Bill aimed at getting to the root of catalytic converter theft set to become law in November

Bill Aimed at Getting to the Root of Catalytic Converter Theft
Set to Become Law in November

Bill Author Says the Measure is a “Common Sense” Solution to a Growing Crime Costing Oklahoma Families Thousands of Dollars and Creating Public Safety Risks

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 3rd) – A bill authored by Tulsa freshman State Representative Suzanne Schreiber aimed at empowering law enforcement to enact forfeiture measures associated with the theft of catalytic converters and copper will become law in November after clearing all legislative hurdles. Schreiber said she was informed about the issue by her predecessor, former state representative Carol Bush, who had worked to combat catalytic converter theft during her time in office.

State’s first public transit plan delivered to Legislature; goal is mobility for all Oklahomans

Pictured, from left, are Sen. Michael Bergstrom, Rep. Avery Frix, OTA Chief Executive Officer Mark Nestlen, Rep. Carol Bush and Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz.

State’s first public transit plan delivered to Legislature; goal is mobility for all Oklahomans  

The wheels are in motion on improved public transit in Oklahoma after more than one year of coordination by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Oklahoma Transit Association, along with transit agencies statewide to develop the state’s first transit plan. During a special ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 10, the completed Oklahoma Public Transit Policy Plan was delivered by ODOT and OTA to legislative leaders from the Oklahoma Senate and the Oklahoma House of Representatives on the steps of the state Capitol.

The comprehensive, statewide plan outlines the goals, strategies, objectives and priorities to make Oklahoma a Top Ten state for public transit by 2040. Highlights include identification of the existing gap in funding for transit based on current and future projected needs, a strategic investment schedule outlining the best use of funds for the next 20 years and an in-depth examination of transit funding options used by peer states.

“Completion of the state’s first transit plan is a milestone achievement in moving Oklahoma toward becoming a Top Ten State for all modes of transportation,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said. “Thanks to the input from transit providers and users, we now have a roadmap for modernizing transit services and ensuring mobility for all Oklahomans.”

“While ODOT has incorporated public transit in long-range planning efforts before, I’ve never seen it done to this level in my thirty years with the state,” Secretary of Transportation and ODOT Executive Director Tim Gatz said. “I’m grateful for the leadership of President Pro Tem Treat and Speaker McCall as well as the Senate and House transportation committees throughout this process of bringing everyone to the table and developing this plan.”

“Passage of HB 1365 set forth an opportunity to modernize a more efficient and effective public transit system in Oklahoma that will operate seamlessly statewide within and between rural communities and urban cities,” said OTA Chief Executive Officer Mark Nestlen. "Oklahoma’s transit system is currently near the bottom, but full implementation of this first ever statewide transit plan will elevate Oklahoma to a Top Ten state in public transit and ensure the mobility needs of all Oklahomans are met in a safe, economical and coordinated manner."

The plan focuses on currently available transit services: public bus, van and streetcar. Goals over the next 20 years are meeting critical needs by 2025, expanding service by 2030, meeting the benchmark by 2035 and reaching mobility for all by 2040.

Creation of the Oklahoma Public Transit Policy Plan by ODOT and OTA was a key piece of House Bill 1365, which was enacted in 2019 to modernize public transportation by creating the Office of Mobility and Public Transit at ODOT and reforming administration of state and federal funding for transit programs by ODOT.

The transit plan was developed through stakeholder and public input from the transit industry and users. This included numerous meetings with a steering committee of transit leaders, site visits and interviews with transit operators and participation by partner agencies, government officials and advocates. The department also hosted several regional public meetings and administered an online public survey that received more than 2,000 responses. 

The Oklahoma Public Transit Policy Plan can be viewed at www.oktransitplan.org.

What legislative leaders are saying about the Oklahoma Public Transit Policy Plan:

“Public transit and mobility are very important not only to our metro areas, but also rural communities and tribal nations in Oklahoma,” Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said. “Just like we’ve made major progress on our highway system thanks to long-range planning and goal-setting, this first transit plan sets the stage for improved public transportation that will benefit our economy and the health and quality-of-life of Oklahomans statewide.”  

