Medical Marijuana Day will consist of lobbying, advocacy and training, according to Norma Sapp, director of the Oklahoma chapter of National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). An advocacy training session in Room 104 is slated for 10 a.m. The meeting is designed to help citizens understand the most effective way to lobby their […]
legislation
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Mane issue
Opponents of a horse slaughter bill protested in downtown OKC March 4. Credit: Mark Hancock Two measures alive in the state Legislature, House Bill 1999 and Senate Bill 375, would allow for the humane slaughter of horses while maintaining a ban on the sale of horse meat for human consumption in the state. The bills […]
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Bills of goods, the sequel
Credit: Brad Gregg Well, wouldn’t yah know, we couldn’t get to ’em all. So here are more. Several bills seek to prohibit the use of “foreign” (read: Sharia) law in court. Speaking of foreigners, a proposal by Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma, House Bill 1866, would require that a charter school’s board members and top administrators […]
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Schools and after-school exercise
However, schools across Oklahoma — fearful of costly lawsuits and damage to property and the potential drain this could have to already strained budgets — have begun to lock their doors and turn out their lights after school ends each day. It’s our schoolchildren and our future that suffer because of this. Nearly 50 percent […]
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Viva la comunidad
Credit: Mark Hancock But when it was signed into law five years ago, HB 1804 sparked “sheer panic in the community,” said Pat Fennell, former president and CEO of the Latino Community Development Agency (LCDA). Many immigrants fled the state immediately. Those who stayed lived in fear. In the time since, the measure has lost […]
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What liberals really want
I don’t know of any liberals who wanted the Affordable Care Act. I know a number of liberals who, like me, wanted health care reform legislation that would provide medical care for those who lack the funds to purchase health insurance or pay for their own medical care. The Obama administration was unable to pass […]
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Democrats step up
For some time now, one narrative has been that the Democrats here have been splintered by differences and lacked a central message that resonated with voters. No one can deny that after the Republican statewide sweep in 2010, things looked particularly bleak for progressives. But that was before the 2012 legislative session, when progressives rallied […]
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Perils of ‘Personhood’
If your hand is in the air, you are in luck. An Oklahoma state Senate committee last week passed Senate Bill 1433, “The Personhood Act,” as its first step toward becoming law. This measure states that life begins at conception, so a single-cell fertilized egg has “all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other […]
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Counterpoint: Fallin ‘should be praised’
The legislation intended to set up a state health care insurance exchange facilitated by a $54 million “early innovator” grant from the federal Affordable Care Act, referred to by opponents as “Obamacare.” Once the bill arrived in the Senate, Steele and Fallin were both surprised when Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman said the Senate […]
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‘Life’ laws
House Bill 1888, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, bans abortions past the 20th week of pregnancy, a change from the previous 24 weeks. Senate Bill 547 is meant to prevent elective abortion coverage in insurance policies sold in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is the fourth state to pass a pain-capable law, and opponents claim the laws […]