Senate Minutes by Senator Charles Wyrick
Although the 2015 session doesn’t fully get underway until next February, over the next few months legislators will begin holding hearings on issues that may result in legislation we’ll be considering then. The advantage of these interim studies is that it gives members a greater amount of time to gather information on what can sometimes be complicated issues—time that simply isn’t available during the regular session months.
Fifty-eight interim study requests were submitted to the Senate President Pro Tempore this year, and those requests have each been assigned to various committees. It’s up to the chair of each of those committees to decide if and when a meeting will be scheduled on a particular study request.
There are several interesting study requests this year. One would examine the feasibility and potential cost savings of implementing online voter registration. Nineteen other states already have online voter registration, and five more have passed legislation and are in the process of implementing it. This could represent a great opportunity for cost savings for Oklahoma taxpayers—Arizona saw a reduction in registration costs from 83-cents for paper registration to just three-cents for online registration. Obviously, online security would be an issue to consider, as well as the cost of implementation, but it is well worth looking into. This has been assigned to the Senate Rules Committee.
Another study would look at the use of fees, licenses, and permits as a way of generating revenue for the state. This study has been assigned to the Senate’s Business and Commerce Committee. The passage of State Question 640 in 1992 has made it highly unlikely that the Legislature will pass any kind of tax increase—although the majority of members have voted numerous times to cut taxes. At the same time, legislators have increasingly turned to raising the cost of fees and permits to pay for the core services the public depends on. But nobody seems to know exactly how much we’ve increased the cost of those things and how much of government we’re actually funding this way.
Another study would examine funding gaps in the Ad Valorem Reimbursement Fund and how reimbursement delays impact our local schools. This is an issue that could become an even greater concern as more entities become eligible for this ad valorem tax break, such as wind farms. This has been assigned to Appropriations.
Again, it is up to the chair of each of these committees to decide whether meetings will be scheduled to consider these topics.
Whether we are talking about the potential for saving money through online registration, ensuring greater transparency with the use of fees, licenses and permits, examining an important funding concern for our schools, or examining the possibilities for greater access to health coverage, I believe getting more in-depth information on these issues will help us do a better job of representing all Oklahomans.
As always, I welcome your comments on state government. Please feel free to contact me by writing to Senator Charles Wyrick at the State Capitol, Room 535-A, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105; call me at (405) 521-5561.
The post Senate Minutes by Senator Charles Wyrick appeared first on Grand Lake Business Journal.com.