“The transit plan gives us the ability to address long-term needs and solutions in a comprehensive way,” Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman said. “This collaboration will help us ensure we are identifying and maximizing resources and developing goals that will help us address critical transportation needs in both rural and urban Oklahoma for decades to come.” Standridge is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and sponsored House Bill 1365 in the Senate.  

“It’s important that all Oklahomans have the benefits of the mobility public transit provides,” said State Rep. Carol Bush, R-Tulsa, the principal author of HB 1365. “This not only gives people access to employment, healthcare and services but it improves our local and state economies.”

“This legislation helped us modernize our public transit policy as well as ensure better coordination between state agencies so that transportation dollars could be delivered more efficiently where they are needed,” Rep. Avery Frix, R-Muskogee, said. Frix chairs the House Transportation Committee and was a co-author of the bill.

State House passes bill to allow Needle Exchange Program, Harm Reduction Services

Harm Reduction Services, Needle Exchange Program Passes House

OKLAHOMA CITY – Bipartisan legislation to allow licensed professionals to dispose of dirty needles and conduct harm reduction services passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives today by a 73-19 vote.

House Bill 3028 was authored by Rep. Carol Bush and allows licensed professionals to perform syringe service programs approved by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) with the purpose to reduce dirty-needle proliferation and drug use.

Under HB 3028, organizations such as state agencies, county health departments, churches, for-profit businesses and other organizations may perform harm reduction programs. They must register with the state and comply with reporting structure designed to monitor needle and addition reduction. The bill stipulates that the State Dept. of Health must promulgate rules to govern and provide accountability for these programs.

When individuals suffering from drug addiction re-use and share needles, disease such as Hepatitis C and HIV spreads rapidly and law enforcement are endangered due to improperly disposed needles. According to the CDC, Oklahoma has the highest rate of deaths from Hepatitis C in the country.

“Oklahoma is facing an epidemic of drug use and infectious diseases, which is spurred by dirty needles, but House Bill 3028 can help lessen the spread of diseases,” Bush said. “Fighting the war against drugs will take different approaches, and this policy is one that will allow professionals to connect individuals using drugs to treatment options and necessary support services.”

“Other states across the country have seen significant improvement in their health-outcomes for diseases spread with dirty needles, as well as a reduction in rates of needle stick injuries for law enforcement,” Bush continued. “The statistics show that fewer contaminated needles on the streets means less crime overall and increased safety for law enforcement.”

The likelihood of needle stick injuries is high among law enforcement officers. Research shows that one in three law enforcement officers will experience a needle stick injury over the course of their career, and one in four will experience more than one such injury. However, harm reduction services in other states have successfully reduced law enforcement needle stick injuries by 30 to 66 %.

Harm reduction services also provide a way for trained professionals to meet with people suffering from addiction and provide resources to find treatment. South Carolina found that over 90% of participants in their needle exchange programs turn in syringes. New users of syringe service programs are 5 times more likely to enter drug treatment.

Bush said the bill was supported by the Cherokee Nation, Oklahoma State Medical Association, Oklahoma Hospital Association, Oklahoma AIDS Care Fund, Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, Oklahoma Academy of Physician Assistants, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Professional Firefighters of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State Firefighters, Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado and Lawton Chief of Police James Smith.

“Addiction is a disease, and it takes time and support to overcome,” Bush said. “Even though harm reduction programs won’t cure all drug addiction and disease in our state, this is a step in the right direction to begin addressing it.”

The bill includes a sunset date of July 1, 2025 to allow for future examination of the success of the program.

House Bill 3028 was co-authored by Rep. Daniel Pae (R-Lawton), Rep. John Waldron (R-Tulsa), Sen. John Michael Montgomery (R-Lawton) and Sen. Carri Hicks (R-Oklahoma City), who each were pursuing similar legislation.

House Bill 3028 passed the House 73-19 and moves to the Senate for consideration.

