Don't let this clown change what us in Oklahoma want, we need laws and follow them. If this continues this will be a land without laws.......


Among hundreds of newly filed bills are some that target the new rules on illegal immigrants.


OKLAHOMA CITY — Bills repealing portions of a controversial law targeting illegal immigrants are among hundreds of measures that lawmakers filed for consideration in this year’s legislative session.

House Bill 1804, which took effect Nov. 1, requires employers to verify the legal status of workers and tightens rules on issuing identification cards. It also makes it a felony to harbor or transport illegal immigrants.

It bans most public benefits for people who are not legal citizens.

Sen. Harry Coates, R-Seminole, has introduced several measures to repeal the bill, with the exception of its ban of most public benefits. Coates said the new law has driven illegal workers from jobs that legal workers will not take. Coates said he anticipates a legislative fight over repealing the law.

Several senators say repealing the law will be difficult, given its popularity with voters.

Coates also has introduced a measure that would allow women to receive prenatal care without verification of lawful presence in the country.

Among several measures that would tinker with tax laws, Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, DDurant, has filed Senate Bill 1153, which would eliminate the state’s 4.5 percent sales tax on groceries, an effort that has failed in previous sessions.

The measure, if passed, would not affect local municipalities’ ability to charge a tax on groceries.

House Bill 2659 would abolish the governing commissions of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. Rep. Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa, said in light of questions being raised about the Medical Examiner’s Office, he will amend the bill to eliminate its governing board as well.

Questions were raised when Dr. Jeffery Gofton, the state’s chief examiner, said he was going to curtail autopsies being performed in Tulsa, although he has since changed his mind.

Lemons said he thinks the medical examiner’s board routinely goes along with Gofton and has failed to regulate his office.

Meanwhile, another bill would expand Oklahoma’s restrictions on smoking in public places.

House Bill 2589 by Rep. Ken Luttrell, D-Ponca City, would ban smoking in any vehicle where a minor was present. A person who violates the ban would be subject to a fine of not more than $100 plus court costs.

People would not be pulled over for this offense, he said,

but if an officer stopped a vehicle, smokers could be fined if children were present.

Lawmakers had until midnight Thursday to submit bills for consideration in the session that begins Feb. 4.

By 5 p.m. Thursday, 969 Senate bills and 22 joint resolutions had been filed. Staff members were expected to work into the evening filing the final measures.

Another 806 Senate bills and joint resolutions were carried over from the 2007 session.

In 2007, the Senate considered 1,130 new Senate bills as well as 32 joint resolutions.

On the House side, 1,068 new bills and 30 joint resolutions had been filed by 5 p.m..

Last year, members of the House filed 1,195 bills, 45 joint resolutions and 11 concurrent resolutions. House records indicate that 909 of those carried over and could receive a vote during the 2008 session.


http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article. ... hAmon75878



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