House Republican Majority Caucus Elects Leadership

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two days after the election that gave Republicans a historic 72-29 seat control in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the House Republican caucus today elected its leadership and re-affirmed state Rep. T.W. Shannon as their choice for House Speaker-elect.

Speaker-elect T.W. Shannon
R-Lawton

Speaker-elect Shannon is only the sixth Republican speaker in state history.

“I am truly honored and, frankly, humbled by the support of my colleagues,” said Shannon, R-Lawton, who ran unopposed for the position. “We face many challenges in the upcoming session, but I view challenges as opportunities to lead and make our state better for every Oklahoman.

“Our nation is at a tipping point, and I truly believe Oklahoma can be a light for the rest of the nation to follow. Leaders in Washington, D.C. have proven they are incapable of leading. We have the will to get things done, and I am ready to collaborate with the entire House body to develop a conservative, free-market, limited-government agenda that will create strong, prosperous families and grow our economy.”

The Republican caucus also elected several top leadership positions today and voted on proposed caucus rules.

In addition to electing Shannon, the caucus chose state Rep. Mike Jackson as Speaker Pro Tempore-elect.

“I am looking forward to working with Speaker-elect Shannon and the members of the caucus,” said Jackson, R-Enid. “It is a privilege to serve the members, and I feel like 2013 is going to be a great year for the people of Oklahoma.”

State Rep. Weldon Watson, R-Tulsa, who also ran unopposed, was chosen as Caucus Chairman.

"It has been a privilege to serve the caucus as Chairman during the past two years, and I am honored to continue serving," said Watson. "Our caucus has continued to grow. We have a great opportunity to govern and I am excited about the potential we have to make a difference for the future of Oklahoma."

Other elected leadership positions include:

• Vice Caucus Chairman, state Rep. Harold Wright, R-Weatherford, who ran unopposed.
• Caucus Secretary, state Rep. Elise Hall, R-Oklahoma City, who ran unopposed.
• Assistant Majority Floor Leader, state Rep. Lee Denney, R-Cushing.
• Assistant Majority Floor Leader, state Rep. Charles Ortega, R-Altus.
• Assistant Majority Floor Leader, state Rep. Randy McDaniel, R-Oklahoma City.
• Assistant Majority Whip, state Rep. Mike Sanders, R-Kingfisher.
• Assistant Majority Whip, state Rep. Steve Vaughan, R-Ponca City.
• Assistant Majority Whip, state Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell.
• Assistant Majority Whip, state Rep. Sean Roberts, Hominy.

"I'm humbled that my colleagues feel I have good judgment and trust me to do the job," said Wright, who was elected for a second term. "I always look at this position as a way to serve the members, much like I serve my own constituents. Serving the caucus can be a thankless job sometimes, but it is vitally important if you are going to build coalitions that get the people's work done."

"I am very honored to be elected by my fellow representatives to a position of leadership," said Hall. "We have a great opportunity to enact truly conservative policies during the next two years and I plan on working as hard as I can to repay my colleagues for their support."

During the next several weeks Speaker-elect Shannon will announce additional appointed leadership positions.

On Wednesday, November 14 at 11:00 a.m., the newly elected members of the entire House will be sworn in at the Capitol. In early January, the full House will convene for an organizational day to formally elect House leadership.

DeWitt named Majority Floor Leader, other leadership changes made

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Dale DeWitt has been named the next Majority Floor Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

House Speaker Kris Steele named DeWitt, R-Braman, to the position Friday to replace outgoing Floor Leader Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa, who is leaving office later this month. DeWitt will become Floor Leader effective Dec. 1.

Rep. Dale DeWitt
R-Braman

“Dale DeWitt is a true leader whose talents and wisdom will serve Oklahoma extremely well as the House’s next floor leader,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “His effective work this year in crafting the House redistricting plan is something that united our entire chamber when it could have easily turned into something highly contentious and divisive. This is the type of positive dynamic I know Dale will bring as floor leader.”

