House Committee Approves Heartbeat Informed Consent Act

 The House Public Health Committee voted today to expand Oklahoma informed-consent laws regarding abortion.

            Senate Bill 1274, by state Sen. Dan Newberry and state Rep. Pam Peterson, creates the Heartbeat Informed Consent Act. The legislation would require an abortion provider to provide a woman the opportunity to hear the fetal heartbeat prior to the procedure.

            “Informed consent laws put the state on the side of the patient and ensure a woman is provided as much relevant information as possible before making a life-altering decision,” said Peterson, R-Tulsa. “With changes in technology, a much greater array of medical information is now available to women and we should not allow them to be denied access to that knowledge.”

            Senate Bill 1274 would apply to situations where the unborn baby is eight weeks or older, and the woman would have the choice on whether or not to hear the heartbeat during a standard pre-procedure exam.

The bill’s provisions do not apply when the mother’s life is in danger.

            “This legislation simply gives a woman the opportunity to hear the heartbeat of her unborn child through the use of the fetal heart monitor,” Peterson said. “A pregnant woman who enters an abortion clinic is faced with a decision that will forever change two lives.  It is for that reason the woman needs to be fully informed.

            “Whether you're pro-life or pro-choice you should be for this bill if you do not want women misled.”

            Senate Bill 1274 passed the House Public Health Committee on a bipartisan 10-1 vote. It now proceeds to the floor of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Governor Fallin Statement on President Obama’s Visit to Cushing

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin issued the following statement today regarding President Barack Obama’s visit to Cushing, Oklahoma, where he is scheduled to discuss energy policy:

“I am pleased that President Obama is able to make his first visit to the great state of Oklahoma this week and to personally see the good work going on in Cushing. The TransCanada pipeline to be built there will connect Oklahoma to oil markets on the Gulf Coast, resulting in the creation of more than 1,000 Oklahoma jobs. This project will help to bolster our energy industry and security for years to come.

“I am glad the president supports the construction of the pipeline connecting Cushing to the Gulf. Impeding the progress of something which is so obviously beneficial to both the economy and the energy security of the United States would have been nothing short of irresponsible.

“Unfortunately, President Obama and his administration are practicing exactly this kind of obstructionism on the northern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have carried oil from the Canadian oil sands and several U.S. markets to Cushing.  As a result, the United States must go without the hundreds of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars of investment that would have otherwise been available to stimulate our economy. Just as importantly, the administration’s decision undermines U.S. energy security and alienates our closest trading partner, Canada.

“I hope that while President Obama is in Oklahoma he takes some time to listen to our citizens, many of whom work for the energy industry which he claims to support. I think they will tell him that – far from supporting the responsible domestic production of American-made energy – his administration has undermined it at every turn. Rather than embracing the truly remarkable technological breakthroughs that have resulted in the discovery of an additional 100-year supply of natural gas, the president and the EPA continue their hostility to basic and time-tested practices like hydraulic fracturing.  The president and his party in Washington continue to support an aggressively anti-energy agenda that will severely hamper the American economy and put the United States at a competitive disadvantage to the rest of the world.

“In Oklahoma, we recognize that the energy industry is an important ally in job creation and economic development. We believe that American energy is a resource, not a hazardous waste. My great hope is that some of that attitude will rub off on our president, who has lost his way on energy policy and so many other issues.”

Cockroft Column: Transparency Bills Fail, Tax Cut Proposals Pass

I was disappointed that House lawmakers failed to pass my legislation that would have made open record requests a more straightforward process. House Bill 2379 would have authorized the state’s chief information officer to create and maintain openrecords.ok.gov, where the public could make open records requests. The chief information officer would then make the requested documents available on data.ok.gov.

Chief Information Officer Alex Pettit has been instrumental in increasing the efficiency of state government and I think he could do wonders for open record requests. My bill would have cut through the bureaucracy that often makes open record requests more difficult than they need to be. I think it is disappointing that more lawmakers did not support this legislation. The bill cannot be reconsidered until 2013.