'Transparency in Health Prices Act' passes State House 93-0

Transparency in Health Prices Act Passes House

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. Carol Bush (R-Tulsa) today secured unanimous passage of a bill that ensures price transparency to the public for common health care treatment options.

House Bill 3029 creates the Transparency in Health Care Prices Act and would require health care providers, groups and facilities to make health care prices available to the public for their 20 most commonly provided inpatient and outpatient services. The measure passed the House with a vote of 93-0.

“Someone needing health care services deserves to know the price they will pay for such treatment,” Bush said. “This bill is an effort to provide more transparency in our health care treatment system and to set up a basic structure for supplying such cost information to the Oklahoma consumer.”

Bush said the legislation is supported by the Oklahoma State Medical Association and was a request bill from three doctors that live in her district.

Health care price referenced in this measure means the cash price a provider, group or facility will charge a patient for standard services to be rendered. This pricing list shall be made available to the consumer by the provider, group or facility via their website or other conspicuous posting and must be updated annually. The health care cash price would not include any amount in the case of complications or exceptional treatment.

HB 3029 was co-authored in the House by State Reps. Lewis Moore (R-Arcadia), Andy Fugate (D-Oklahoma City), Robert Manger (R-Oklahoma City), Melissa Provenzano (D-Tulsa) and Dr. Randy Randleman (R-Eufaula).

The bill now moves to the State Senate where it is authored by Adam Pugh (R-Edmond).

Carol Bush represents District 70 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which includes parts of Tulsa County.

House committee passes expansive bill to ban LGBT conversion therapy for minors

Rep. Jason Dunnington (D-OKC) presented HB3872, the 'Youth Mental Health Protection Act', in the House Committee on Children, Youth and Family Services yesterday. The bill bans the use of so-called "conversion therapy" on minors, with no exemptions (unlike a similar bill in Utah that is being pushed as a model in red states by LGBT advocates).

HB3872 defines conversion therapy as this:

1. "Conversion therapy" means any practice or treatment that seeks to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, including, but not limited to, any effort to change behaviors or gender expressions or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward persons of the same sex. "Conversion therapy" does not mean:
a. counseling or mental health services that provide acceptance, support and understanding of a person without seeking to change sexual orientation or gender identity, or
b. mental health services that facilitate a person's coping, social support, or sexual orientation or gender identity exploration and development, including, but not limited to, an intervention to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices, without seeking to change sexual orientation or gender identity;
2. "Gender identity" means the gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual's designated sex at birth; and
3. "Sexual orientation" means heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality, whether actual or perceived.

The bill states that "No provider, as defined in Section 725.2 of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes, shall provide conversion therapy to any person under eighteen (18) years of age, or to a consumer, regardless of age, for whom a conservator or guardian has been appointed," and that violation of the act "shall be grounds for disciplinary action by the provider's licensing board."

State Rep. Randy Randleman, a Licensed Psychologist in the Eufaula area, argued against the measure. It passed committee by a vote of 10-4:

• Forrest Bennett (D-OKC): Aye
• Jeff Boatman (R-Tulsa): Aye
• Chairwoman Carol Bush (R-Tulsa): Aye
• Rep. Darrel Fincher (R-Bartlesville): Aye
• Ronny Johns (R-Ada): Aye
• Dell Kerbs (R-Shawnee): Aye
• Cyndi Munson (D-OKC): Aye
• Melissa Provenzano (D-Tulsa): Aye
• Trish Ranson (D-Stillwater): Aye
• Cynthia Roe (R-Lindsay): Aye
  
• Mark Lawson (R-Sapulpa): Nay
• Nicole Miller (R-Edmond): Nay
• Randy Randleman (R-Eufaula): Nay
• Vice Chairman John Talley (R-Stillwater): Nay

Utah passed a similar ban in 2019, which is being pushed as a model for other states, particularly in Republican-led states. However, the Utah bill is much more narrow in scope, and contains exemptions for "a clergy member or religious counselor who is acting substantially in a pastoral or religious capacity and not in the capacity of a mental health therapist", as well as for "a parent or grandparent who is a mental health therapist with respect to counseling a child or grandchild of the parent or grandparent."

