School Board Association and Cooperative Council of Oklahoma School Administration. Read more…
By Rep. Jason Murphey
How can you tell the difference between those politicians who have sold out and bought into the “government as usual” status-quo, and the elected officials who remain representatives of the people? During past columns, I have described two of the criteria that I have formed, based on observing the political process. In my next two columns, I would like to explain the third, and I believe most important, criteria that best defines the difference between these two groups.
In recent years, local, state and federal government has placed a heavy burden of taxation on the people in Oklahoma. You might think that having all of these financial resources would mean that the government would not ever have to ask the people for more funding.
In the free market, the consumer rewards those businesses that do a good job by buying their products. Businesses are thus rewarded for having the best products at the lowest possible prices. And those who work in the business world are forced to work hard and perform well for their consumers. If they stop working hard, the result will be that consumers will stop buying their products and those businesses will cease to exist.
In the government world, those who run the government do not have to react to free market forces. Consumers (we, the people) are forced to use government services no matter what the quality is — and we are also forced to pay the bill. Even if the government does not perform to our satisfaction, it will still exist; and rarely does the price of government go down. Read more…
I want to start the column this week by thanking Pastor Leon Shade and the congregation at First Baptist Church in Apache. I was invited to speak to the church on Sunday about prison ministry work and the problems we are facing with the corrections system here in Oklahoma. We have some great volunteers here in Oklahoma, such as Billie Ruth McDonald from Lawton who spend time inside the prison walls ministering to the inmates to help them find faith.
I’m carrying legislation (HCR 1008) to create a task force to look at establishing a “reintegration facility” here in Oklahoma. This would turn an existing facility into a place where inmates would go one year from release to learn how to survive outside the walls by taking life skills classes. This will cut down on recidivism and save money down the road by teaching them how to live a normal existence and not return to a life of crime.
This is a heavily debated issue where some people say we are being “soft on crime” by trying to prepare these convicts to learn how to live outside prison again and others saying that religious groups should not be involved in prison ministry work due to the separation of church and state. Both these arguments are silly in my opinion. Read more…
By Rep. Joe Dorman
Last Friday, another piece of legislation that was of importance to the state was heard on the House floor. HB 3111 by Ron Peterson, R-Tulsa, would provide that any future insurance mandate passed by the legislature would require it to sit over for a minimum of two years, have an actuarial study paid for by an outside source to see how much insurance costs would rise and if passed within one year, require a 75% vote of the legislature rather than the simple majority. This bill, an attempt to reduce required coverage of such things as autism, colorectal screenings and assistance for Phenylketonuria (PKU), was passed 53 to 46. Two Republicans crossed over to join all 44 Democrats in voting against this bill.
I debated against this bill on several points. This legislation takes away the authority of legislators to determine in a year if one of these mandates is necessary. It is also under the assumption that we cannot make a decision that is not emotional on the subject of mandates. Another point is that an actuarial study done by an outside source (usually the insurance company) will not be unbiased as would something prepared by our House Staff. Read more…
By Rep. Joe Dorman
OKLAHOMA CITY –To keep the bear population from increasing to dangerous amounts in Oklahoma, state Rep. Joe Dorman filed legislation to establish permitting guidelines for the state black bear hunting season
House Bill 3077, by Dorman, allows the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife (ODW) to sell a special black bear hunting license to be used during a specific time period or when the number of killed bears reaches a certain quota.
“There have been many complaints of these bears tearing into cabins to raid the food,” said Dorman, D-Rush Springs. “These bears are large and can easily harm people and destroy property. We need to do what we can to control their population so they are not endangering people either camping or by causing increased wrecks by wandering on to the roads.” Read more…
By Rep. Joe Dorman
On Monday, we saw the beginning of the second session of the 51st Oklahoma Legislature convene. It was a time of hope and optimism as Governor Brad Henry delivered the State of the State and called for his agenda to be implemented over the coming months by the House and Senate. Many of his programs were greeted with enthusiasm, while others were not as well received. I can already tell it is going to be a busy session with quite a bit of debate.
Of more importance to the internal workings of the House of Representatives, we elected our new Speaker to finish out this term. Rep. Chris Benge of Tulsa was voted in on a unanimous vote of the membership of the House. I’ve worked with Chris for many years and feel he will do a good job of cleaning up the problems we’ve seen with ethics over the past few months. Chris has been fair to the members as the Appropriations and Budget Chair and I feel he will be willing to work with all members despite their party affiliation. I wish him well and look forward to working with Speaker Chris Benge. Read more…