Special Needs Scholarship Bill Heads to Gov. Henry

Yesterday, for the first time ever in Oklahoma, the state Senate approved HB 3393, a bill by Rep. Jason Nelson (R-Oklahoma City), which provides private-school scholarships for special needs students with disabilities. The vote in the Senate was 25-22.

The bill now goes to Gov. Brad Henry, and hopeful school choice proponents are anticipating that he will sign it into law.

For more information, click this link to a story on CapitolBeatOK.

Oklahoma House, Senate Override Another Gov. Henry Veto

Yesterday, the Oklahoma State Senate voted to override Gov. Brad Henry's veto of HB 3284, the Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act. The House had done the same thing late Monday.

So, unless the bill is challenged legally, it will take effect in 2012. The law requires that all women seeking an abortion must fill out a 37-question anonymous survey first prior to the abortion. The women's identity will remain confidential at all times. The law also requires abortionists to report to the state any medical complications from abortion which occur, thus shining the light of day on a deadly procedure, which in addition to needlessly taking an unborn child's life, also often harms young women in the process, sometimes causing sterility or even ending their life. What's the purpose behind the law?

This new law will give the state of Oklahoma and public health officials anonymous information about the reasons why women seek abortions. If abortion is truly to become a rare thing, as its supporters suggest it should be, then doesn't it make sense for government officials, policymakers, health officials, and citizens to better understand the demographic information and the various reasons why women seek abortion in the first place? Then, our state can seek to remedy some of those problems women face.

Of course, supporters of abortion rights claim Oklahoma is acting in a draconian way. They say the sky is falling, and women are being targeted unfairly by the ultrasound law and this Statistical Reporting of Abortions Act. The truth is -- Oklahoma is simply following the law as laid down in the 1992 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The Court affirmed a woman's right to abortion, but said the various states could, if they so chose, reasonably regulate access to abortion so long as the regulations did not pose an "undue burden" on women seeking abortion.

If a lawsuit against HB 3284 is filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York City, as they did recently against HB 2780, the ultrasound bill, then the litigation will likely center around whether or not what Oklahoma legislators are doing via these laws represents an "undue burden" to a woman's alleged constitutional right of access to abortion.

Oklahoma Voters to Vote on Obamacare

Lawmakers voted yesterday to give Oklahomans an opportunity to change the state constitution to opt out of a federal health care mandate requiring them to purchase expensive health care policies.


Senate Joint Resolution 59, by state Sen. Dan Newberry and state Rep. Mike Thompson, will appear on the Nov. 2 ballot and, if approved, would prohibit any penalty for failure to purchase insurance and allow doctors to continue to accept direct payment.

SJR 59 is based on American Legislative Exchange Council’s model Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act. The measure has already been enacted in statute form by the Virginia, Idaho, and Arizona legislatures, and constitutional amendments will appear on the Arizona and Florida ballots. Statutory measures have also passed one chamber in Missouri and Tennessee, and active citizen initiatives are underway in Colorado, Michigan, and Mississippi.

WSJ's Stephen Moore to Speak in OKC on Saturday

Stephen Moore, best-selling author, Fox News contributor, and editor at The Wall Street Journal, will be the keynote speaker this Saturday, May 22, at a fundraising dinner in Oklahoma City to benefit the Oklahoma chapter of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation.

AFP Oklahoma's director, Col. Stuart Jolly, tells us a private reception with Mr. Moore begins at 6 p.m. and the dinner follows at 6:30 inside the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, 1700 N.E. 63rd Street, Oklahoma City.

Table sponsorships are still available and individual tickets are $50 per person. An additional donation is required to attend the private reception.

For more information, and to register, visit http://www.soonerdinner.com/

Seating is limited.

Update on HJR 1054

The Oklahoma House of Representatives just overrode Gov. Henry's veto on HJR 1054. Now, the Senate will try to do the same.

Will Oklahomans Escape Obamacare?

Now that Gov. Brad Henry has vetoed HJR 1054, by Rep. Charles Key, and barring a veto override in the state House and state Senate, the only remaining legislative option available to Oklahoma's citizens is for the state House of Representatives to pass SJR 59 by Sen. Dan Newberry within the next 10 days.

SJR 59 is a constitutional amendment, which would allow Oklahomans to vote on whether or not they wish to opt out of the new federal health care system advocated by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats. If approved by the state House, SJR 59 would bypass the Oklahoma Governor's office and go directly to the ballot.

Building Successful Stepfamily Conference is May 14-15