Legislature passes bill naming Rosette Nebula as State Astronomical Object

Legislature Passes Bill Naming Rosette Nebula as State Astronomical Object

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Legislature today passed House Bill 1292, which designates the Rosette Nebula as the state astronomical object. It passed the Senate 31-12.

House Bill 1292, by Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, names the Rosette Nebula in the Monoceros constellation as the official astronomical object of Oklahoma.

“Our state has a long connection with the space industry,” Miller said. “Every year, hundreds of people from around the country gather in Oklahoma’s panhandle to stargaze at Black Mesa State Park, and by naming a state astronomical object, we’re helping to promote tourism in our state and encourage STEM education.”

Rep. Kenton Patzkowsky, R-Balko, served as a coauthor of HB 1292 and represents District 61, which includes the panhandle.

“The Oklahoma Panhandle, which is home to Black Mesa State Park, is known for some of the darkest night skies in the United States, which makes for fantastic stargazing opportunities,” Patzkowsky said. “Combined with Black Mesa being the highest point in the state, we already attract one of the largest stargazing parties in the country. Having an astronomical object to call our own will increase the interest in this activity and boost tourism dollars for our area.”

Miller said one of her District 82 constituents, Bill Murrell, is involved in the Oklahoma Astronomy Club and brought the designation to her attention.

HB 1292 passed the House 88-9 in early March. It was authored in the Senate by Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman.

“We’re learning more about the universe every day,” Standridge said. “I hope this designation will inspire future Oklahoma astronomers to add to that knowledge with new discoveries.”

Having passed both legislative chambers, the bill is now available to be signed into law by the governor.

The Conservative View: The Black Hole

This week's Conservative View, by Adair County Commissioner Russell Turner (R-Stilwell).

The Conservative View
by Russell Turner

The Black Hole

I have always had an interest in science and astronomy. The study of our universe and the dynamics involved should be of interest to anyone who wants to see the bigger picture of our existence, one of the most intriguing phenomena is that of a black hole. A black hole has such a strong gravitational pull that even light cannot escape its grip. Whatever goes into it is lost forever and it will never be seen again, that scenario is very similar to the way private attorneys are paid to work for state departments in Oklahoma.

Senate Bill 1379, by State Rep. Mark McCullough and State Sen. Anthony Sykes, would have created the Private Attorney Retention Sunshine Act and would have required state agencies hiring private attorneys to use a competitive, public process anytime the contracts are greater than $5,000. Unfortunately SB 1379 did not receive a final vote in the just completed session of the State Legislature. In other state and local agencies there are laws in place that require competitive bidding if the expenditure to any one vendor goes above a certain amount. The bids are a part of public record and are available for anyone to look at them. Often the agencies that have to solicit the bids consider the process a hassle, but we all need to remember that the money being spent belongs to the people. Anytime the public cannot have full access to the expenditure of taxpayer funds there is always the temptation to abuse that trust and waste or embezzle those funds.

According to The Oklahoman, state agencies spent over $24 million dollars on private attorneys over a three-year period. “Because outside attorneys are hired so often in Oklahoma, it is troubling that the public is not allowed to closely scrutinize those contracts,” State Rep. McCullough said. “I believe the Sunshine Act would reduce the chance for the misuse of taxpayer funds to enrich politically connected law firms and I will continue to fight for this important reform.” Even the Wall Street Journal published an editorial criticizing the lack of transparency in the state’s hiring of private attorneys. If Senate Bill 1379 had became law it would have required private attorneys to provide a statement of the hours worked on the case and attorneys could not charge the state more than $1,000 per hour. I guess in reality we don’t have to look to the cosmos to find a black hole, we should start at the state agencies and look at their legal costs.

If you wish to contact Russell Turner, or want to subscribe to his email loop, email him at rdrepublican@windstream.net.