Bills Filed for 2010 Session
January 15th, 2010
DURANT, Okla. – Hello again, everybody! It is two weeks from the start of the 2010 session of the Oklahoma Legislature, but we already passed one of the session’s toughest deadlines.
All bills had to be introduced by last Thursday. It was the culmination of months of work beginning with lawmakers visiting constituents to learn what issues the people would like to see addressed.
That process involves communication between lawmakers and staff at the State Capitol. Often, the individual who first proposed the idea is contacted to get details about what they would like to see done.
For weeks, I have been in almost constant communication with Senate staff preparing my bills. Also, I talked with many people who had insight into specific proposals. They helped make the bill drafts more clear and – in some cases – even stopped bills.
My legislation this year would improve our tax code, create new jobs, make health care more accessible and affordable, and protect our children. Those are themes that have run throughout the seven years I have been your senator.
Protecting children is one of the issues for which I am most known. That work continues this year with several bills. Of course, I will continue my battle for children with autism with several proposals.
Another bill is SB 2064, which would enlarge the 300-foot “zone of safety” around schools, child care facilities and parks. Sex offenders that have harmed children under the age of 13 cannot travel in those zones except to drop off or pick up their own children at a school or a child care facility.
My bill would increase the zone to 500 feet, and apply it to offenders who harmed a child under the age of 18. Further, it would tighten restrictions for those rare cases where offenders could enter the zone to care for their own children.
There will be heated battles over education. With budget numbers as bad as they are, one of my top goals simply will be to protect public schools’ ability to provide the best education possible.
Some dismiss public schools as the “government education monopoly.” In truth, public education is nothing short of the miracle to which America owes its standing as the world’s sole superpower. I won’t turn my back on schools or the children for whom they exist.
If you would like to look at any or all the bills introduced for 2010, simply go to my website at www.gumm.us; I will have a link to the Senate’s website where you can find every bill introduced. No matter what happens, this is going to be a very interesting year.
Thanks again for reading this week’s “Senate Minute.” Have a great week, and may God bless you all.