Dr. Albert Mohler of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary discussed the Utah situation on his The Briefing podcast several weeks ago. The Dunnington bill follows the very expansive definition of conversion therapy promoted by LGBT advocacy organizations such as GLAAD. The Utah legislation follows a more narrow definition, focusing the ban on treatments that:

"claims that therapy will result in a complete and permanent reversal in the patient/client's sexual orientation; asserts that a complete and permanent change in the patient or client's sexual orientation is necessary; subjects a patient or client to physical discomfort through aversive treatment that causes nausea, vomiting, or other unpleasant physical sensations; or provides electric shock or other electrical therapy, including electroconvulsive therapy or transcranial magnet stimulation." [source]

The audio of the meeting can be heard at this link, beginning at 3:29:05. The text of the bill can be read here.

House committee passes bill to eliminate statute of limitations for sex crimes against children

House Committee Passes Bill to Eliminate Statute of Limitations for Sex Crimes Against Children

OKLAHOMA CITY – The House Judiciary Committee yesterday passed legislation to remove the statute of limitations on the prosecution of child trafficking and sexual crimes against children.

Rep. Carol Bush (R-Tulsa) authored House Bill 3024 to allow the prosecution against someone accused of committing sexual crimes against a child to be commenced at any time after the offense occurs.

“Horrific events in early childhood, especially events like molestation or rape, have an adverse effect on a person throughout their entire life,” Bush said. “Unfortunately, it also often means that many of these survivors take years to come forward, especially when they face the daunting challenge of proving it happened, facing their abuser, and financing a years-long legal battle.”

Bush pointed out that trauma often leads survivors to bury the event in their minds until they’re emotionally mature enough to address it, which often doesn’t happen until 30 or 40 years later. CHILD USA, a national nonprofit focused on ending child abuse and neglect, reports that of child sexual abuse survivors that do disclose, on average, they don’t disclose until they are 52 years old.

Bush said the change was brought to her when she was first elected, by a constituent whose father molested her daily beginning from the age of six, but didn’t come to terms with it until she was approaching 40.

“The change proposed by House Bill 3024 gives victims the opportunity to come forward at any point in their lives, and it gives law enforcement the chance to prove a perpetrator’s guilt through due process and hopefully get these disgusting criminals off the streets,” Bush said.

Bush ran similar legislation in her first session in 2017, but after edits, the bill instead updated the age the statute of limitation expired to the current age of 45.

“Ever since I started talking about changing this policy in 2017, I’ve heard directly from dozens of other survivors across the state who emphasized the need to remove the statute of limitations,” Bush said. “Survivors of all ages deserve the chance to see their abuser tried, whether the crime was committed five or fifty years ago. Thousands of people across the country live through this, and because of disabilities resulting from the abuse or power dynamics between themselves and their abuser, they don’t come forward until our legal system says it’s too late.”

Several states have already eliminated the statute of limitations for sex crimes against children in recent years, including Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Hawaii and Massachusetts. The state of New York created a window until August 2020 to give victims the opportunity to pursue prosecution.

“I am appalled at the amount of our laws I’ve found that seem to be written to directly protect and shelter suspects rather than support survivors,” Bush said. “I hope that when this bill becomes law survivors across the state will come forward and use this as an opportunity to have their day in court, no matter how long ago the crime was committed.”

House Bill 3024 passed the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 12-5. It is now available to be considered on the House floor. As it is currently written, the bill would go into effect in Nov. 2020.

Rep. Carol Bush, a Republican, serves District 70 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Her district includes a portion of Tulsa County.

Gov. Stitt issues first veto, nixing new task force

Governor Kevin Stitt has issued the first veto of his tenure, disapproving House Bill 1205, which passed the House by a vote of 91 to 4, and the Senate by a vote of 41 to 4. The measure was authored by Rep. Carol Bush (R[INO], Tulsa) and Sen. Greg McCortney (R-Ada), and would have created the Oklahoma Home and Community-Based Services Ombudsman Program Task Force.

