Commentary: People should decide two key constitutional issues

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Apr 28, 2008 by William O Pitts

Two proposed amendments to the Oklahoma Constitution should be sent to a vote of the people at the November general election. They are SB 163, making English the official state language for the conduct of its business, and SB 1987, setting term limits for statewide elected officials. Both measures passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives last week and were returned to the state Senate for final consideration.

Party-line voting on both measures was clearly evident in the House. The vote for SB 163 (70-28) was more bipartisan. All the nay votes came from House Democrats but 14 of them voted for the measure.

By a vote of 56 to 44 the House passed a committee substitute for SB 1987 by state Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso and state Rep. Trebor Worthen, R-OKC and returned it to the state Senate, where it is expected to be brought up this week for consideration of the House amendments and final passage.

Both authors insist it is not aimed at Democrats or Republicans, but House Republicans voted 55 to one Democrat - state Rep. R.C. Pruett, Antlers - for the bill. House Democrats voted 42 to two Republicans, Reps. Shane Jett, Tecumseh, and Scott Martin, Norman, against the bill.

If approved by a vote of the people the constitutional amendment limits to three four-year terms or 12 years for the offices for the lieutenant governor, attorney general, state treasurer, state insurance commissioner, state auditor and inspector, and state superintendent of public instruction. The limit set for the three members of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission would be two six- year terms.

All but two of those offices currently are held by Democrats. Republicans Bob Anthony and Jeff Cloud are members of the Corporation Commission. Jim Roth, appointed by Gov. Brad Henry, is the Democrat member of the commission. He is up for election this year.

Anthony is in his fourth six-year term as a commissioner, which ends in 2012.

Attorney General Drew Edmondson is serving his third four-year term, which ends in 2010. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sandy Garrett is working on her fifth term in office. It expires 2010. The rest of the office holders are in their first elected term of office.

In the Senate on the first go-around seven Democrats joined all 24 Republicans in support of SB 1987. Whether that Democrat support will hold when the bill comes back for final consideration is another question. Edmondson has come out in opposition to sending the measure to a vote of the people.

To be successful, Republicans will have to hold the vote of their 24 members in the evenly divided Senate and keep at least one of the seven Democrats who voted for it the first time.

A strong argument can be made for the Legislature to submit both questions to a vote of the people that is not always applicable to other issues. First the Legislature has no power to amend the state constitution. That is reserved to the people.

More importantly, both of these issues are of wide concern among the electorate with seemingly overwhelming support. A July, 2007 Pulse Opinion Research survey of 1,000 likely voters found 77 percent of them would vote for a measure setting term limits for elected state officials. Last December a poll by the Tulsa World and KOTV showed 73 percent in favor.

On the other issue similar polls indicate 88 percent of Oklahomans favor making English the official language for state business. It broke down to 93 percent Republicans and 84 percent Democrats. Given such numbers, it is difficult to see how the Senate can deny voters the right to decide such important issues.

With so much effort being put forth by various groups to hamper the circulation of initiative petitions to get such questions on the ballot, it seems incumbent that the Legislature should give the people the chance they obviously want to decide these two.

William O. Pitts may be reached by phone at (405) 278-2880 or by e-mailing bill.pitts@journalrecord.com.