A good bill hijacked by GOP member

Rep. Terry Harrison
Special to the News-Capital

April 19, 2008 03:51 pm

— The committee process has concluded with this week’s time being spent exclusively on the House floor considering hundreds of bills. We have until Thursday to hear Senate bills in the House so next week’s session will be even longer.
Just when I think I have seen it all, something happens that just leaves me amazed. I was the House author of Senate Bill 1547, a simple clean-up bill with request language from Oklahoma’s court clerks. In a political procedural move, state Rep. John Wright, R-Broken Arrow, hijacked my bill and stripped it of all my language and replaced it with “covenant marriage” language. As a result of this sabotage, I am probably the first representative to debate and vote against my own bill.
McIntosh County Treasurer Carol Lindley and Pittsburg County Treasurer Cerita Morley, as well as a contingent from their offices, were at the Capitol to lobby for Senate Bill 1770, a bill of importance to county treasurers statewide. The bill was designed to help the average taxpayer and would give more options for payment of ad valorem taxes if a homeowner were about to lose his or her home.
Senate Bill 1819 was in the spotlight this week. This bill, nicknamed the “Reverse Robin Hood” bill, would revise the Quality Jobs Act to provide tax incentives to benefit the owners of the Seattle SuperSonics as they move their team to Oklahoma. I want to begin by saying that I am firmly convinced that the SuperSonics are coming to Oklahoma; it is just a matter of when they are coming. An NBA team located permanently in Oklahoma City is a big deal; it will sustain Oklahoma City’s emergence as a first class city and tourism market.
If Senate Bill 1819 were a deal breaker, I would vote to give incentive money to the SuperSonics’ owners, but that is not the case. Very simply, it is a misuse of taxpayer money to give money to some of Oklahoma’s richest citizens. I could never in good conscience vote to give $60 million to owners of an NBA team when OSP is in such need and when our correctional officers are being forced to work double shifts because of understaffing.
Senior Day at the Capitol is always one of the busiest days of the legislative session. It was good to greet seniors from both McIntosh and Pittsburg counties. It was my honor to introduce Kathie Ward, Ph. D., as the Psychologist of the Day for the House of Representatives on Monday.
District 18 State Rep. Terry Harrison: House of Representatives, State Capitol Building, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105. OKC Watts line: 800-522-8502, ext. 376. Oklahoma City: 405-557-7376. McAlester: 302-1302.