Call OK House Members to Vote YES on These Bills!
HB 2317, by Rep. John Wright/Sen. Newberry, Creating the Oklahoma Enumerated Powers Act
HB 2317, now co-authored by Rep. Ritze – states that before a bill can become law in the state of Oklahoma the language must cite specific state and US constitutional authority to do so. The intent of the bill is to cause legislators to become the first line of defense in upholding constitutional principles and to identify early on in the legislative process if they are operating within constitutional limitations, rather than routinely passing the buck to the courts to figure this out.
This bill passed out of the full Appropriations and Budget Committee on 2/24/2010 by a vote of 16-0 and now will move to the floor for a vote.
Please call your Representative and House leadership to ask for a YES vote on HB2317.
OK House Switchboard: 1-800-522-8502, 1-405-521-2711.
II) HB 2569, by Rep. Wesselhoft/Sen. Newberry, Prohibiting the use of RFIDs (radio frequency identification, i.e. ‘tracking chips’) in the Oklahoma drivers license and identification cards.
HB 2569, co-authored by Faught, Kern, Pittman, Ritze, Sears, Sullivan – has passed both the Public Safety & Judiciary sub-committee and the full Appropriations and Budget Committee. The A&B vote on 2/24/2010, was 16-0.
However, the title was struck, by surprise, and now must be restored by the House or the Senate.
Please call your Representative and House leadership to ask for both a YES vote on HB 2569 and for the title to be restored to this single-subject bill.
OK House Switchboard: 1-800-522-8502, 1-405-521-2711.
House Leadership:
Speaker Rep. Chris Benge 1-405-557-7340 chrisbenge@okhouse.gov
Speaker Pro Tempore Kris Steele 1-405-557-7345 krissteele@okhouse.gov
Floor Leader Rep. Tad Jones 1-405-557-7380 tadjones@okhouse.gov
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Call OK House Members to Vote NO on These Bills!
I) NO on HB 2331, Rep. Steve Martin
HB 2331, by Rep. Steve Martin, proposes amending Title 47 to allow at-will random insurance verification via an online insurance verification system, without a traffic-stop or accident having occurred first; the bill further gives authority for law enforcement to then seize the vehicle if found to be uninsured.
Observation or verification can be conducted from a fixed location, i.e. from the roadside, or from a moving patrol car.
Oklahoma utilizes an online insurance verification system, which may or may not be accurate.
Fox23News in Tulsa, OK recently ran a couple of stories covering the growing use of remote camera technology, and a poll of 4,000 viewers after the 2/17/10 airing found that 73% of viewers opposed this use of cameras.
Given that both the Oklahoma Dept of Public Safety and the Governor issued a Request For Proposal (RFP) for ALPR cameras, this bill seems to be a little suspect.
HB 2331, allowing for random verification of insurance coverage and confiscation of private property, smacks more of revenue generation for both the insurance industry and a cash strapped state, than a public safety issue. OK-SAFE, while not endorsing driving uninsured, believes that the confiscation of private property by government for failure to purchase a product is not a move to be considered lightly; HB 2331 is a seriously flawed bill.
II) NO on HB 3250, by Rep. Sue Tibbs
HB 3250 would ban cell phone use/texting while driving and is part of a federal initiative to ban texting while driving.
The proponents of this bill completely ignore the issue of ‘enforcement’ which at some point will require a partnership between law enforcement and the telecommunications companies for real time access to electronic device usage while a vehicle is in motion.
Quote from US Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood:
“LaHood said enforcing restrictions on texting and cell phone use by drivers will be difficult. He urged the wireless industry to work with public officials to come up with a solution.’
Please call your Representative and House leadership to politely express your concerns about these two bills and the continued move toward bigger and bigger government. Phone numbers are noted above.
AxXiom for Liberty 