Gov. Stitt's veto message, posted above, indicated his preference to address in-home and community-based care issues through existing state agencies rather than the creation of yet another task force.

Of note, the handful of legislators who voted against the measure and seemingly agreed with Stitt's assessment all belong to the conservative wing of the legislative GOP.

Bipartisan Task Force Recommends Restarting House Page Program

Bipartisan Task Force Recommends Restarting House Page Program

OKLAHOMA CITY – The bipartisan task force assigned to evaluate the House of Representatives’ Page Program has voted unanimously to restart the program beginning next week with the implementation of immediate changes. The Page Program Task Force has recommended moving to male only and female only weeks through the end of the legislative session as they continue to evaluate the program and study best practices from other states. The Task Force has also recommended increasing security for the program. Based upon those recommendations, House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka) announced the program will restart beginning Monday, April 1. The Task Force will continue to meet as it evaluates the program to consider additional changes.

“We believe this is a program worth having, and that we should continue to provide these opportunities for our students,” said Task Force Chairman Terry O’Donnell, R-Catoosa. “We are taking the protection of our pages very seriously, and we are making immediate changes that will enhance safety for our participants. We will continue to look at the program from a long-term perspective as the task force meets over the next few weeks. The page program is a very valuable experience for our students who participate and it is a way for lawmakers to connect with their communities. We will continue to be diligent in examining our current procedures, but we don’t want to punish those young people who hope to learn about the Legislature and maybe develop a life-long appreciation for public service.”

“The page program is a unique and historic education opportunity for Oklahoma students,” said House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman. “I appreciate the quick work of committee members to ensure that students from across the state still have access to the program.”

“The safety of our pages is my number one priority in this process,” said Task Force Vice Chair Carol Bush, R-Tulsa. “We have looked at our current protocols and made some adjustments that we believe will protect our students and allow the program to be reinstated quickly. This is just the first step. We will continue to evaluate the program and make recommendations for changes that will protect our students in the long term.”

“This committee had two primary goals,” said Task Force member Ben Loring, D-Miami. “First, we wanted to make certain that future pages will be safe. Second, as long as we accomplished the first goal, we wanted to keep the program open and accessible to Oklahoma students throughout the remainder of session. I feel like we have accomplished both of these goals.”

CD1 GOP candidate: don't defund Planned Parenthood, they stop more abortions than they provide

Danny Stockstill, one of the Republicans vying to replace Jim Bridenstine in the 1st Congressional District, recently gave an interview to Barry Friedman of TheTulsaVoice.com (the same writer that State Rep. Carol Bush opened up to in December). In it, the Southern Baptist pastor made several remarks that GOP primary voters might be interested in seeing.

Friedman: I heard you worked with Planned Parenthood? True?
Stockstill: I tried to. I know there is nothing I can do about the decision to have the child or the abortion, but I wanted them to know that we will support them. I’d drive by and see people protesting every day, and I thought, “How in the world is that helping us as a society, us in Christian faith, women at all?”
Friedman: The ones protesting or the ones getting abortions?
Stockstill: The protestors. And I realized it’s not. When I first came to Brookside Baptist Church in June 2011, it was the first phone call I made. And it didn’t go over well. I don’t know why they didn’t think a Southern Baptist pastor would have good intentions. (Laughs) We’re always such good partners with everyone we disagree with.
[...]
Friedman: Will you stand up in a debate and say, “I am a Baptist minister. I’m against abortion, but I’m against defunding Planned Parenthood, considering the work they do with preventative care, cancer screenings, family planning, contraceptives, etc.”?
Stockstill: I’ve said that out loud. I know that if I defund Planned Parenthood, abortion rates are going to skyrocket because they’re stopping more abortions than they’re providing.

Elsewhere in the interview, Stockstill borders on the theological heresy of universalism, and lands jabs at Congressman Jim Bridenstine and KFAQ's Pat Campbell as well.