As Floor Leader, DeWitt will be responsible for assigning bills to committees, scheduling bills for floor hearings and running business on the floor during session. In addition to serving as Floor Leader, DeWitt will continue serving as chairman of the House Redistricting Committee. He will also maintain his current membership on other House committees. The responsibilities of the position of Majority Leader, which DeWitt previously held, will be distributed among other House leadership positions.

“I am honored and excited to serve in this new capacity and pledge to do everything I can to serve the entire House,” DeWitt said. “I recognize this is a unique privilege and intend to treat it as one.”

Steele made a handful of other changes Friday to caucus responsibilities.

“These changes are all about putting the right people in the right place at the right time so we can build on the success of last session,” Steele said. “Our caucus is full of diverse talents and it is our responsibility to maximize those talents in the best possible ways.”

Rep. Harold Wright, R-Weatherford, was named Deputy Floor Leader. As Deputy Floor Leader, Wright will assist with the duties of the Floor Leader’s office.

Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, was named chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services. Nelson has been leading the bipartisan group of House members that is reviewing the Department of Human Services.

“Given the importance of the work Representative Nelson is leading on DHS, it’s logical for him to serve as chairman of the committee most responsible for the agency’s budget. Having him in this role will be a big help to the House DHS reform group’s ongoing development of organizational, structural and resource allocation reforms for DHS,” Steele said.

Rep. Ron Peters, R-Tulsa, was moved to the chairman position for the House Committee on Energy and Utility Regulation.

“Ron’s valuable experience in the energy sector and as a committee chairman will serve the House extremely well as he takes on his new role,” Steele said.

State House buries effort to weaken government transparency provisions

By Patrick B. McGuigan, www.capitolbeatok.com

Legislative allies of advocates for openness government operations turned back an attempt to weaken Oklahoma’s transparency provisions.

House Bill 1559, by Republican state Rep. Fred Jordan of Jenks, was buried this week when the state House rejected the conference committee report (CCR) 64-35. (Two members did not vote.)

Mark Thomas of the Oklahoma Press Association (OPA) said Jordan told him he was “through with the bill and would not be bringing it back up this session.” The bill would have expanded attorney-client privilege provisions for public bodies and, Thomas told CapitolBeatOK, would have devolved decisions over privilege decisions to attorneys rather than judges.

Thomas and other observers credited state Rep. Harold Wright, a Weatherford Republican, for passionate debate against the measure as “bad public policy.” Thomas was unstinting in his praise of Rep. Wright, telling members of the OPA, “As a former mayor, member of the news media [radio station owner] and as an elected representative, Rep. Wright clearly understood the impact of this legislation.”

When debate on the proposal began, state Rep. Don Armes of Faxon was presiding officer in the chair at the front of the House chamber – and thereby addressed throughout the joust as “Mr. Speaker.”

Just before questions and debate on the bill commenced, Rep. Armes said to Jordan, the sponsor, “A lot of people want to whack this piñata.”

As more than a dozen legislators lined up to pose questions, most of them clearly indicating opposition, Rep. Jordan good naturedly played along with the dynamic, saying to some questioners, “OK, representative, now you’ve got the stick.”

Many points against the bill were made seriously, including the comments of state Rep. Jason Nelson, an Oklahoma City Republican, that he was not inclined to give the Tulsa Public School administration more ability to claim attorney-client privilege. Nelson noted he had been seeking information from the district for months and was still not satisfied with the system’s responsiveness.

State Rep. Mike Reynolds, in floor discussion with Jordan, said that when debate began he was 95% against the proposal, but as it progressed, he was more inclined to be 95% in favor. As Reynolds finished that comment, an unknown speaker, his voice amplified on the House floor was overheard to mutter, “It’s going down.”

Others participating in debate and questioning included Republican Reps. Mike Ritze of Broken Arrow, John Bennett of Sallisaw, Randy Grau of Edmond, Pat Owenby of Ardmore, Aaron Stiles of Norman, and Mark McCullough of Sapulpa; and House Democratic Leader Scott Inman of Del City.

