Thursday was the final deadline for floor votes on most bills, and the cutoff effectively killed many measures in both the House and Senate.
Among the casualties were 14 bills introduced by Rep. Ed Cannaday (D- Porum) and Glen "Bud" Smithson (D-Sallisaw).
House members are allowed to introduce up to eight bills each session. All eight of the bills Cannaday authored died before they could make it into law. They included measures to protect water from Lake Eufaula, limit tuition waivers to students who stay in state after graduation, and reimburse expenses incurred by voluntary fire fighters.
Cannaday, a former school principal, attributed his inability to get his bills enacted to the fact that Democrats are the minority party in the House at this time. He said he was satisfied with his freshman year, and would continue to push pro-education bills.
"I am proud of the impact I have made this session," Cannaday said. "Most of the House bills that make it into law are Republican-authored bills anyway."
Smithson fared somewhat better than Cannaday this session. As of Thursday, two of the eight bills he introduced this year were still alive and could become law.
One of them, HB 1027, would increase penalties for felons in possession of altered toy pistols. The Sequoyah County sheriff's department has expressed concerns about toy pistols being used as weapons in crimes such as robberies. The toy pistol bill was approved 34-10 by the Senate this week. It was sent to a House-Senate conference committee after senators noted that some felons might get in trouble for buying toy guns from Wal-Mart for their children.
Most toy guns sold in stores have markings on them and colored covers on their barrels, Smithson said. It should be obvious when felons have altered them to commit a crime, as opposed to simply buying them for their children, he said.
Bills are sent to conference committee to work out differences between the House and Senate. If the committee reaches consensus, the bills go back to the House and Senate for final floor votes. If adopted, they then go to Gov. Brad Henry to be signed into law.
Smithson's other surviving bill (HB 1042) would allow someone 16 or younger to hunt without a license if accompanied by someone 21 or older who has hunter certification. It received unanimous approval in the Senate this week and was sent to Henry for his signature.
Smithson has also introduced a resolution (HCR 1024) proclaiming Gun Safety Education Week in September in an effort to reduce accidental deaths among children living in homes with firearms. It was not affected by this week's floor vote deadline.
Meanwhile, Cannaday expressed concern with a bill (SB 820) that would impose new restrictions on the "Oklahoma's Promise" scholarship program, which provides college tuition wavers to students who make good grades in high school and stay out of trouble.
The bill was approved 82-17 by the House this week and sent to a House-Senate conference committee.
Cannaday voted against the bill. He said he did so because it would deny scholarships to some Oklahomans by imposing standardized test score provisions and requiring proof of citizenship. Schools are currently not allowed to inquire about citizenship. Cannaday said the bill would create new requirements for home-schooled children to qualify for scholarships by mandating a minimum score of 22 on the ACT test.
Ricki Jo Agent is studying journalism and public relations at the University of Oklahoma at Norman, and assists with the page program for the Oklahoma Senate. She is a native of Sallisaw.
