English Only, Tort Reform…all in one day
After a marathon meeting of the Senate that included some of the most substantial bills of the session, a few Senators had one thing in mind: steak.
As if session on Wednesday wasn’t meaty enough. It’s deadline week, and that’s usually when things get squirrely…and progress is made.
On Wednesday, senators defeated a bill that would have allowed voters to decide if attorney contingency fees should be capped. They approved an omnibus tort reform bill that now goes to conference committee.
This was all after hearing a bill that would allow voters to decide if English should be the state’s official language.
A few highlights:
Tort Reform
House Bill 1602 failed with a tie at 23. Republican Sen. Steve Russell of Oklahoma City debated against the bill, saying he could not support, plain and simple.
Democrats meanwhile, talked about the benefits of contracts free from government control, the problem of fees from ambulance chasers and the beauty of the American system and a citizen’s access to justice.
Sen. Kenneth Corn, D-Poteau, quoted the Bible in his debate. Senate minority leader Sen. Charlie Laster, D-Shawnee, conjured up images of classic scenes from the “The Rainmaker” and Danny DeVito’s ambulance chasing character. While Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, vowed to continue his fight for meaningful lawsuit reform.
One tort measure failed, one moves on to the next round of discussion. This is not the last of this issue, which has been called necessary reform from members of the business and medical communities alike.
For now, advocacy groups are breathing a little easier and say the vote to turn down a ballot measure on attorney’s fees is a victory.
“Without attorneys there is no access to the courts. And without contingency fees there is no access to attorneys, except for the wealthy. Insurance companies and huge corporations can continue to spend untold millions and hire teams of lawyers to fight legitimate claims. It costs tremendous money to take on those with no restrictions on what they can spend and a refusal to admit wrongdoing.” – Jeff Raymond, executive director of OKWatchdog.
English Only:
A few weeks ago, making English the state’s official language would have been big news, with Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, pushing the issue and discussing it to national audiences. On Wednesday, it was lost in the flurry of tort reform. The bill has been amended by its Senate author, Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore. The amendment combines Terrill’s bill with a compromise bill filed by Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid. Anderson’s bill created English as “common language” and acknowledged some federal rules that require some forms to be printed in other languages. The compromise comes days after discussions. Sykes also credits Sen. Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, to help hammer out a deal.
To say it’s been interesting week would be an understatement, and there’s still another day of session left before bills most be reported out of the opposite chamber. Stay tuned.
– Julie Bisbee, Capitol Bureau
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Comments
SHAME ON YOU PEOPLE. IS THEIR A REASON WHY YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY WE SPEAK ENGLISH TODAY. IT COULD BE BECAUSE SOMEONE IN THE PAST WAS LOOKING AHEAD TO THE FUTURE, WHICH I SEE SOME IN THE HOUSE CANNOT SEE THAT FAR AHEAD. IT SEEM’S THEIR WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERMENT MANDATES AND NOT WHAT THE PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA WANT.(YOU DO REALIZE DON’T YOU THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERMENT IS PART OF THE PROBLEM WERE IN TODAY) TAKE CARE OF OKLAHOMA FIRST–GOVERMENT SECOND.
Chief culprits responsible for a watered down official English bill–Patrick Anderson and Harry TurnCoates (cheap labor chamber lackeys– and multicuturalist Lisa Billy (who prefers to wallow in the past with her alleged injustices).This trio of sellout Republicans have caused an excellent English bill to lose some of its luster.I will still vote for it as it is better than nothing.