Murdock’s Minutes
The seventh week of the legislative session often feels like the calm after the storm. Having passed the week six deadline for voting on bills introduced in our chamber, things quieted down a bit. The bills that were approved by the full House are in the process of being assigned to Senate committees for consideration, so by next week, things will really ramp up again.
There are certain kinds of legislation that aren’t subject to most of the deadlines for bill action throughout the session. Bills appropriating money for the budget, measures introduced by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House, and bills dealing with the ongoing redistricting process can be introduced later in the session.
Simple and concurrent resolutions are also exempt from those deadlines. These are a type of legislation that don’t have the impact of law but may be used to mark a significant historic event, express mourning or congratulations, or express the opinion or will of the chamber.
Right now, there is a piece of legislation at the federal level that could take away the power of our state to control how we run our elections. This past week, I joined my fellow Senate Republicans in passing a resolution calling on the U.S. Senate to defeat this measure, H.R. 1, the “For the People Act of 2021.” This piece of legislation is nothing but a powergrab by progressives. Since it is a federal bill, we don’t have a vote on it in the Oklahoma Legislature, but we can go on the record about our strong opposition.
First of all, Oklahoma has one of the very best election systems in the country. It is transparent, efficient and ethical, and we’ve enacted safeguards to further enhance the integrity of this system through laws aimed at preventing voter fraud—my concern is that would be undone if this federal legislation is passed and signed into law.
The U.S. Constitution gives the state the power and authority to conduct elections. H.R. 1 would void many of the laws and procedures we’ve enacted that ensure our safe and secure election process with things like mandated nationwide automatic voter registration and Election Day voter registration, which would enable non-citizens and others who are ineligible to vote to cast fraudulent ballots. It would also remove the Legislature’s authority to oversee the process of congressional redistricting, instead using “independent commissions.” These panels would be appointed, and therefore not accountable to the voters. It’s a bad bill for our democracy, so I was grateful for the opportunity to join my fellow Senate Republicans in formally calling for this bill to be voted down.
Beyond that, I would say one of the high points of this past week wasn’t what was going on under the Dome, but out at the State Fairgrounds, where the Oklahoma Youth Expo was being held. As chair of the Senate’s Agriculture and Wildlife Committee and as someone who earns a living ranching, I cannot tell you how gratifying it is to see the next generation of Oklahoma’s ranchers competing at the OYE every year, earning scholarships and helping promote agriculture, which continues to be one of our largest economic drivers.
To all the students who participated this year, congratulations. I also want to thank my fellow members in the Senate and the House who came out to support these young people. It was a great event, and we’re already looking forward to next year.