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This week, I was excited to pass my first bill on the House Floor! HB 1070 clarifies that if a congressional vacancy occurs during an even-numbered year, the governor can issue a proclamation to ensure that the regular election serves as the special election, too. I enjoyed working with the State Election Board on drafting the specific language for this bill. It received 99 ayes and 0 nays! I’m grateful for this unanimous support from my colleagues, and I look forward to Sen. Ron Sharp taking this bill through the Senate.
I’m also proud to have voted on two major pieces of legislation during committee work. HB 2484 received a recommendation of do pass from the Government Efficiency Committee, and this bill creates the Office of Government Accountability (OGA), which would operate within the existing Legislative Service Bureau. This office would have about 15 financial examiners who regularly audit agency budgets and evaluate the effectiveness of their programs. HB 1992 received a recommendation of do pass from the County and Municipal Government Committee. This legislation allows for municipalities to create public safety protection districts through a vote of the people. Since our municipalities heavily rely on volatile sales tax revenue, this bill would add more stability and flexibility for municipal operations. Finally, HB 1780 unanimously passed the House Floor. This bill provides a $1,200 pay raise for Oklahoma’s teachers. In my view, this is a tremendous step in the right direction, and we must continue building upon this momentum by getting more money into the classroom so that our children have the learning resources they need to be successful. More classroom funding and more high-caliber teachers can lead to a reduction in classroom size. I look forward to voting on more legislation that invests in our public education system! Next week is the deadline for all bills to be considered in committees, so I anticipate that we’ll have extremely long meeting agendas. I’ve got my reading glasses prepared to go through all of the bills! If you’re interested in receiving newsletters and updates from me throughout the legislative session, please private message me your email address. I’ll also regularly update constituents through my website: http://www.danielpae.com/news As always, I can be reached via email at daniel.pae@okhouse.gov and phone at 405-557-7374.
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It was an exciting week at the Capitol! On Monday, I attended my first Veterans and Military Affairs Committee meeting, and I look forward to working with fellow committee members on legislation that helps our state’s veterans. It was great to meet many students from Cameron University and the University of Oklahoma on Tuesday, which was Higher Ed Day, as they advocated for more investments in our higher education institutions. We also had productive meetings yesterday for the Government Efficiency and County and Municipal Government Committees.
I mentioned in a previous post that two of my bills (HB 1068 and HB 1070) passed out of the Common Education Committee and Rules Committee. I’m also pleased that another bill (HB 1069) unanimously passed the Transportation Committee yesterday morning. This bill creates the Victims of Impaired Driving Memorial Sign Program, which will give family or friends of victims of impaired driving accidents the opportunity to purchase a sign to be placed near the site of an accident caused by impaired driving on any state highway, bridge, or turnpike. States like Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, and Kansas already have similar programs. Yesterday, the House voted on HB 2597 (permit-less carry), and I shared my thoughts on why I decided to vote no on this legislation. I appreciate the feedback I’ve received from constituents during the past 24 hours. I said it in yesterday’s post, and I’ll repeat: I won’t be intimidated, bullied, or harassed by any individual or organization to vote a certain way because the Lawtonians who sent me to the State Capitol are who I’m focused on advocating for each and every day. During the next couple of weeks, we’ll continue to review bills in our committees, and we’re now at the point in the legislative session when we’ll regularly vote on bills on the House floor. If you’re interested in receiving newsletters and updates from me throughout the legislative session, please private message me your email address. I’ll also regularly update constituents through my website: http://www.danielpae.com/news As always, I can be reached via email at daniel.pae@okhouse.gov and phone at 405-557-7374. The vote that I cast yesterday on HB 2597 was based on honest, thoughtful conversations with constituents and community leaders in House District 62. I spoke with individuals from all walks of life: Republicans and Democrats, business owners and firearm owners, law enforcement and city government officials. This was a challenging decision to make, and that’s why I wanted to listen to as many Lawtonians as possible.
I do support the Second Amendment, and I do trust law-abiding firearm owners. It was because that so many of these individuals - who have generational connections with firearms; who understand that these firearms are used for self-defense, hunting, and recreation - reached out to me with serious concerns about this legislation that I couldn’t just ignore them. Not listening to them would’ve meant breaking my commitment to promote Lawtonian interests, not special interests. Of course, I know that there are those of you who did support HB 2597, and I respect your opinion and position. One justification that proponents of this bill emphasized was how individuals from low socioeconomic households couldn’t pay for both the training and license requirements. On the other hand, opponents of this bill were concerned that individuals wouldn’t know the basics of operating a firearm nor understand how to handle high-stress situations. I believe that SB 345 addresses these concerns because it ensures that individuals go through a training course for carrying a firearm, but they don’t need to go through another process to attain a license. Instead, they receive a certificate of training at the end of the course that will serve as their license. That’s why I decided to be a co-author on this legislation. At the end of the day, I’m going to do my best to serve with dignity to fight for the Lawtonians of House District 62 as long as I can, but at the same time, I won’t sacrifice my integrity to preserve my political power. That’s what’s wrong with our modern politics. One day, when I have a wife and children, I want to be able to tell them that I always governed based on what was best for my district, not my party. Lawton is my home. Because we’re a diverse community, I must take into consideration all of the political, socioeconomic, and racial differences that when put together, make me Lawton Proud. I won’t be intimidated, bullied, or harassed by any individual or organization to vote a certain way because the Lawtonians who sent me to the State Capitol are who I’m focused on advocating for each and every day. And they believe in a high standard of leadership. The Lawtonians who sent me to the Capitol include family, neighbors, and friends who want more common sense from their elected officials. The Lawtonians who sent me to the Capitol believe in a government in which their representatives and senators cast votes based on good policy, not good politics. I anticipate that the mean-spirited pontification regarding the political consequences of my colleagues and I who voted no on HB 2597 shall take up most of the upcoming news cycle. I’m comforted knowing that Scripture tells us, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Indeed, I’m going to get a good night’s rest, and when I wake up tomorrow, I’m going to continue fighting for the Lawtonians in House District 62. |
Daniel PaeDaniel is the Republican Representative from Oklahoma's 62nd House District Archives
May 2020
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