Legislators representing Sequoyah County ripped into the state’s 52nd legislative session, claiming little of importance was achieved.

The legislators — State Sen. Kenneth Corn (D-Poteau), State Rep. Glen “Bud” Smithson (D-Sallisaw), State Rep. Ed Cannaday (D-Porum) — said it was “a strange year, a tough year” in the Oklahoma legislature.

They were speaking at a legislative update session at noon Tuesday with members of the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce. Lt. Gov. Jari Askins also spoke to the group. (See story on this page.) Askins is a Democrat candidate for governor.

Smithson was the first legislator to speak.

“This is the toughest year I’ve served,” he said, pointing out the state started the session in January with a $1.2 billion budget shortfall. The shortfall “put a strain on the session,” he said.

Smithson said the state legislators used all available monies from the Rainy Day fund to meet the shortfall, but that leaves the state in a deeper budget hole next year.

“Unless something happens it will get worse,” Smithson said. “We’re going to see some shortfall this year, so you might as well get ready for it.”

Smithson said some positive enactments came out of the session. The positive aspects of the session were a cap on Workmen’s Compensation, with a requirement that employers offer a less-harmful job to those seeking workman’s comp, and who, if they refuse, will lose their workman’s comp; a bill allowing residents to brew 200 gallons of beer at home for personal use; a bill to control puppy mills and which establishes a pet breeders’ board; a bill which allows county commissioners to work with small towns with a population of 5,000 or less to do road and street repair; a bill which allows pregnant women to use handicapped parking spaces; and a bill to keep teens from using cell phones while driving.

He complained that the Republican majority in the state house voted to pursue a lawsuit against President Barack Obama’s health care plans, “with an open checkbook.” This was after Attorney General Drew Edmondson refused to file the lawsuit because it would be costly at a time when the state has little money, and other states have already filed such lawsuits to challenge the healthcare program. He said Edmondson told the lawmakers that the lawsuit could not be won.

Kenneth Corn

State Sen. Kenneth Corn, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, said the last legislative session was the “roughest legislative session in my eight years at the capitol.”

Corn said that some of the bills passed were facing challenges in the courts, which could lead to a special session.

Corn said he was particularly not proud of the moratorium put on incentives to attract business and industry jobs to the state, which particularly hurt the state’s aerospace industry, and could potentially cost 100,000 jobs.

“In an effort to balance the budget we probably did things that will cost Oklahoma jobs,” he said.

Some of the fees enacted to balance the budget, “…may push some small businesses over the edge,” he said.

Corn said the state’s budget was controlled by three persons — the speaker of the house, the president pro tempore and the governor.

“That’s got to change,” Corn said, adding that local legislators should have more say in the budget development, more so than a yes or no vote.

Corn also criticized the Republican legislators for cutting the Senior Nutrition Program.

The program, he said, “…took a 30 percent cut right off the bat, plus more cuts that followed. There is something wrong with a capitol that takes food out of the mouths of seniors.”

Corn also pointed out that the State Department of Corrections was forced to make adjustments due to budget that didn’t make sense.

“The Department of Corrections’ staffing is at its lowest, and correction officers are being furloughed,” he reported. “But what makes sense about giving one a day off, then paying another time and a half. This makes no sense.”

The $1.2 billion shortfall will be worse for the next legislative session,

Corn said.

“We’ll be $1 billion short before we ever get started and before the lawsuits are decided in appeals court. This is about community, education, health care. There has to be a fundamental change at the legislature,” Corn said.

He recommended the changes include not submitting 300-page bills in the last 72 hours of the legislative session, which was done this year and which gave legislators little time to read the bills; and conference meetings which are held under the open meetings statutes, so the public can know what is happening.

“Both parties,” Corn said about the late submitting of 300-page bills, “are doing it…It’s a runaway train.”

Ed Cannaday

Cannaday, a former educator, said, “Mr. Corn is preaching the gospel.”

Cannaday said he serves on two education committee and saw titles taken off bills, which were then sent to conference committees and the bills changed.

“The system needs to be changed if we’re going to deal, with integrity, the bills that come up.”

“We are depriving our schools of $8.5 million,” Cannaday said, explaining that the budget, which was said to cut education by only 2.9 percent, is actually cutting education by 10 percent.

“And that makes our superintendents look like liars; it makes them look very foolish,” Cannaday said with passion.

Cannaday said his frustration with the legislative session was high, but he added, “I love doing this.”