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OK-Fallin visits state Capitol
03/01/2010 by Bryan Smith
(OK) Congresswoman Mary Fallin paid a visit to the state Capitol Monday to discuss several subjects with state lawmakers.In an interview after her meetings with the House and Senate, Fallin, R-Oklahoma City, said that she had used the time to update state lawmakers on the latest from Washington D.C. Among the topics of discussion were pending health care reform, transportation funding and state and federal budget matters.
Of primary concern was the ongoing health care debate. Fallin said that what began as a national call for change with the election of President Barack Obama has turned into something much different, awakening a movement in opposition to federal health care.
As evidenced by the shape of recent town hall meetings and the prevalence of tea party protests, Fallin said that the public, and Oklahomans in particular, remain firmly against federal control of health care. Nonetheless, she said, Democrats appear to be willing to use the budget reconciliation process, which would allow them to pass health care reform in the Senate with 51 votes instead of the 60 needed to break a filibuster.
Fallin said that she would prefer to throw out the current proposals and start completely over with new negotiations.
Fallin has been supportive of efforts to assert states' rights on the matter, and she said she supports efforts to pass an opt-out provision that would allow the state to opt out of federal health care.
One such measure SJR 59, by Sen. Dan Newberry, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Mike Thompson, R-Oklahoma City, passed the Senate on Feb. 24. It proposes a constitutional amendment prohibiting a law from compelling any person, employer or health care provider from participating in any health care system and allowing a person or employer to pay directly for health care services without being required to pay penalties or fines and allowing a health care provider to accept payment for health care services without being required to pay penalties or fines. It prohibits the purchase or sale of health insurance in private health care systems from being prohibited by law or rule, subject to reasonable and necessary rules that do not substantially limit a person's options.
Also on Feb. 24, the Senate passed SJR 64, by Sen. Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, which directs the Oklahoma attorney general to file lawsuit against the U.S. Congress, the president of the United States and the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to prevent the provisions of federal health care legislation from taking effect.
Fallin also addressed federal highway funding, which failed to receive an extension before the previous funding extension expired Sunday night. The issue of transportation funding has been a difficult one for some time, and it has become even more difficult as oil and gas revenue has declined in recent years. The crux of the issue is finding a permanent stream of funding that does not lean too heavily on gas taxes. [Editor's Note: See related story on Monday's Transportation Commission meeting.]
For Oklahoma, which has an $11 billion backlog of road and bridge projects and one of the most deficient systems of bridges in the country, Fallin said the problem is particularly acute, she said. But, Oklahomans have spoken loud and clear about raising gas taxes. And, the answer was no.
As a candidate for governor, Fallin said that she is supportive of an effort by House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa, to create an energy stabilization fund to even out the state's use of oil and gas revenues.
That bill, HB 3032, by Benge and Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, creates the Energy Revenue Stabilization Fund. The bill directs all collections from taxes on oil and natural gas production which exceed the moving three-year average amount of the General Revenue Fund component for such prior year's collections to the stabilization fund, after required apportionments are made. The bill is currently awaiting a hearing in the House.
Fallin also stressed that the state needs to focus on reducing costs through agency consolidation and modernization measures and on making Oklahoma a more business friendly state by passing reforms to the workers' compensation and other systems.
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