Senate Passes HB1170, Ends Session

The State Senate has passed a bill that created a deadlock last week and prompted a delay in the end of the session. The bill now heads to Governor Henry's desk.

The bill would create a chief information officer to oversee technology purchasing for the state.

The Senate planned to end its session last Friday, but after the bill's failure, Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, brought the upper chamber back into session on Tuesday for another vote.

Democrats say that House Bill 1170 consolidates too much power in the hands of one person.

Republicans said it would save the state money by making purchasing more uniform.

Senator Harry Coates, R-Seminole, joined Democrats in voting against the measure. The vote was 25-23.

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State Senate's First Day Agenda Outlined

From The State Senate Press Office ~ The Oklahoma State Senate will convene for the 2008 legislative session at noon on Monday, February 4, in the Senate Chamber.

After a brief session which will include the first reading of Senate measures, members of the Senate will reconvene in the House Chamber for a joint legislative session, with Lt. Gov. and Senate President Jari Askins presiding.

Members will then receive the State of the State Address by Gov. Brad Henry. Senate members escorting Gov. Henry into the chamber will include Sen. Roger Ballenger, D-Okmulgee, Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton, Sen. Brian Crain, R-Tulsa and Sen. Tom Ivester, D-Sayre.

Approximately 10 minutes following the address, Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee will hold a press briefing in room 418. Approximately 10 minutes after Sen. Coffee concludes his remarks, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan will meet with the press in the hall outside of his office, which is room 422.

As always, you can watch and listen to the Senate via streaming audio and video at www.oksenate.gov. This service includes gavel to gavel coverage from the chamber, as well as meetings held in 419-C and 511-A. In addition, digital audio is available from press conferences, Q & A’s and podcasts, all posted on the official Senate website’s “News” page.

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Coffee Makes History Next Week

History will be made Sunday in the Oklahoma Senate when Republican Senator Glenn Coffee officially becomes the first Republican to hold the office of Senate President Pro Tempore.

"This is a historic day for the Oklahoma Senate. It is the first time in state history that a Republican senator has held the office of Senate President Pro Tem," stated Senate Republican Floor Leader Owen Laughlin, R-Woodward.

Democrats had controlled the Senate since statehood until the 2006 elections, when Republican gains created a 24-24 tie. As part of a power-sharing agreement adopted in January, Senator Mike Morgan (D-Stillwater) and Coffee (R-Oklahoma City) were elected by senators to jointly run the Legislature's upper chamber. For most of the two-year agreement, Morgan serves as President Pro Tempore with Coffee as Co-President Pro Tempore. However, during the month of July, 2007, Coffee assumes the office of President Pro Tem and Morgan will be Co-President Pro Tem.

"Serving with the first Republican pro tem was very important for those of us who are term-limited next year. It is symbolic of the equality of the two parties in the Senate, and represents the gains Republicans have made with our message of economic freedom, traditional values, and government accountability," Laughlin said.

Coffee said for Republicans, gains in the Senate have helped them advance a conservative legislative agenda: "For Republicans, this is not about power or control. It is about giving good policies such as lawsuit reform, tax relief, education reform, and pro-life a chance to be heard," Coffee said. "Under Democrat control, these issues went nowhere in the Senate; but, with a tie, we have been able to vote on and pass many of these bills," he said.

Coffee said the Senate's power-sharing agreement has worked well. "I want to thank Senator Morgan and every senator for working so hard to make the power-sharing agreement work so well. The tie could have resulted in gridlock, but instead the Senate had a very successful legislative session for the people of Oklahoma," Coffee said.

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Senate Hits First Tie Vote

The State Senate had its first tie vote today, 23-23, on a minimum wage amendment. One Republican was absent and Senate Co-President Pro Tem Mike Morgan didn't vote the first time around. He subsequently did, and the amendment passed 24-23. The bill, however, did not get the required 25 votes and thus, did not pass.

That action came after Lt. Governor Jari Askins, Democrat, was called to vote and break the tie; but before that could occur, Morgan voted and the vote on the whole bill followed.

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Easley's Ethics: Where's The Senate Leadership?

