Senate Republicans To Unveil 2008 Policy Agenda

Republicans of the Oklahoma State Senate will release their policy agenda for the 2008 legislative session today. It will call for better roads and bridges, improvements in education and health care, and economic reforms to promote job creation.

Senate Republicans also will pledge to make Oklahoma government more accountable and transparent, keep violent and habitual criminals behind bars, and provide more tax relief for Oklahoma taxpayers.

“Senate Republicans are ready to provide the new leadership Oklahoma needs in its second century,” said Senator Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, the Senate’s Co-President Pro Tempore. “Today we’re proposing forward-thinking policies and reforms to make Oklahoma a more prosperous and secure place to raise a family, start a business, get a good job, and retire.”

This afternoon, Coffee released details. They include: Establishing an “office of accountability” at the State Legislature to oversee and conduct regular performance audits of state agencies; Ensuring the ROADS Fund for roads and bridges is fully funded each year, and dedicating more motor vehicle taxes and fees for the repair and replacement of state, county, and local roads and bridges; Protecting the public’s safety by keeping violent and habitual criminals behind bars where they belong; Improving education by promoting more school choice, and by ensuring accountability and transparency in student achievement and educational effectiveness; Improving job growth by supporting critical economic reforms, such as lawsuit reform and workers’ comp reform; Ensuring that Oklahoma taxpayers get the income tax cut to 5.25% as planned for 2009; expanding the back-to-school sales tax holiday to include school supplies; and eliminating ineffective and obsolete special interest tax breaks; Protecting the integrity of our elections by requiring voter identification at the ballot box to make sure no illegal votes are cast; Improving health care by supporting free market reforms to improve access and lower costs, and by supporting the use of new technologies, such as e-records, to make healthcare more efficient and secure.

Senate Co-President Pro Tem Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, issued this statement after seeing the Republican agenda: “Over the past year in an evenly divided senate, the Senate Democratic Caucus has proven we are willing to set aside partisan politics to find common ground on policies that help move our state forward. While there will certainly be disagreements on specific policies initiatives, I believe we will be able to find common ground on some of the proposals set forth by Senate Republicans today. But we must ensure we are doing so without duplicating constitutionally-mandated state services, or limiting opportunities for working and middle-class Oklahomans to have a brighter future. In the coming weeks, we intend to unveil an aggressive, specific legislative agenda that offers opportunity and encourages responsibility for all Oklahomans. We will certainly encourage Republicans to join us in a bi-partisan effort to move Oklahoma into greatness.”

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