I was also disappointed by the failure of a second transparency measure that would have made the business of the House subject to open record laws. The legislation would have made all e-mails by lawmakers subject to open record requests, except for e-mails between them and constituents. I think it would have been a great sign of our willingness to show we have nothing to hide up here at the Legislature. Hopefully, lawmakers will be more open to this legislation in future sessions.

On the positive, we passed income tax cut proposals, one of which would eventually phase out the income tax. These bills are not in the final form, but their passage keeps the legislation alive for the remainder of the legislative session while we hammer out the details.

If you have questions or need information, please contact my office at https://webmail.okhouse.gov/owa/redir.aspx?C=4df02e97c6014219bf4bb5b280bc587e&URL=mailto%3ajosh.cockroft%40okhouse.gov or (405) 557-7349. Rep. Cockroft is on Facebook and on Twitter, votecockroft27.

Cockroft's Income Tax Elimination Gains House Support

State Rep. Josh Cockroft was among those supporting a major tax cut for working families today.

            House Bill 3038, authored by Cockroft and 30 other House lawmakers, would phase out Oklahoma’s personal income tax over 10 years.

            “We have the opportunity to attract more businesses to Oklahoma and grow the businesses that are already here by reducing the tax burden on job-creators,” said Cockroft, R-Tecumseh. “This bill would also help working families out by allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned money.”

            Under House Bill 3038, the state’s top income tax rate would be cut from 5.25 percent to 2.5 percent.  After that, there would be annual reductions of .25 until the income tax is completely phased out in 2022.

            House Bill 3038 would repeal Oklahoma’s progressive personal income tax without necessitating increases in other tax rates or cuts in funding to core government services.

            Were Oklahoma to eliminate its personal income tax without raising or expanding any other tax rates, the state would have the lowest overall tax burden in the continental United States.

            “More than $800 million in non-core spending cuts have already been identified that could be eliminated to offset the reduction in revenue achieved by the tax cut,” Cockroft said. “The end result of this legislation would be a leaner government that focuses on true core services and an increase in take-home pay for all Oklahomans.”

            House Bill 3038 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 58-35 vote today. It now proceeds to the state Senate.

Derby Bill Passes Oklahoma House Legislation Would Target Criminals, Protect Law-Abiding Consumers

State Rep. David Derby’s House Bill 2941 has passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives by a vote of 82-5.

The legislation tackles methamphetamine production in Oklahoma by targeting meth criminals while protecting law-abiding consumers’ access to safe and effective medicines containing pseudoephedrine (PSE) such as Advil Cold & Sinus and Mucinex D.

            “The Oklahoma House took an important step that will allow our pharmacists and law enforcement officials to gain the upper hand in the fight against meth production,” said Derby, R-Owasso. “Meth is a horrendous drug that takes lives and ruins families, and I’m proud that we have found a way to address our meth problem in a manner that respects the basic rights of law-abiding Oklahomans.

            “Our bill—which now heads to the Senate—enhances Oklahoma’s real-time electronic blocking system and ensure it is online with the 19 other states that use real-time, stop-sale technology to block unlawful PSE sales,” Derby continued. “This technology will empower pharmacists by enabling them to deny illegal purchases right at the sales counter.

            “This legislation will also provide law enforcement with valuable criminal data up to the second.  Our bills also strengthen Oklahoma’s meth offender registry and reduce the PSE purchasing limit from 9 grams to 7.2 grams per month and virtually cuts in half the annual limit from 108 grams to 60 grams.

            “House passage of HB 2941 is a victory in the battle against meth and a victory for responsible Oklahoma workers and families.”

Governor Fallin Signs Supplemental Funding Bill

 Governor Mary Fallin today signed into law Senate Bill 1959, which provides $92.5 million in emergency supplemental funding for needs in education, public safety, natural disaster relief, and at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. The governor released the following statement:

“Today’s supplemental funding measures will help to ensure the state of Oklahoma is keeping its commitment to our teachers, protecting our citizens by putting more troopers on our state highways,  and providing necessary assistance to communities hard-hit by natural disasters. It also provides necessary personnel and equipment upgrades at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, helping to put that agency back on a path to accreditation.

