Stiles Joins HD45 GOP Primary Race

Aaron Stiles, a Norman small business owner and University of Oklahoma graduate, has announced his candidacy for a seat in the Oklahoma House. Stiles and fellow Republican Norman David Hopper seek their party's nomination to oppose incumbent Democrat Wallace Collins for the House District 45 seat.

Stiles is a life-long resident of Cleveland County. To support his tuition at the University of Oklahoma, he enlisted in the Oklahoma Air National Guard and served for eight years. Stiles joined the staff of then Congressman J.C. Watts in 2000 and has served as youth minister at Norman's Alameda Baptist Church. Stiles owns a small remodeling business in Norman.

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Norman Councilman Seeks HD45 Seat

From The Norman Transcript ~ Norman David Hopper, a 6-year member of the Norman City Council, announced this past week that he is a candidate for the Republican nomination for State House District 45. House District 45 is currently held by Democrat Wallace Collins.

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With Cargill Gone, Collins Petitions For Committee

Rep. Wallace Collins, following the resignation of Lance Cargill as House speaker, is requesting reconsideration of his earlier petition to serve on the House Public Health Committee.

Collins, Norman Democrat, contends that given his mental health experience and the fact that he represents the only mental health hospital in the state, he should be given the opportunity to serve and provide invaluable input on mental health legislation.

Collins said he earlier had asked Cargill for a seat on the committee but had been met with silence.

House District 45, represented by Collins, is home to Griffin Memorial Hospital, the last mental health hospital in Oklahoma.

Collins said it is a long-standing tradition that the representative from House District 45, Democrat or Republican, sit on any committee dealing with mental health. However, he said, the tradition was not honored by Cargill.

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Collins Prepares School Violence Prevention Bill

Saying state officials need to be "proactive instead of reactive," Rep. Wallace Collins plans to file legislation that would make it easier for school officials to identify troubled students and prevent school violence.

"We're all aware of the school shootings that have taken place in this country in recent years," said Collins, D-Norman. "In many cases, officials realized there was a problem well before a student went on a rampage, but failed to deal with it. I believe the state needs to do a better job identifying troubled students and addressing their problems before an attack occurs."

When doing online research on the topic, Collins said he found"page after page" of school-shooting stories from across the nation and world.

The latest incident occurred Monday when the University of Memphis campus was temporarily locked down after the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old football player.

Last April, Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho went on a rampage and killed more than 30 people. Cho reportedly had a history of mental problems.

Closer to home, a 13-year-old boy opened fire on his classmates at Fort Gibson, Oklahoma in 1999, wounding several fellow students.

"After the Virginia Tech shooting, a lot of people said they saw warning signs but failed to act, and now 30-some people are dead because of it," Collins said. "We can't afford to repeat that mistake in Oklahoma."

The Norman Democrat's legislation will call for implementing a pilot program in Oklahoma schools that will place licensed social workers on site to provide assistance when teachers identify potential problem students.

"A lot of these kids need help, such as medication or counseling," Collins said. "If teachers feel a student is potentially dangerous, they should be able to refer that student to social workers who have expertise dealing with emotionally troubled individuals. By intervening early, we could eliminate the likelihood of future school shootings."

Collins is still drafting his legislation, which would be filed for the 2008 legislative session that begins next February.

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Lindley Challenges Immigration Law

State Rep. Al Lindley, (pictured) D-Oklahoma City, is leading the charge to challenge the state's new immigration law. Four other lawmakers have joined his effort.

Lindley wants a legal opinion on whether the state's new immigration law is enforceable.

Lindley argues that the law requires employers to participate in a program to confirm the citizenship status of workers, yet Congress has chosen to make participation voluntary.

Attorney General Drew Edmondson will assign the letter to an assistant for review, Edmondson's spokesman, Charlie Price, said. The review could take weeks. Portions of the law go into effect on November 1st.

Joining Lindley are Reps. Bill Nations, D-Norman; Al McAffrey, D-Oklahoma City; Wallace Collins, D-Norman; and Scott BigHorse, D-Pawhuska.

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