Bills, Bills, Bills

Capitol Considerations

A Weekly Column by Senator Micheal Bergstrom

Bills, bills, bills.

It's hard to keep up with them all.

However, for those interested in the bills I am running this year, here's a quick breakdown.

Education

Senate Bill 97 uses money saved from capping wind tax credit payouts to give teachers a $5000 pay raise over three years. It is linked to SB95, which is listed below.

SB562 removes the requirement for schools that put up a pre-engineered building to hire an engineer to certify it a second time.

SB563 will allow schools to hire contractors through inter-local agreements like the TIPS program and save significant money on repairs and new construction. Many other states, including Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, allow such arrangements.

SB181 will require all colleges and universities to provide, in a searchable and easily accessible manner on the school website, information such as how many hours, what types of classes and how many students are being taught by each professor, teacher, adjunct instructor and teaching assistant. This is simply a matter of transparency. I want parents, students, lawmakers and the public in general to have this information.

SB84 extends the date for sunsetting the teacher/parent evaluation panels that consider giving probationary promotions to students who fail the third grade reading test. This is scheduled to sunset next year and I am proposing to extend the sunset to 2024.

Criminal Justice

SB109 will make it easier for professionals such as architects and engineers who lost their professional license through a felony conviction to regain those licenses and return to their profession, as long as the conviction was not related to their field of employment. It is my contention that after someone has paid his or her debt to society, we need to help that individual get reintegrated into society and the workforce, and if that person has a professional skill, let's help him or her get back to work where it's most productive.

SB272 makes it easier for felons who have paid for their crime to obtain a drivers’ license. Currently felons must pay all fees before they can get a drivers’ license. They can petition the court to defer those fees, but this costs money, takes time, and is at the discretion of the judge, who may or may not be inclined to award such a deferral that day. This bill provides an automatic deferral of fees for 12 months so the felon who is eligible for a license may obtain one so he or she can legally drive to a job to earn the money to pay those fees, and to more easily rejoin society as a productive tax-paying citizen.

SB256 corrects an issue in State Question 780, which passed in November and made drug possession a misdemeanor. The problem is that even if someone is repeatedly caught with meth or other dangerous drugs, even around children, the courts cannot force the offenders into drug court or rehab. Working with a district attorney, I have crafted a bill to make the third such possession a felony (excluding drugs like marijuana). Numerous individuals in law enforcement asked me to address this.

Wasteful tax credits

SB95 caps the payout to wind tax credits at $25 million a year. Without the cap, the payouts could potentially be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Obviously Oklahoma and its citizens can't afford that. Tied to this bill is SB97, which requires that the money saved by capping the wind credits be used for a teacher pay raise.

SB41 will get rid of the tax credits/rebates for film companies working in Oklahoma. This costs us as much as $5 million a year and the Incentive Evaluation Commission determined it is not meeting its intended goals and not producing sufficient tax revenue. Film tax credits and rebates were originally set to end in 2024, but my proposal would move the credit's sunset to 2018.

Second Amendment Issues

SB36 provides a definition of a firearm.

SB40 changes current law so that someone who feels that he or she is in danger may point his or her weapon at the person or persons creating that situation without the danger of being charged with a felony.

Ten Commandments Amendment

My Senate Joint Resolution, SJR15, amends the constitution to allow the installation and display of the Ten Commandments on public property and buildings in Oklahoma. This may include monuments, memorials, plaques or signage. It is based on a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision and focuses exclusively on the Ten Commandments as an important historic document.

As always, I am interested in feedback from my constituents, so if you have any questions or comments, please email me at bergstrom@oksenate.gov. My office can also be reached by phone at 405-521-5561.