“All of these funding measures are both urgent and necessary. I applaud the Legislature for sending this supplemental bill to my desk quickly, and I am happy to be able to sign it into law.”

SB 1959, authored by Sen. Clark Jolley and Rep. Earl Sears, includes emergency funding provisions for natural disaster assistance to local communities, counties and other qualified entities ($34.1 million); insurance benefits for teachers and support staff ($37.6 million); a trooper academy for the Department of Public Safety ($5 million); personnel and equipment for the State Medical Examiner’s Office ($1 million); and funding for teacher National Board Certification bonuses ($14.8 million).

Lawmakers outline $853 million in unnecessary Oklahoma government spending

Over $853 million in unnecessary state government spending of taxpayer dollars was outlined today by a group of lawmakers who want to use the savings to make Oklahoma a no-income-tax state.

            The group is advancing a proposal to phase out Oklahoma’s personal income tax over 10 years.

            “We believe Oklahoma should be the state where people keep more of the fruits of their labor than anywhere else,” said state Rep. Leslie Osborn, R-Mustang. “This will make us a magnet for job creators and set us on a path of vibrant economic growth and long-term prosperity.”

            The group’s proposal aims to achieve full phase-out of the tax without raising other tax rates, negatively affecting core state government services, or harming retirees, senior citizens or veterans.

            To do so, the lawmakers say their proposal requires a total of $525 million in total reductions in state government outlays that must be found over a two-year period. Because the savings can be found over two years instead of just one, annual savings found for Fiscal Year 2013 could also be counted again in Fiscal Year 2014 toward the total savings necessary.

            In offering a list of $853 million in total savings options over the next two budget years, the lawmakers maintain there is plenty of room to reduce wasteful, unnecessary state spending while avoiding cutting core services, and still put Oklahoma on track to become the tenth state in the nation without a personal income tax.

            “We can make these reductions and not touch one dollar of actual core spending in education, transportation, public safety, or the safety net for the truly needy,” said state Rep. David Brumbaugh, R-Broken Arrow. “In return, we can repeal our state’s income tax in a responsible amount of time and see an influx of new jobs and investment in Oklahoma at levels we’ve not seen before.”

            The list of $853 million over two years includes savings from three areas: wasteful, inefficient or unnecessary state expenditures; corporate tax credits that have not exhibited a high enough return on taxpayer investment; and modernization, consolidation and technology reforms within state government bureaucracy that are still in the process of being implemented.

            “Some of our colleagues may feel uneasy about eliminating taxpayer subsidies for things like golf courses or rodeos that may be in their home district,” said state Rep. Josh Cockroft, R-Tecumseh. “Or they may think it’s inconvenient to make state agencies operate efficiently. But our constituents sent us to the Capitol to use common sense and fix what needs fixing. And they don’t deserve for their hard-earned tax dollars to be spent wastefully.”

            Cockroft said the goal in releasing the list was to compile credible savings ideas from several sources. Working from this list, the lawmakers hope to encourage their colleagues to build a consensus around which areas of nonessential state spending could be trimmed over the next two years.

            One source lawmakers credited was the work in recent months by state Rep. David Dank, chair of the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Revenue & Taxation, and state Sen. Mike Mazzei, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, to bring attention to ineffective corporate tax credits.

            Another acknowledged source was a recently released list of state budget reduction ideas from the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA), a free-market think tank.

            State Rep. Charles Ortega said he and his colleagues, when examining the savings recommendations from these and other sources, adopted some and left others for another day.

            “The goal here is to put together good ideas from several different places and start reaching a consensus on what’s possible, both politically and practically, in order to find enough savings to phase out our income tax,” said Ortega, R-Altus. “We have great respect for the ideas put forward in recent weeks and months by Chairman Dank, Chairman Mazzei, groups like OCPA and others. Some of these ideas have legs right now, and some may not. We believe repealing Oklahoma’s income tax is essential for our state, so we’re asking our colleagues to work with us to determine where we can reduce unnecessary taxpayer expenditures in order to make it happen.”