From blogger Ron Black: "If you have been following The McCarville Report, and I know you have been, you've seen the continuing saga of State Senator Easley and her magical, moving residence. You see, in Oklahoma, you have to actually live in the district you are elected to serve. The Oklahoma Constitution is rather funny that way. Senate leadership, however, is so concerned about appearing bi-partisan and willing to love and kiss on each other, that no one is willing to come forward." (Click on Ron's name to read his entire (lengthy) rant on the subject.)

And Jeff Shaw at Bounded Rationality in Tulsa blogs that issues like the Easley residency are important to integrity.

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Where Does Senator Mary Easley Live? She Lists District 'Office' Outside Her Own District

Where does State Senator Mary Easley live?

Is it Tulsa, in the District 18 area the Democrat represents, an approximately 210-220 mile roundtrip from the Capitol in Oklahoma City?

Is it Owasso, outside her district, where she was living in last year's reelection campaign, an approximately 230-mile roundtrip?

Or is it somewhere else farther north (like Grand Lake), shown in a Senate document as a 336-mile roundtrip?

Tuesday's Senate Journal lists mileage reimbursement for Easley and it shows "Tulsa 230 (miles)" and "$111.55" reimbursement. The "230" and "$111.55" are marked out, however, and replaced with "336" (miles) and "$162.96."

Easley's Senate profile contains a relatively new listing for a "district office." That listing is "106 S. Cherokee Lane, Grand Lake Towne, OK 74301." She also lists a Tulsa post office box number as an "office" address. The State of Oklahoma shows the Grand Lake Towne address to be outside the district she represents.

Grand Lake Towne is on the southwestern end of Grand Lake in Mayes County and is at the northeastern-most edge of the district she represents. The Legislature's own system for finding out what Senate district an address is located in shows the address in Grand Lake Towne to be in Senate District 29, represented by Republican Senator John Ford.

Last year, controversy erupted over Mary Easley's place of residence when it was revealed she had moved into Owasso. Senate Republican leader Glenn Coffee said, "Mary Easley now resides at an Owasso address in Senate District 34." He added, "She is clearly skirting state election laws by living at her new address while running for office and voting using an old address,"Coffee said. Easley's move prompted ads like the one at left. Coffee noted at the time that state law requires candidates to live in the district they seek to represent. "Mary Easley has left her district behind," Coffee said. "How can she represent the people of District 18 when she doesn't even want to live there?"

Here's what blogger Michael Bates of http://www.Batesline.com reported last November 2nd: "Mary Easley, who moved out of her State Senate district, SD 18, to Owasso in SD 34, has a new TV ad, now claiming that she lives in a house somewhere in northeastern Mayes County, at the opposite end of the district from her old house in east Tulsa. The ad never mentions the name of the town, but it refers to Cherokee Lane, shows a house that appears to have the house number 106 on it, and then shows a map with an arrow pointing somewhere east of Langley. The only Cherokee Lane I find in the area is in Grand Lake Towne, a tiny municipality just south of Ketchum, just south of the Craig / Mayes County line. There is someone registered to vote at 106 Cherokee Lane: Lucille K. Howard, a 68 year old Republican. But this is silly, I thought to myself. Surely, Sen. Easley listed her true address on her declaration of candidacy. But she listed a P.O. Box in Tulsa -- 690027 -- no way to tell if that's in the district. And where is she registered to vote? As of July 1, just a few weeks after filing for office, she was still registered at 9909 E 12th St, Tulsa, as was her husband Truman. That was their home in the handful of precincts where her old House District, HD 78, overlaps SD 18. (Truman's record lists the P.O. Box as his mailing address, although Mary's does not.) Between November '05 and July 1, 2006, Mary didn't vote, while Truman voted by absentee ballot in the Tulsa city primary, city general, and the 3rd Penny sales tax renewal. But when you do a phone search on AT&T's Anywho service, Mary and Truman Easley still show up in Owasso at 19009 E Knightsbridge Rd. There aren't any listed phone numbers for an Easley near Langley, Ketchum, Disney, or Grand Lake Towne, or indeed on a street named Cherokee anywhere in Oklahoma."

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