Senate Republican Rural Caucus Op-ed
Rural Oklahoma has roots that extend deep into our state’s history. With a variety of elements, rural Oklahoma is the unrivaled backbone for Oklahoma, and rural Oklahoma’s success and livelihood directly affect our entire state.
As a citizen and senator from rural Oklahoma, it is an honor for me to serve as chairman of the Republican Rural Caucus in the Oklahoma State Senate. As a caucus, we are dedicated to ensuring the voices of rural Oklahoma are heard at the State Legislature.
Last session we accomplished several reforms that benefited rural Oklahoma. The Republican Rural Caucus provided landowners and farmers with protection for their livestock and land, strengthened trespassing laws and modified the permission to hunt and fish on certain land, and authorized the State Board of Agriculture to collect fines from violators of the Boll Weevil Eradication Act.
In addition, we successfully classified animal waste as nonhazardous to protect Oklahoma’s livestock industry from attacks by radical environmentalists, and we increased the funding for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry.
The Republican Rural Caucus is dedicated to advancing and protecting the interests of rural Oklahoma. We recently unveiled our agenda for the 2008 Legislative Session, our “Vision for Improving the Quality of Life in Rural Oklahoma.”
At the top of our agenda is the dedication of more existing motor vehicle taxes and fees to the improvement of county roads and bridges. Too often counties are not even able to afford the upfront price tag of road and bridge improvements, so these remain unfixed. These efforts will not take away from the portion of motor vehicle taxes and fees that are already dedicated to education.
Providing quality education in our local schools is a top priority for us as well. Our children are our future and deserve to have great opportunities for learning and growth. The members of the Senate Republican Rural Caucus know that local schools are the lifeblood of our rural communities, which is why we have made very clear that we will OPPOSE any legislation that requires the forced consolidation of public schools.
Another priority for the Republican Rural Caucus will be to immediately eliminate Oklahoma’s Death Tax. Many people have worked hard all their lives to build up a farming operation or small business to pass on to their family. Unfortunately, many families are forced to sell these assets to pay the death tax when a loved one dies. The Legislature has voted to phase out the Death Tax in the year 2010, but we will work to immediately abolish it.
The Senate Republican Rural Caucus will continue to work to ensure the protection of personal property rights in dealing with land and water. In addition to the trespassing bill passed last year, we want to protect property rights with respect to water, and to provide for water conservation. When addressing water conservation, we also will work to improve water quality and quantity.
In Oklahoma, it currently takes too long to move an oversized load as a result of the slow, archaic trucking permit system. This means that products and commodities that should be moving are often sitting on the side of a highway while waiting for a permit. The Senate Republican Rural Caucus will work to modernize this system by putting all Oklahoma roads on a computer-based system to keep the state’s valuable resources moving.
The final area we wish to address is healthcare for rural Oklahoma. Excellence in rural healthcare is vital to economic development and job growth. The Senate Republican Rural Caucus is committed to saving rural hospitals, making healthcare more affordable, and improving access to healthcare by attracting and keeping physicians in rural Oklahoma.
Rural Oklahoma can take pride in our people, our resources and our contribution to this great state. Protecting these assets is essential to the survival of the rural way of life.
Sen. Ron Justice, R-Chickasha
Republican Rural Caucus Chair
Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee Co-Chair
