House A&B Close Loopholes That Allow Officials Convicted of a Felony to Keep Benefits

A bill by state Rep. Leslie Osborn, which would close loopholes that allow state, county and municipal officials convicted of a felony to keep their benefits, passed out of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee today.

“I am very pleased to see this long overdue legislation passed,” Osborn, R-Tuttle, said. “Public officials should be held to a higher standard and I believe deserve to lose their benefits when they have committed a felony.”

Osborn cited former state Sen. Gene Stipe and district judge Donald Thompson as the types of elected or appointed officials that would stand to lose their benefits in the future.

“They violated the public’s trust and doesn’t deserve to keep those benefits,” Osborn said. “I think it’s a slap in the face to taxpayers to see an official caught doing something wrong and then see him or her continue to collect money from the state.”

House Bill 1385 would remove language that specifies that in order to lose their benefits, elected or appointed officials would have to be in office at the time of the conviction. It would also remove language that specifies that the official had to violate their oath of office.

“It is not enough to take those benefits away only if the oath of office is violated and only if the official is currently in office,” Osborn said. “My only regret is that this bill was not in place in time to punish Sen. Gene Stipe and Judge Donald Thompson. These officials are charged with looking out for the public welfare and when they disregard the law, it is especially tragic. I am very proud of this legislation and proud of my fellow lawmakers for passing it out of committee.”

Rep. Osborn Seeks to Protect State Finances from Unfunded Mandates

One state representative wants to ensure that unfunded mandates do not dictate future state revenue spending to the detriment of vital state services.
Rep. Leslie Osborn (R- Tuttle) is the author of House Joint Resolution 1014, which would amend the state constitution to prevent unfunded mandates from forcing draconian cuts to vital government services, such as roads, schools and public safety.

“The constitution of Oklahoma stipulates that the Legislature divide the general revenue fund as they deem appropriate on a year-to-year basis and the people have a direct voice in that process through their elected representatives,” Osborn said. “That system needs to be preserved. Under my bill, general revenue would be budgeted solely according to the fiscal health of the state and not based on arbitrary unfunded mandates. This measure, which would go to a vote of the people, would insure that this constitutional right is not subverted.”

Osborn said unfunded mandates could be a growing problem in the future if constitutional protections are not enacted.

“Unfunded mandates require that money is taken off of the top of the general revenue fund, leaving much less to be divided up among vital agencies,” Osborn said. “As a result, those unfunded mandates could require drastic cuts to road funding or public safety programs, or even massive tax increases, which in the current economic climate could be devastating to our state economy.”

House Joint Resolution 1014 passed out of the House Rules Committee and now advances to the full Oklahoma House of Representatives.