[Cobo] FW: SB247 and SB453 (Committee Sub)

Thu Feb 6 11:09:35 CST 2003

Please see the correspondence from Lesa Borin, the legislative analyst, who is working to get authors and help promote the "Best Practices Recommendations."  Lesa is urging the Business Officers to call the members (listed below) and talk to them on the importance of voting for Bills SB247 and SB453.  These bills will be the vehicles used to address the  recommendations from the Best Practices Committee.  Please make the time to talk with your President and other legislative liaisons and discuss these issues and how they will benefit Higher Education.  The timeframe is short, the bills are to be heard on Monday, February 17th, so please make this a priority and help to get these bills passed from committee.

A memo is also being sent to the Presidents asking their help in communicating to the members that these are ways of helping Higher Education be more efficient.  In light of the budgetary situation, passing these bills is a practical way of helping the State System without costing additional appropriations.

The issues that will be addressed include the following four topics:
1) amended definition of public construction contract and amended requirement for submitting of bid bond; 2) sales tax exemption for tickets of athletic events and using funds for Title IX; 3) contracting with no less than two travel agencies, and 4) allowing postage stamps to be used in research projects and increasing the limitation on the purchase of stamps.  

-----Original Message-----
From: Borin, Lesa 
Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 1:06 PM
To: Maletz, Maryanne; Mauck, Sheri
Cc: Hudson, Sid; Fair, Bryce
Subject: SB247 and SB453 (Committee Sub)

FYI - . . .we've got a lot of work to do.

Both SB247 (Robinson) "Postage Stamp Bill" and SB453 (Morgan)  "Direct Deposit Bill" have been assigned to the Senate General Government Committee which is chaired by Senator Crutchfield and the vice-chair in Senator Corn.  The chair makes the decision on whether or not to hear a bill in his/her committee.

After meeting with Senator Morgan yesterday afternoon, he has agreed to remain at the author of SB453 a.k.a. "The Direct Deposit Bill".  The plan is to strike the title, which will keep it alive and allow us a vehicle in which to put the sections of the law that will need to be repealed, but will also allow the committee to amend the bill and remove sections of it that can't be passed.

Before it is heard in committee, Morgan is going to release a committee substitute which will contain the language for the following COBO issues:  1) amended definition of public construction contract and amended requirement for submitting of bid bond; 2) sales tax exemption for tickets of athletic events and using funds for Title IX; 3) contracting with no less than two travel agencies.  A copy of the committee sub will not be available until Friday afternoon at the earliest.  

After speaking again with Selden and providing him the language for SB453, he told me that the postage stamp language had in fact been put in SB247 by Robinson.  The full text of the bill may be viewed at http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/2003-04SB/SB247_int.rtf

Now for the work.  Both SB247 and 453 will be heard in General Government on Monday, February 17, 2003.  The meeting will be held in Room 534 at 9:30 a.m., which means we have about one week to get these bills lobbied.  All COBO members need to contact their representatives which serve on the committee.  They need to explain the bill, explain what it does, etc.  Since the COBO meeting has been cancelled, this task will be more difficult because we won't get to brief them in person, but I trust that you can stress to them the importance of calling their representatives and asking them to vote yes.   

Below is the list of the committee.  By clicking on their names, you can link directly to their individual pages which contains a map of their district.  They ALL need to be called, regardless of whether or not they have a college/university in their district.

Please contact me if you have any questions.  I will be mostly at the Capitol during the next two days.  You can reach me at 659.6552.

GENERAL GOVERNMENT 

 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/price_bio.html> Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, Chair  
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/corn_bio.html> Sen. Kenneth Corn, Vice Chair
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/aldridge_bio.html> Sen. Cliff Aldridge
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/branan_bio.html> Sen. Cliff Branan
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/capps_bio.html> Sen. Gilmer Capps
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/dunlap_bio.html> Sen. James Dunlap
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/helton_bio.html> Sen. Sam Helton
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/laughlin_bio.html> Sen. Owen Laughlin
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/littlefield_bio.html> Sen. Rick Littlefield
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/maddox_bio.html> Sen. James Maddox 
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/nichols_bio.html> Sen. Jonathan Nichols
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/price_bio.html> Sen. Bruce Price
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/reynolds_bio.html> Sen. Jim Reynolds 
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/smith_bio.html> Sen. Jerry Smith
 <http://www.lsb.state.ok.us/senate/senators/wilkerson_bio.html> Sen. Dick Wilkerson

Lesa K. Jolly-Borin
Legislative Analyst
Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
655 Research Parkway, Suite 200
Oklahoma City, OK 73101
405.225.9134 - FAX 405.225.9230
 <mailto:lborin at osrhe.edu> lborin at osrhe.edu

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