I pay property taxes … please fix my road

Imagine paying thousands of dollars every year in property taxes and at the same time watching your roads literally crumble under the strain of increasing traffic. Unfortunately, some won’t have to imagine this because I’ve just described your reality.

Cost saving modernization proposals set to go into law

OKLAHOMA CITY – With Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin’s recent approval of numerous government modernization initiatives, Oklahomans should expect to pay less for government while gaining additional oversight of government activities.

Two Examples of Courage

With the recent news coverage of the government’s inappropriate use of the IRS, citizens have paid special attention to practices within various federal agencies.

The right kind of leadership

Before this year’s legislative session, pundits opined about the divided Republican caucus in the House. The 2012 session had not been an easy one and those pundits enjoyed pointing to the allegedly fractured group of Republican Representatives and perhaps predicting ensuing chaos. Those predictions did not come true in part due to extremely effective leadership by new House Speaker TW Shannon.

The Assimilation

As the legislative session came to a close last week, it was my job to filter incoming bills. Lobbyists are notorious for putting dramatic last minute proposals into bills in the final days of session. They hope their changes will go unnoticed and may write the new law so that it is difficult to understand. They are counting on the anxious-to-adjourn legislators giving the bill a pass and hoping the legislation will be camouflaged among the other last minute proposals. I don’t want to find out weeks from now that I voted for one of these bad bills by mistake.

I Will Vote No!

All indications point to this being the last week of this year’s legislative session. The Legislature will go home a week early. This is good news for Oklahomans as not only will there be cost savings but all Oklahomans should breathe a sigh of relief when the Legislature stops making new laws a week ahead of schedule.

Saying goodbye to the earmark‏

Before I print my update for this week, I have attached a press release from the Governor’s office regarding her government consolidation measures which I authored in the House on her behalf and which were signed into law on Friday. It has been an honor to advance these proposals this year and I shall endeavor to write future updates about these issues.

My views on the State budget proposal

On Thursday, the Governor and legislative leaders announced an agreement for the composition of the state’s next budget. Capitol insiders as hard pressed to recall a time when these groups reached a budget agreement this early in the year.

Gas Tax Increase – How Your No Vote Fixed the Problem

Frequent readers of these articles will recall the series of updates I have written about the significant progress the state is making in regards to paving roads and building bridges.

Tax Reduction, Workers Comp, Welfare Reform and No Bonds

This is a big week in the Legislature. It is a key deadline week. By this Thursday another set of proposals will fail to advance past the deadline and will become dormant for this year.