Senator Clark Jolley Named to NCSL Post

Senator Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, has been appointed vice chair of the National Conference of State Legislatures' (NCSL) Standing Committee on Education.

The appointment was made by current NCSL president, Georgia State Sen. Don Balfour. NCSL is a bipartisan organization made up of lawmakers and staff from all 50 state legislatures.

Share |

Jolley Joins ACYPL Korean Delegation

Senator Clark Jolley (R-Edmond) has been selected by the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) as a delegate to the Republic of Korea for a ten day political study program beginning Friday.

Jolley will join five other young political leaders from across the United States to study the South Korean political system, engage in dialogue on international issues and forge professional relationships.

Share |

Jolley Rips 'Character Assassination Plot'

After witnessing an independent videographer in the Senate TV gallery tracking the movements of Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee yesterday, Assistant Senate Majority Floor Leader Clark Jolley expressed disappointment that the "character assassination plot" against the Pro Tempore apparently isn’t over.

The videographer was staking out the Pro Tem, capturing footage of the Senate Leader’s empty desk as he was working away from the Senate floor on Tuesday.

"Anyone who holds even the most minimal knowledge of the operations of the Legislature understands that the President Pro Tem, the Speaker of the House, and others in key leadership positions have multiple meetings every day, even during session," Jolley added.

"This has been standard practice from Day One, for both Democrat and Republican leaders in both Houses. They simply have too many responsibilities to be tethered to their desk on the floor all day every day.

"The Pro Tem is involved in critical negotiations on major initiatives, as well as meeting with a multitude of people with interest before the state, and that has been the case with every Pro Tem in state history," he continued.

"I fully expect the shadowy group paying this political hit man is planning on using video of an empty desk in a new round of television commercials, certain to be as dishonest and inflammatory as the first rounds were," he said.

"They can’t win at the ballot box or in the legislative process, so they’ve resorted to an expensive campaign of character assassination and the politics of personal destruction. It’s time for someone to call them into account and put an end to their deception," Jolley continued.

"If the opposition’s calls for transparency are sincere, they should disclose who is paying this individual to shoot misleading video for their partisan purposes," Jolley asked. "At least we now know what the next political hit will be against Pro Tem Coffee.

"If these partisan political hacks choose to use this disingenuous video to continue their crusade against Senator Coffee, their tactics will have stooped below the disgusting level they have already achieved," Jolley concluded.

Share |

Jolley's Education Reform Bill Clears Senate

A measure to provide greater accountability and transparency in public education passed the State Senate with bipartisan support today.

Senator Clark Jolley is principal author of Senate Bill 1111, the “Educational Accountability Reform Act.”

The measure would restructure Oklahoma’s education system to create better transparency and accountability on data and testing, Jolley said. The current Office of Accountability would be restructured into the Educational Quality and Accountability Office.

“There is a problem nationwide with states being forthcoming about student achievement, because those achievement levels can directly impact public office holders,” said Jolley, R-Edmond. “By moving testing oversight to an impartial third party, we can get objective numbers and begin to enact reforms that will truly improve student achievement.”

Democrats Jerry Ellis and Judy Eason McIntyre joined Republicans in supporting the bill.

Share |

Murphy Challenged On Second Donation

Democrat Senate candidate Bob Murphy (pictured) of Stillwater is being challenged today by Republicans to acknowledge the receipt of a $5,000 contribution from the controversial Working Oklahomans Alliance, a political action committee operated by trial lawyers and funded, in large part, by "donations" from workers' comp claim recipients, many of them unemployed.

The challenge follows yesterday's challenge from GOP Senator Clark Jolley over a $650 donation to Murphy from a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission, Jim Loftis. Following Jolley's challenge, Murphy returned the donation and Loftis said he would recuse himself from any action in selecting a district judge in Payne County. Murphy held the post and resigned it to make the Senate race; then, a day before the application deadline to fill the post, he filed to fill his own vacancy. He said he'd prefer to serve in the Senate, but if not, wants to remain a judge.

The Working Oklahomans Alliance reports donating $5,000 to Murphy, yet Murphy has insisted he “can’t locate” the contribution.

“The judge says because he can’t locate the check, it’s a ‘moot point,’” said Randy Swanson, executive director of the Oklahoma Republcan Senatorial Committee.

“It’s not moot. In fact, it’s time for the judge to come clean about the contribution, then do the right thing and turn the money over to charity,” said Swanson. “To return the cash to the Working Oklahomans Alliance would do no good for the aggrieved worker’s comp claimants.

“We suggest that Murphy feed a few hungry Oklahomans by donating this cache of cash to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma City, an organization that serves hungry Oklahomans throughout the state, including feeding centers in Senate District 21,” Swanson suggested.

“This is only just, as Oklahomans from across the state unknowingly and unwillingly contributed to Murphy’s campaign,” he added.

“The clock is running,” Swanson said. “The contribution was made on July 3 – forty days ago. We’re waiting to see how long it takes Judge Murphy to track down that elusive check and do the right thing. We’ll be watching."

A count-up clock is marking time on www.oksenategop.com. The clock will stop when Murphy donates the contribution to the Regional Food Bank or an appropriate charity.

Share |

Jolley Criticizes Judicial Nominating Commission Member's Donation To Bob Murphy

Stillwater Democrat Bob Murphy's decision to seek elective state office and appointive judicial office at the same time has created a conflict of interest for one of his donors, Republican Clark Jolley (pictured) claims today.

