It took Democrats a while to get around to arguing about the meat of the issue before the current special session of the Legislature.
The session was called to discuss returning the state's three-year-old lawsuit reform measure to law after the state Supreme Court axed the statute.
The high court declared the biggest piece of the package unconstitutional because it dealt with more than one issue. The state Constitution says a law can only deal with one subject.
Gov. Mary Fallin called the session and promised to take the multi-piece law apart and reinstitute it part by part.
But before the session and well into it first week, Democrats weren't arguing with any element of lawsuit reform. In fact, they seemed to want to argue about anything else.
Why aren't we dealing with school safety, they demanded. Why aren't we dealing with higher pay for prison guards? Why not talk about paying state troopers more?
Those are all popular issues and why the Legislature hasn't dealt with them is interesting, but not relevant to the special session. The Legislature could have legally expanded the governor's agenda, but no one really expected it to do so.
The closest Democrats came to discussing the merits of lawsuit reform was their argument that the special session was expensive and the issue could be dealt with in regular session - again valid points, but why wasn't the opposition party talking about the merits of reinstating the 2009 law?
In part because in 2009 a lot of them voted for it. And a Democrat signed it into law.
When House Bill 1603 passed in 2009, 24 Democrats were among the 86 members voting for the bill. Eight of those Democrats are still in the Legislature.
So, if they voted for it and then Gov. Brad Henry signed it, it becomes very awkward for them to argue against it now.
All but one of the 13 votes against the bill in 2009 were cast by Democrats, but some of the most important opinion-shapers in the current Democratic caucus were among those voting for it, including Minority Leader Scott Inman, D-Del City.
On Thursday, Democrats finally started debating the meat of the issue, and did so vigorously. Predictably, they had to face the "well, you already voted for this once" argument from across the aisle.
At one point, when his previous vote was brought into play, Inman had a lawyerly answer.
The 2009 bill was under the control of a Republican Legislature. It contained some things that were good and necessary, Inman said, but others that were bad - very bad considering the vehemence of his Thursday arguments.
Because of the unconstitutional nature of the 2009 law, he had to vote for things he didn't like to get the ones he did.
Thank goodness, the Supreme Court struck down the multiple-part law, so that now each element would have to stand or fall on its own merits, he said.
So far, in a Republican-controlled Legislature, they're all standing.
My congressman, my plumber
I hope U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin doesn't mind me telling this story.
The Second District Republican came to visit the Tulsa World editorial board last week. I met him at the elevator and was going to escort him into the meeting, but he said he needed to use the restroom first, so I showed him to the facilities.
For weeks one of the urinals in the Tulsa World restroom has been beeping when you stand in front of it. It's been the subject of a lot of jokes among male employees - that "NSA snooping is really going too far now ..." "I think this urinal is trying to hook up with my cell phone...."
When Mullin came out of the restroom, he told me our urinal needed a new battery.
What?
The urinal beeps when you stand in front of it. That means its battery is low, he said.
The urinal has a battery?
Sure, it operates the automatic flushing device. It fits in on the back.
He even may have offered to show me where the battery case was. I told him we'd have someone fix it.
And we did.
I told the managing editor we might be getting a consultation bill from Mullin Plumbing.
(First published on:
tulsaworld.com/waynesworld)
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Wayne Greene 918-581-8308
wayne.greene@tulsaworld.com
Column - Greene
Rep. Jim Bridenstine's decision to get involved in the Tulsa mayor's race - taping a radio spot that slams Kathy Taylor and paying for it from the Friends of Bridenstine fund - was bold.
State schools Superintendent Janet Barresi proposed a $2,000 raise for teachers last week.
