House Media Division
Three members of the House of Representatives told members of the media they believe their bills are being unfairly held up in the Senate committee process.
Reps. John Bennett, Dan Fisher and Ken Walker spoke on behalf of their pieces of legislation currently awaiting a hearing in the state Senate. The three bills being held up are:
n House Bill 2070 – the Protection of Human Life Act, by Rep. Fisher
n House Bill 2317 – Merry Christmas bill, by Rep. Walker
n House Bill 2422 – Religious Viewpoints Antidiscrimination Act, by Rep. Bennett
“The House of Representatives passed three bills promoting life and protecting religious expression in this state in an overwhelming and bipartisan fashion,” said Walker, R-Tulsa. “Yet Senate leadership, specifically the chairman of education and the chairman of public health, are refusing to allow an up-or-down vote in their committees on these three bills. They are single-handedly telling the people of Oklahoma that your will was not heard when your representatives voted overwhelmingly for these three bills.”
The Merry Christmas bill passed by a 73-10 vote earlier this session.
“One man, the chairman of the education committee in the Senate, is being the Grinch That Stole Christmas by not allowing an up-or-down vote on this strongly desired piece of legislation,” Walker said. “This chairman is, in essence, telling Virginia she can’t celebrate with Santa Claus in your public schools. We find this unacceptable and we encourage the chairman of the education committee in the Senate on the Oklahoma Merry Christmas bill that you want that bill passed.”
Fisher’s House Bill 2070 won passage from the House by a 73-14 vote but has yet to earn a hearing in a Senate committee. The bill would make embryonic stem cell research illegal in Oklahoma, but would only outlaw research on stem cells that would destroy or cause extensive harm to embryos.
“The frustrating part of this for me is that not only did this bill receive an overwhelming vote in the House of Representatives, but I also realize that a large portion of Oklahoma citizens are pro-life,” said Fisher, R-Yukon. “I believe Oklahoma citizens want to go on record saying they don’t want it to happen here. Because, in the end, these embryos are more than embryos – they’re babies.
“This very bill, with just some minor differences, passed both the House and the Senate in 2009. Interestingly enough, the chairman who is refusing to hear it in the Senate today voted for the bill in 2009. It was vetoed by then-Gov. Brad Henry. The bill came back to the Legislature and the House voted to override the veto and the Senate fell just a few votes short. But interestingly enough again, the chairman of the public health committee who is refusing to hear this today voted in favor of overriding Gov. Henry’s veto. It’s almost like déjà vu in a way – the John Kerry ‘I voted for this bill before I voted against it’ scenario. I don’t quite understand why we wouldn’t want to hear a bill that passed overwhelmingly in 2009.”
House Bill 2422, by Bennett, would protect the religious liberties of students and also protect schools from legal harassment via frivolous lawsuits.
“These bills have come from issues that they’ve brought to our attention in my district and across the state,” said Bennett, R-Sallisaw. “My bill, the Religious Freedoms Anti-Discrimination Act, passed overwhelmingly out of the House two sessions in a row. This session it passed 88-0. In both sessions, it went over to the chairman of the common education committee and that chairman, one person, decided to not listen to the will of the House – which reflects the will of the people – and not hear that bill. When asked why he wouldn’t hear the bill, he said we are creating a solution to a problem that does not exist. And even though I showed proof to that chairman that it does exist throughout the state, he still refused to hear that bill.
“We’re being proactive instead of reactive with this bill making sure our children’s religious liberties are being protected at school. The bill has been found constitutional, made it through the House and the Senate several years ago and was vetoed by then-Gov. Brady Henry. This bill is nothing new and is supported by many.”
“If these bills cannot pass on their own merits, well then that’s how the process works,” Rep. Fisher said. “But at least give bills that received an overwhelming up vote in the House a chance to be heard in the Senate. And then it if can’t pass the Senate, then so be it.”
Note: For accompanying video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi5ZeSE4rrg&list=UUcCoB6IesaSZbFDKX4XBFaA
It seems to me that any bill passed in the House should get at least get a Senate Committee vote. Any bill that passes the Senate should likewise get at least a House Committee vote. LOTS of people have become aware that this is how bills are killed.
I love sunlight, and the impact it has on elections.
The “Merry Christmas” bill, while well-intentioned, is a Headline Bill – it gets a favorable headline but it doesn’t do much of consequence. I say Merry Christmas, a little early, to its sponsors and to everyone, but Bah Humbug to the bill. We’ve got more important substantive matters to concern ourselves with in the legislature.
While the “Merry Christmas” bill is not exactly a giant issue (at least in my opinion), it is effective to illustrate the problem of Committee Chairs killing legislation without a vote, and/or leadership using Committee Chairs to avoid certain things.
A small number of people control too much.