Jolley says that Norman attorney Jim Loftis, a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission, has contributed $650 to Murphy’s campaign for the State Senate.

UPDATE: Jim Loftis said this afternoon he will recuse himself from any vote on the Stillwater judicial vacancy.

Jolley called on Loftis to avoid "the clear conflict of interest" caused by Murphy's dual office-seeking by recusing himself from the Judicial Nominating Commission’s candidate nomination process for the vacant Associate District Judge position in Payne County.

Campaign records show that Loftis, one of six attorney members on the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), contributed $650 to Democrat Bob Murphy’s State Senate campaign on July 14, Jolley said.

Murphy resigned his position as Associate District Judge in June to run for the State Senate, but is now trying to re-attain his old judgeship after filing paperwork with the Judicial Nominating Commission on August 1. As a result, Murphy is seeking both offices simultaneously.

“Mr. Loftis is a contributor to Bob Murphy’s Senate campaign, while also sitting in a position to act on Bob Murphy’s candidacy for the vacant Payne County judgeship. Unfortunately, Mr. Murphy's decision has created a clear conflict of interest for Mr. Loftis,” said Jolley, R-Edmond, an attorney.

Jolley said conflicts of interest are not new to Murphy, as he was removed as presiding judge in the trial of convicted Oklahoma City Bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols for allowing a conflict of interest to arise between himself and an Oklahoma City trial firm.

”Although Mr. Loftis has done nothing wrong, the right and honorable result of Mr. Murphy's dual office-seeking is for Mr. Loftis to immediately recuse himself from the Judicial Nominating Commission’s nomination process for the Payne County Associate District Judge position,” Jolley stated. “And, given that former and possibly future Judge Murphy has raised nearly 70 percent of his campaign funds from trial lawyers who may one day be trying cases before him again, it’s clear these and other potential donors could feel pressure from Murphy as the campaign progresses.”

Jolley noted that no other of Murphy’s funds appear to have come from members of the Judicial Nominating Commission.

Share |

Insurance Agents Honor Jolley, Peterson

The Independent Insurance Agents of Oklahoma (IIAO) today recognized two state legislators for their support of issues of importance to independent agents.

Senator Clark Jolley of Edmond was presented the 2008 State Senator of the Year Award in recognition of his leadership in passing legislation allowing Oklahoma businesses who operate in other states, and who are insured by CompSource Oklahoma, to be properly protected. The legislation gives Oklahoma employers the ability to protect employees who sustain injuries while working in other states.

Rep. Ron Peterson of Broken Arrow was presented the inaugural Legislative Award for Courage in recognition of his firm opposition to legislation imposing unfunded mandates on health insurance policies.

Share |

Public Input Probable On Vehicle Tag Design

The state’s vehicle license plates may soon get a makeover, and Oklahomans could have a say in the design. Last year’s effort to allow residents to pick the design for the state quarter spurred statewide debate and drew nearly 150,000 votes online and through the mail.

The design of Oklahoma’s vehicle tags could go through a similar process.

The state’s regular tag has featured the Osage shield and “Native America” for about 15 years.

However, a task force charged last fall with studying how to best update Oklahoma’s tags, including incorporating new security features along with a new design, has come up with five ideas for new plates.

“Our hope is that we can reflect our culture, our heritage and our history,” said Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, who led the task force. He added that the tags also should show that Oklahoma is a progressive state and moving forward.

Read more at www.tulsaworld.com.

Share |

Vehicle Tags Due Redesign, Jolley Says

For well over a decade, Oklahoma’s vehicle tags have borne the slogan “Native America” along with an Osage shield. But Senator Clark Jolley (pictured), co-chair of the Oklahoma License Plate Design Task Force, says it’s time to update those tags, many of which are now a public safety concern because of fading, making them difficult to read.

“Since we need to update our tags for public safety reasons, it’s also a great opportunity to rebrand our image on the tag. The slogan ‘Native America’ is a brilliant way to market our state, but people outside of Oklahoma may not understand the symbolism of the Osage shield,” explained Jolley, R-Edmond. “Our tags are really like billboards for our state, so we want to update the design to something that will better market Oklahoma as a tourist destination while also making sure public safety needs are met.”

At Tuesday’s task force meeting at the State Capitol, officials with the Department of Tourism and Recreation presented about 26 different tag design prototypes, with task force members narrowing it down to five choices. There are two different versions of a tag depicting the Guardian statue, which sits atop the State Capitol’s dome. Another tag depicts a cowboy doing rope tricks. There are also two variations of a tag depicting a statue of a Native American shooting an arrow into the sky, which stands in front of Tulsa’s Gilcrease Museum.

“At this point, Tourism will refine those designs, and ultimately they’ll be placed on their website so that the public can give their input on the selection. We’ll also have the input of the Governor, Department of Public Safety and others. My hope is that we’ll have the new tag selected and available to the public in early 2009,” Jolley said.

Share |

Henry Signs Financial Literacy Act Into Law

Rep. Ann Coody's effort to increase the financial literacy of Oklahoma high school graduates has culminated in Governor Brad Henry signing House Bill 1476, which creates the Passport to Financial Literacy Act, into law today. The bill, authored by Coody and Senator Clark Jolley (R-Edmond), requires financial literacy instruction for all Oklahoma secondary school students to help them avoid money problems in their adult years.

Share |