Senator Gumm Files for Re-election; Cites Bond with Constituents
June 7th, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY – Senator Jay Paul Gumm filed for re-election Monday. The senator represents all of Bryan, Marshall and Johnston counties, most of Coal County and a portion of Atoka County.
Gumm, a Democrat from Durant, is seeking his third and final four-year term in the Oklahoma Senate. First elected in 2002, the senator was re-elected four years ago without opposition. This would be Gumm’s final term in the Legislature due to Oklahoma’s 12-year term limit law.
In his eight years as senator, Gumm has developed a reputation as one of the Senate’s most passionate and effective voices on a number of issues. Among the issues for which he is known are economic development, public education, and protecting Oklahoma’s children.
In his first year as senator, Gumm – along with Rep. Paul Roan – wrote and passed Senate Bill 288. That landmark law protects the Arbuckle-Simpson Aquifer from being plundered by metropolitan interests. The aquifer is the underground source of water for many communities Gumm serves and several beyond Senate District 6.
“Few lawmakers in their entire career get the opportunity we did in my first year with SB 288,” Gumm said. “This was a controversy in which the future of southern Oklahoma was in the balance. Had we failed, our area literally would have dried up.
“With amazing grassroots support from the people we represent, we were able to defeat the big money interests, cut through the partisanship, and secure southern Oklahoma’s most important source of water.”
The lawmaker wrote and passed the two largest tax cuts in Oklahoma’s history, keeping more money in families’ pockets. His untiring efforts to pass the state’s “Back-to-School” sales tax holiday is cited by many Capitol observers as the key reason the measure finally became law despite fierce opposition by special interests. He continues his fight to remove the regressive sales tax on groceries.
A defender of public education, Gumm has been hailed as a leader in efforts to improve public schools and ensure educators have the tools they need to give every child a chance to, as he says, “become everything God intends for him or her to be.” Higher education has also been one of the senator’s priorities.
Gumm is the only member of the Senate with direct work experience in the area of economic development prior to entering public service. As such, senators from both political parties rely on his knowledge on the subject and his insight on efforts to grow the state’s economy. Results of the senator’s work can be seen in the fact the Senate district Gumm serves is one of only a handful of rural Senate districts in which every county has seen population growth in the last decade.
Children’s issues also have been a priority for Senator Gumm. He drew national attention in 2006 with his successful effort to enact the death penalty for repeat child molesters in Oklahoma.
He passionately fought to help families of children with autism. Gumm won an important victory this year on that front. He amended a bill to make certain health insurance provides the same coverage for illnesses and injuries suffered by a child diagnosed with autism as it does for a child without the diagnosis. That provision is now law in Oklahoma.
The senator was named to the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy’s “Hall of Fame.” Gumm received the honor for his work to reduce childhood poverty in the state. Among the numerous awards the senator has received for his work include:
· Legislator of the Year from the Oklahoma Rifle Association for his efforts to protect the Second Amendment rights of Oklahomans;
· Legislator of the Year from the Disabled American Veterans for his work to assist and honor Oklahoma’s veterans;
· The Preservation Oklahoma Award for his work to encourage redevelopment of Oklahoma’s downtown districts;
· Recognition from the Bureau of Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Control for his work to reduce illegal drugs in our communities;
· Awards of Legislative Excellence from the Oklahoma Association of Mortgage Professionals and the Oklahoma Association of Realtors for his work to encourage home ownership in the state; and
· The Exceptional Commitment Award from the Oklahoma Academy for State Goals, shared with the Senate’s longtime Republican Leader Glenn Coffee. The award was for the lawmakers’ “willingness to be open to and engage in collaborative, nonpartisan approaches to find the best solutions.”
“We have seen amazing progress in southern Oklahoma over the past eight years,” said Gumm. “This election, however, is about where we will take our state over the next four years and beyond, and we must continue that progress.”
The lawmaker concluded by noting southern Oklahoma has both great challenges and amazing opportunities. “We must continue to grow our economy, improve our schools, make the state healthier for our children, and keep families safe from those who would prey upon them,” he said.
“My record is open and clear. The people I represent have never doubted my enthusiasm for this work or my ability to make happen the progress southern Oklahoma deserves. Together, with God’s help, they know we will achieve great things in the years ahead.
“Beyond a legislative record that reflects the values of my constituents, the people I represent really are an extended family. We share a bond that is more than strong enough to withstand any political challenge.”
Gumm and his wife Deena make their home in Durant, the senator’s hometown. They are the proud parents of four-year-old Jacob, who is the fourth consecutive generation of the senator’s family born in Senate District 6, extending back to before statehood.
Senator Gumm maintains a website with comprehensive information about his work and ways to contact him at www.gumm.us. You can also follow the senator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jpgumm and on Twitter at twitter.com/jpgumm.