State Senate Honors Mildren's Memory

The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a resolution honoring the life of former Lieutenant Governor and University of Oklahoma football star Jack Mildren.

Lt. Governor Jari Askins, President of the Senate, presided over the chamber as the resolution was read and approved unanimously. Mildren, age 58, was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and died on Thursday.

Senator Kenneth Corn, principal author of Senate Resolution 105, said he was extremely saddened by Mildren’s passing. He recalled Mildren as a man who loved life and always had a smile on his face.

“Even though he’ll always be remembered as the famous football star, he was an extremely successful businessman, creating jobs for countless Oklahomans,” said Corn, D-Poteau. “As Lt. Governor, he showed us that integrity is more important than partisan politics, and he worked tirelessly to promote the state he loved.”

Known as the Godfather of the Wishbone, Mildren also achieved later success in the oil businesses as co-founder and President of Regency Exploration, Inc., and as an independent oil operator. He also hosted a daily sports radio talk show on two local radio stations, as well as two television sports programs.

Senator Jeff Rabon served as then Lt. Gov. Mildren’s senior administrative assistant in the early 1990’s. Rabon recalled Mildren as the most selfless man he’d ever met.

“He was tough and smart on the football field, in politics and business. I admire his character and his tenacity, and I’m very sad that we’ve lost him at such a young age,” said Rabon, D-Hugo. “Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Mildren family.”

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Rabon Proposes Permanent Transport Funding

Senator Jeff Rabon said today he will pursue an effort to provide an additional and permanent revenue stream for the State Transportation Fund.

Rabon, co-chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, has proposed a plan to reallocate a portion of motor vehicle taxes and fees from the General Revenue Fund to the State Transportation Fund. Rabon’s proposal would not reduce the percentage of revenues currently dedicated to the General Revenue Fund.

“This is a proposal that protects revenues dedicated to education and other essential services, while providing us with a much needed funding boost for transportation,” said Rabon, D-Hugo. “It’s always been my opinion that we could come up with a responsible proposal to increase transportation funding without hindering our ability to adequately fund education, health care and municipal governments. This plan gives us a chance to demonstrate our commitment to improving our roads and bridges."

Instead of reducing the percentage of motor vehicle excise taxes apportioned to the General Revenue Fund, Rabon’s proposal would create a maximum level of revenue to be apportioned to the fund. The proposal would freeze the maximum amount at $245,000,000 and any amount greater than that would be apportioned to the Transportation Fund.

Rabon noted it was not only important to protect funding dedicated to school districts and municipal government, but county roads as well. Currently, 13.45% of motor vehicle excise tax revenues are apportioned to county roads. Rabon’s proposal would not reduce that amount.

“This is an issue that concerns the safety of our families and the strength of our economic climate as we head into our state’s second century,” Rabon said. “It’s imperative that we make a firm commitment to increasing the amount of revenue we dedicate to improving our state’s transportation infrastructure. It’s time for us to rebuild Oklahoma’s roads and bridges and lay the foundation for real economic growth.”

Based on the State Board of Equalization’s fiscal year 2008 certification, Rabon’s proposal would result in the Transportation Fund receiving an additional $18,840,000 in 2008 and an additional $1,939,000 in fiscal year 2009. Rabon plans to offer the proposal as an amendment in the coming weeks.

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Rabon Calls For New Correctional Facility In Atoka

Following the release of an independent performance audit of the Department of Corrections, Senator Jeff Rabon on Tuesday again called for the construction of a new, 2,500 inmate correctional facility to be located on 5,200 acres currently occupied by the Howard McCleod Correctional Center in Atoka.

Rabon said the audit confirmed that the Legislature has failed to meet the funding needs of the Department of Corrections and that action must be taken to ease overcrowding and update a crumbling corrections infrastructure. The construction of the facility on 5,200 acres of land already owned by the state, Rabon said, is a practical alternative that eliminates any red tape associated with purchasing additional land.

“The audit confirmed what we already knew, which is that we’ve reached a breaking point where we must address this issue responsibly with a long-term solution to our corrections funding problem,” said Rabon, D-Hugo. “It’s time for the Legislature to stop paying private prisons for bed space and to construct a new facility that will accommodate the number of inmates entering the system. This is a critical public safety concern, and we can no longer afford to watch as our corrections system crumbles due to an unwillingness to invest in improvements.”

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Rabon Promises Fight Over English Language

In response to recent announcements regarding a proposal to make English the official language of the state of Oklahoma, Senator Jeff Rabon on Thursday said he will do everything in his power to ensure such a measure would not win the approval of the Senate.

Rabon said he felt the state should be doing more to honor the fact that Oklahoma is home to numerous sovereign nations with unique languages and cultures that deserve the respect of the Legislature.

“I feel like this highlights an intolerance and insensitivity to our history and background,” said Rabon, D-Hugo. “Oklahoma is the quintessential melting pot. We have folks here from all over the world, but we also have more than 40 Indian tribes all with their own unique language. I think we ought to be going the other direction and doing more to honor and highlight the fact that we have so many sovereign nations with their own languages and cultures.”

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Rabon Faces Stiffer DUI Charge

From The Tulsa World ~ A state legislator's blood-alcohol level after an August traffic accident in Choctaw County was 0.16 percent, twice the legal limit for operating a motor vehicle.

Prosecutors filed an amended charge Monday of aggravated driving under the influence against state Sen. Jeff Rabon, D-Hugo, said Laura Ross Wallis, the district attorney for Choctaw, McCurtain and Pushmataha counties.

A misdemeanor charge of aggravated driving under the influence can be filed when the blood-alcohol content is 0.15 or higher. The legal threshold for DUI is 0.08.

Wallis amended the count after reviewing the results of Rabon's post-crash blood test.
A senator since 1996, Rabon, 45, failed a field sobriety test after the three-vehicle crash Aug. 27 that sent a woman to a hospital with minor injuries, authorities said. Rabon did not submit to a breath-analysis test, but blood was drawn from him at a hospital.

If convicted of the DUI count, Rabon faces as much as a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

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Rabon Arrested Following Hugo Traffic Accident

State Senator Jeff Rabon was arrested on a drunken driving complaint last night after a multi-car accident in Hugo, KXII Television News reports. Rabon was booked into the Choctaw County Jail Monday night.

Choctaw County Sheriff Lewis Collins says Rabon was later released on $1,000 bond.

According to a press release sent to KXII by the Hugo Police Department, the accident happened on East Jackson Street. The accident involved three cars. A female in one of those vehicles was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for minor injuries.

The investigation is still ongoing and officials aren't releasing any more information at this time.

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