Most of the group that spoke up on the floor broke against the bill, voting may, but Reps. Stiles and Grau backed it. Despite his “95 percent” comments, Rep. Reynolds voted with the majority against the bill.

Thomas told CapitolBeatOK, “This legislation caused much confusion because the entire section of that statute is poorly worded. Supporters of the legislation have promised to try and simplify and clarify the entire section of law in future legislative sessions.”

He continued, “This vote makes it clear the House of Representatives does not want to expand attorney-client privilege for public bodies unless there is clear and convincing reasons to do so, and they do not want to pass a law where the practical application and implications of this bill are not clearly understood. We commend the House for taking this stand on behalf of the taxpayers.”

The bill was favored by the Oklahoma Municipal League and the Tulsa Public Schools, an alliance that presented a daunting challenge to prevent erosion of access to public records.

In a discussion with CapitolBeatOK, Thomas had previously explained, “Current law limits their privilege to pending litigation and investigations when the court has ruled they can keep those communications confidential.”

In the end, that legal status quo remained in place as a result of the House vote on Tuesday (May 17). Because the vote was actually on the conference report and not “fourth reading” (final passage), Rep. Jordan could bring the measure back in the 2012 legislative session, but he indicated to Thomas and others that is unlikely.

Speaker Steele Names Investigatory Committee Members

Speaker Kris Steele

House Speaker Kris Steele today announced the eight members of the special bipartisan committee that will investigate the allegations that led to state Rep. Randy Terrill being charged with felony bribery.

“The lawmakers who have agreed to serve on the committee are well-respected members of this body with the ability to undertake a task of this significance,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “I am confident they will conduct a thorough review that complies with the rule of law, respects the rights of the accused, and fulfills our duty to the public, and then reach an appropriate conclusion based only on the facts of the case.”

The committee’s makeup is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.

State Rep. Fred Jordan, R-Jenks, will chair the committee. Jordan is a former Marine Corps Judge Advocate and attorney who chairs the House Judiciary Committee.

State Rep. Ben Sherrer, D-Pryor and an attorney, will serve as vice-chair.

The other six members of the committee are:

• State Rep. Gary Banz, R-Midwest City
• State Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove
• State Rep. Steve Kouplen, D-Beggs
• State Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, D-Tulsa
• State Rep. Harold Wright, R-Weatherford
•State Rep. Purcy Walker, D-Elk City

The committee met briefly Monday morning to adopt the rules that will govern the investigatory process. The group is charged with gathering evidence and ultimately making a recommendation to the full House if the Committee finds sufficient evidence exists that the legislator in question “has engaged in conduct which impairs the ability of the member to perform the duties of his or her office, or substantially impairs public confidence in the Legislature.”

Under the rules adopted, the committee members cannot discuss the investigation while it is ongoing to protect the member under investigation and all witnesses, as well as to protect the integrity of the process.

However, all the group’s findings and recommendation will be released to the public.

The rules adopted call for a multi-part process.

In the first phase, the committee or its counsel will conduct an investigation and gather evidence. Upon completion of the gathering process, all information will be provided to members of the committee.

At that point, committee members will determine if the evidence is sufficient to warrant additional proceedings. If so, a written report outlining the evidence will then be provided to the member under investigation, who will then have 14 days to respond in writing and to request an opportunity to present additional evidence.

At the conclusion of that process, the committee will vote on whether or not to recommend disciplinary action to the full body of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Throughout the process, the committee will have subpoena power to compel witness testimony and production of documentary evidence.

“The committee process has been designed to maintain decorum and gather information in a forthright and orderly fashion,” Jordan said. “While this committee is not conducting a criminal investigation, the decisions reached could still have lifelong implications for one of our colleagues, and this task will be treated with the seriousness a decision of that magnitude deserves.”

Upon completion of its work, the committee will submit a report of its findings to the House, which will be filed in the chief clerk’s office. The report will be made available to the public.

“The public has a right to know how a decision was reached and why, and the report will provide those answers at the appropriate time,” Jordan said.

The final decision would then be left up to the full membership of the Oklahoma House of Representatives during a floor session.