Chamber 'Breaks' The News With Eggs & Issues

March 6, 2013

Senator Bryce Marlatt spoke to a large crowd March 1 for the monthly Eggs & Issues meeting hosted by the Guymon Chamber of Commerce. This months’ breakfast was sponsored by Tri-County Electric. Herald Staff Photo/Nancy Kletecka

The Guymon Chamber of Commerce hosted their monthly Eggs & Issues breakfast March 1 at the Ambassador Inn Restaurant in Guymon.
This month’s session, sponsored by Tri-County Electric, was to feature Senator Bryce Marlatt and State Representative Gus Blackwell.
Blackwell was unable to attend; however, attendance in general was up.
“This is a really great crowd,” said Jada Breeden, Executive Director for the Guymon Chamber. “I believe this is the best turnout since I’ve been (in Guymon).”
Breeden encouraged those in attendance, which included members of the Guymon Leadership class and Main Street Transformers, to participate in the discussion.
“This is our opportunity to ask questions and find out information from the people who are making choice for us at the state capitol,” she said.
Marlatt spoke to those in attendance on a number of issues from tax cuts to gun control.
He noted this session in the Senate has probably been “the busiest he’s seen since being there.”
“I’m going into my fifth year,” Marlatt said, “and it is amazing how quick things have taken off.”
Marlatt started off by providing a brief overview on how bills work in the House and Senate.
“The Senate is not hearing any House bills and the House isn’t hearing any Senate bills right now,” he said. “The House bills do not come over for another two weeks.”
Marlatt said he receives calls all the time from constituents regarding various bills. Many call after they have been encouraged to do so from “hotlines” for special interest issues and groups.
“I tell them I haven’t read them yet and they ask, ‘Do you not read the bills?’ I tell them ‘yes, I read them, but only if they are going to be voted on, if they are coming up in my committee or if there is an issue on them,” Marlatt said. “There are about 1,800 bills piled on the Senate side and 1,800 on the House side - there is no way you can read 3,000 bills..”
Marlatt is serving on several committees this year.
“The two I think are the most important to our district are transportation and energy,” he said.
He is currently the chairman for the appropriations subcommittee for transportation and general government and the vice chairman for the energy committee. He also serves as the caucus chairman, an elected position among his colleagues of the Senate.
Marlatt pointed out he and Blackwell have quite a bit of legislation they are working on together.
“(Blackwell) does a tremendous job,” Marlatt said. “He has got a good grasp on a lot of the budget issues and does a tremendous job for our part of the state and in representing us. He is a huge asset to have and we will miss him when he’s gone.”
The budget is the “driving force” for upcoming issues.
“We have more money coming in than we have had historically since I’ve been here,” Marlatt said. “However, it is a little bit deceiving in that we have a lot of one time money.”
According to Marlatt, it is important we “get caught up” on where we were.
“Just (because) we have more money coming in doesn’t necessarily mean everyone is going to get an increase in their budget,” he said. “It’s not what I think good government is about. Just because we have the money doesn’t mean we have to spend it.”
Marlatt said the funds should be spent on one time expenditures.
“(It should not be spent on) continuing to grow agencies and growing budgets,” Marlatt said.
Taxes
Tax cuts will be on the discussion table.
“I’m all for tax cuts and paying less taxes; however, when you look at the state of Oklahoma - we’re really not that bad compared to other states,” Marlatt said. “When you ask businesses and people looking to come to Oklahoma what the number one issue with relocating here is - taxes are never brought up. The number one issue is always Worker’s Compensation...rates have been through the roof.”
Marlatt believes we will see some tax cuts.
“I think we are going to get right around 5 percent, but we have to make sure we can show how we are going to pay for it.”
Marlatt said the Senate would prefer to have a plan to show how it will be paid for rather than having a billion dollar impact on the budget and not know how to pay.
“We don’t want to just speculate...,” he noted. “That is not responsible government and not what we need to do.”
Although the House liked the idea presented by the Senate, Marlatt said, they did not want to do away with tax credits in order to do it. He stressed that if there wasn’t a way to show where revenue will come from to replace it, the Senate isn’t interested; because “we have roads to build... kids to teach... people who need to be locked up.... We have health care and safety issues that need to be addressed.”
A bond issue is also going to be a topic of discussion. According to Marlatt, there is a lot of work needing to be done to the Veteran’s Center, the Jim Thorpe buildings and the state capitol building.
“Some of you have been (to the capitol) and you had to go through either the East or West doors,” he explained. “The front has been taped off because the facade is too dangerous. It is falling off... We need to do capital repairs and make sure we are protecting our assets and not letting things fall down around us. I always tell people that is why our roads are in the condition they are. We spent years and years - 22 years in fact - never increasing the maintenance fund on our roads and bridges. ...You can’t do anything at a business the same for 22 years and expect it to be in good condition.”
Gun Rights
Marlatt said there are many bills out right now involving guns and the second amendment.
“I have done everything I can to protect our rights to keep and bear arms,” he said. “However, there are bills out there after the Sandy Hook Elementary incident...Some pretty extreme - up to doing away with guns. I know some want to issue guns to teachers and let them handle it. This is not the most popular thing for me to say, but I think that is a horrible idea.”
Marlatt said he “trusts teachers” in Oklahoma; however, he feels a “million things can go wrong” with that concept.
“I don’t want my kid to go to school where a teacher can have a gun in a purse... get up, go to the restroom... and accidentally leave it there,” he said. “Do I think there should be someone on campus who is designated to carry who is certified - perfectly fine; however, giving one to every teacher and allowing them to carry in the classroom is asking for trouble.”
Marlatt said it is important school safety is addressed.
“We need to look at what we can do to protect our children,” he said. “We have put together a school safety commission chaired by Lt. Governor Todd Lamb who used to serve in the Secret Service. They have to have their report on recommendations by next week (Thursday). I think legislation you will see will come from that committee.”
Snow Storm
Marlatt commended emergency responders for the job done during recent snow storms.
“Obviously we got some moisture that was very much needed,” he said. “We had some devastating losses in Woodward and Alva. I want to commend the first responders throughout the district but in particular the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. They did a fantastic job of trying to get the roads opened up.”
Marlatt said manpower was sent to the affected areas from all over the state.
“They flocked to our part of the country and did a tremendous job,” he said.
Worker’s Comp
Marlatt said he believes there will be some reform in the area of Worker’s Comp.
Mainstreet Guymon Executive Director Melynn Johnson questioned his response.
“I have heard that for 10 years,” she said. “What is going to make this year actually happen?”
Marlatt said the difference is they have a governor now who is supportive of the issue. Proposed legislation has been proven in Arkansas.
“A lot of it is modeled after what Arkansas did,” he said. “They did it in 1992 and their Worker’s Comps rates dropped 20 percent the first year. They have never had an increase in that amount of time - it has either stayed the same or gone down. We will end up with something that will make us more competitive with other states. It’s something Oklahoma needs.”
Questions
One of the questions presented to Marlatt came from Texhoma resident John Nye. Nye said there is a bill “floating around” that will direct Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers to stop and issue tickets to any vehicle that is exceeding the speed limit by more than one mile per hour.
“I think our OHP officers have more to do than write speeding citations all day,” he said.
Marlatt said he will “do all he can to kill that bill. If we have to start legislating what they do every day we have a real problem. I trust our troopers and know they have public safety interest in hand.”