SENATOR COFFEE: Gov. Henry is Putting Families at Risk by Releasing A Violent Criminal Every Workday

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee said Friday that a new criminal justice study shows that Gov. Brad Henry was “flat wrong” when he claimed Wednesday that releasing violent criminals on supervised parole is better than making them serve their full sentence.

The authors of two bills to protect victims of domestic violence or rape are pushing legislative committees to approve the measures before it’s too late. This coming Thursday, April 7, is the Senate deadline for committees to act on bills from the opposite chamber, while the deadline for the House is Thursday, April 21.

The lawmakers, along with representatives of the YWCA, The Oklahoma Conference of Churches and Oklahoma’s Catholic Charities spoke in support of the bills at the State Capitol on Monday.
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Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to send Governor Brad Henry’s Texas-Plus lawsuit reform plan to the floor of the State Senate for a vote.

Democrats supported the ground-breaking reform measure, while Republicans opposed it. Judiciary Committee Chairman Charlie Laster explained that Henry’s plan was inserted as an amendment in House Bill 2047 by Speaker Todd Hiett.
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Chairman Charles Laster led Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday in voting for amendments that weakened House Bill 2046, the landmark workers’ comp reform bill authored by House Speaker Todd Hiett, R-Kellyville, and Sen. Scott Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow.

Before being amended, Pruitt’s bill was estimated to reduce workers’ comp costs by up to $158 million by the non-partisan National Council on Compensation Insurance. A competing plan authored by Gov. Brad Henry is estimated to only save $20 to 51 million.

The third time won’t be a charm for lawsuit reform if Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Laster and Senate Democrat leaders get their way.

After two straight years of having real lawsuit reform blocked by Gov. Brad Henry and legislative Democrats in favor of watered-down tort bills, proponents of reform were hoping to finally get meaningful lawsuit reform passed in 2005.

House Republicans, who talk about “family values,” have put at risk a major tax cut that truly values working families, according to the chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Senator Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant, said the Senate Democrats’ HOPE Plan – a permanent $402 million tax cut targeted to working families – could already have been on the governor’s desk if House Republicans had simply approved the measure as is. HOPE stands for “Helping Oklahomans Prosper Economically” and senators passed the bill on March 2.
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A bill to help bring computer child pornographers to justice is now part of Oklahoma law. Sen. Cliff Branan, R-OKC, is principal author of SB 513, which was signed by Gov. Brad Henry yesterday. The House author of the measure is Rep. Ken Miller, R-Edmond.

“I believe this is an important step in helping stop the sexual exploitation of children through the Internet. These shocking images are evidence of a terrible crime. This bill gives law enforcement an important tool in their efforts to go after these criminals,” Branan said.
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Committee Hearings Not Scheduled for Laci and Conner’s Bill, Covenant Marriage, Informed Consent, Marriage Penalty

Oklahoma families are getting the short end of the stick in the Oklahoma State Senate this year. Several pro-family bills will die this week in the Senate for lack of a committee hearing.

Among the bills not scheduled for a hearing in Thursday’s meeting of the Senate’s Health and Human Resources Committee is House Bill 1257, the “Laci and Conner Peterson” law.

“The Senate 2020 plan is the only plan that provides new money for bridge and road maintenance in Fiscal Year 2006. Under our plan, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation will be able to both make increased payments on its debt service obligations and invest $52.1 million in bridge and road repairs in FY 2006.

“With our proposal Oklahomans will see results before the end of 2005. It will take three years before the House plan provides enough new money to ODOT to allow for increased bridge and road maintenance.
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An attack news release from Republican members of the Senate is little more than a smoke screen to hide a “shameful tax policy,” according to the chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant, made the statement in response to one of a flurry of politically charged attack news releases issued by Republicans in the Senate and House of Representatives.