Flower power
Tammy Padgett, a cancer survivor, is walking the halls of the Capitol today to talk with legislators about the importance of early detection.
Padgett, of Edmond, and her 10-year-old son Zack, are among about 40 cancer survivors and American Cancer Society volunteers who are visiting with lawmakers.
As a reminder, they are leaving bunches of daffodils with legislators and their staff. They plan to deliver more than 3,000 daffodils by early afternoon.
Padgett said Zack, who will report back to his fifth-grade students tomorrow on today’s activities, was in kindergarten when she found out she had breast cancer. She has been cancer free since then; she goes back for checkups every six months.
“So now we’re fighting for other people,” said Padgett, who participated in a clinical trial to beat her cancer. “I’m living proof that the latest research is saving lives.”
She and other volunteers will be thanking senators who voted earlier this week to pass Senate Bill 14, which would require insurance companies to cover colorectal cancer screening.
They will be giving information about the bill to House members, who now will consider the bill.
Some insurance companies in Oklahoma offer screening for colorectal cancer.
Sen. Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, the author of the bill, has said the cost of all insurance companies covering the screening would be about 55 cents per customer per month; that compares with about $8,000 per customer per month, the cost of treating colorectal cancer.
Colon cancer is largely preventable, according to the American Cancer Society. When caught early, colon cancer has a 90 percent five-year survival rate.
It’s estimated 1,880 Oklahomans will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year, while 720 Oklahomans will die from it.
About 93 percent of colon cancers occur in people 50 years and older, yet less than half the adults in this age group are getting screened, said Pat Marshall, with the American Cancer Society.
Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
Prisoners’ productivity
The east wing of the first floor of the Capitol looks like a furniture store today.
Oklahoma Correctional Industries, a part of the state Corrections Department, is displaying some of its products.
All the products are made by state prisoners. Products include smokers, grills, shelves, desks, couches, benches and chairs.
Most Oklahomans, however, can’t buy any of the items.
Eligible customers are any tax-supported organization, such as educational institutions, and state, county or municipal governmental agencies. Churches, nonprofit and charitable organizations are also qualified customers.
Oklahoma Correctional Industries has 19 factories in nine prisons, says Don McLain, the company’s sales manager. About 1,100 prisoners work in the factories.
Company representatives will be at the Capitol until 4:30 Thursday afternoon.
Qualified customers may look at the products at the company’s Web site, www.osi.state.ok.us, or stop by its showroom at 3402 Martin Luther King Ave. Showroom hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
Political candidates and the media
Lawmakers had the chance today to limit their own ability to be in public service announcements during an election year, but killed a bill that would have done just that.
A bill limiting when a candidate can do a public service announcement failed to get out of the House today.
The legislation would forbid sitting lawmakers and statewide office holders from appearing in PSAs during an election year. Often lawmakers appear on television as part of an awareness campaign, and the author of House Bill 1451 says the appearance equates to unfair free airtime during an election.
Rep. Rob Johnson, R-Kingfisher, said incumbents should not get an unfair advantage in touting their name through a public service announcement during an election year. His bill does not apply to challengers and covers the entire election year.
Rep. James Covey, D-Custer City, tried to amend the bill to restrict a candidate or incumbent from being in a commercial other than one paid for by his or her own campaign account. The amendment failed with a vote of 43-52.
The bill failed the House by a vote of 45-55. Johnson kept the right to reconsider the bill at a later time.
Do you think it is wrong for a lawmaker or statewide office holder to be able to appear in a public service announcement in an election year?
Jennifer Mock
Capitol Bureau
Celebrating Japanese diplomatic ties
The House chamber in the state Capitol took on an international flavor late this afternoon during a ceremony to recognize Lloyd T. Hardin Jr., who recently was named honorary consul general of Japan at Oklahoma City.
As honorary consul general, Hardin, 57, an Oklahoma City attorney, will work to promote bilateral relations between Japan and the United States. He succeeds Yoshi Sasaki of Norman.
Yoshihiko Kamo, Japan’s consul general at Houston, who has been a member of Japan’s foreign service since 1976, attended the hour-long ceremony, as did Gov. Brad Henry and Lt. Gov. Jari Askins.
Henry noted that Oklahoma has had diplomatic ties with Japan for more than one-fifth of the state’s nearly 100 years of existence.
Oklahoma has enjoyed a friendly connection with Japan since 1985 through the sister-state relationship between Oklahoma and Kyoto Prefecture. Stillwater, Tulsa, Shawnee and Norman have established sister-city relationships with Japanese cities as well.
“We have developed not just strong business ties with our friends in Japan, we have truly developed real and personal and long-lasting relationships,” Henry said. “We’ve developed friendships.”
Hardin, who has made several trips to Japan, said the Japanese place “the greatest of emphasis” on personal relationships that are the foundation for commerce and business.
Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