In another article on TheTulsaVoice.com, Tatiana Ryckman wrote this about Stockstill: "When he first started at Brookside, he told me, one of the first calls he made was to Planned Parenthood to ask how they could work together."


That this man is a Southern Baptist pastor is an embarrassment to this member of a Southern Baptist church. While individual congregations are autonomous, the Southern Baptist Convention has passed a plethora of resolutions against abortion and Planned Parenthood in particular, and the current Baptist Faith & Message itself states "We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death," as well as "Children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord." For a Southern Baptist pastor to brag about working with Planned Parenthood and praise the murderous organization for "they’re stopping more abortions than they’re providing" (which is a farce) is simply beyond the pale, and the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma should look into the matter.

Republican primary voters should vehemently reject the candidacy of Danny Stockstill on the basis of his coziness with and support of Planned Parenthood, which per year kills over 300,000 babies nationwide and over 5,000 here in Oklahoma.

State Rep. Carol Bush (R) endorses Horn (D) for Congress

photo credit: @JustinWingerter

On Thursday, July 13th, Democrat candidate Kendra Horn kicked off her campaign for Congress in the 5th District, seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Congressman Steve Russell.

State Rep. Carol Bush (RINO-Tulsa) attended the event to give her endorsement to the Democrat candidate, calling Horn "authentic" (according to a reporter from the Oklahoman).

Bush made headlines at the end of last year when she gave an interview that sounded like a left-wing Democrat. After sending an apology to the Republican caucus for her comments, she then claimed to have been misquoted -- something the publisher strongly disputed.

source: Kendra Horn for Congress

Bush defeated a conservative Republican in the 2016 primary, then showed her true Republican In Name Only colors after the election. Hopefully, a real conservative will challenge and defeat her in the 2018 election.

Carol Bush says she was misquoted; publisher disagrees

State Rep. Carol Bush

In a December interview with TheTulsaVoice.com, freshman State Rep. Carol Bush (R-Tulsa) made a series of comments on her policy views that were... unorthodox for a Republican, to say the least. The HD70 representative took liberal positions on taxes three times, said ObamaCare was the "wrong execution of the right idea", and leaned left on social issues like abortion, marriage, and assisted suicide. She also said she was recruited to run for office by now ex-representative Jeannie McDaniel (D-Tulsa), who was one of the most liberal Oklahoma  legislators in recent memory.

After her statements caught attention on social media and my post here, Rep. Bush sent an apology to members of the House Republican caucus, obtained by SoonerPolitics.org:

Bush pleads "misquoted" and "taken out of context" for her liberal positions.

Joshua Kline, editor of TheTulsaVoice.com, responded to Bush's claim with this statement:

"We stand by Barry Friedman's story, which presented Rep. Bush in her own words. Bush is welcome to contact us directly if she seriously believes she was misquoted or "taken out of context." We'd be happy to go over the audio with her and sort this whole thing out."

The tone of the original article was that of a conversation between old pals; in fact, the author started off with a disclaimer noting that he and Bush have been friends for 35 years. I think the truth of the matter isn't "misquoted" or "taken out of context", but rather that, at ease in a friendly environment, Bush was simply caught voicing her real thoughts on these policy issues.

At least it gives conservatives a heads-up about another legislator to keep a watchful eye on.

RINO Alert: HD70 Rep. Carol Bush shows true colors

Republican Ken Walker was one of only three incumbent legislators to lose their reelection bids (all Republicans, all defeated in their primaries). Walker lost the House District 70 GOP primary to challenger Carol Bush by just over 3% of the vote.

Walker ranked high in both his conservative rating average (9th in the House) and his Conservative Performance Index score (14th in the House). 

It appears that he's been replaced by a true 'RINO' (Republican In Name Only). In an interview with TheTulsaVoice.com, new HD70 State Rep. Bush reveals her true colors.

In the interview, she takes positions supporting numerous liberal positions. Here's a sampling:

ObamaCare: "Wrong execution of the right idea. I do believe we have to take care of the healthcare of everybody."

Tax Hikes 1: "We’ve taken too much money out of the budget in the last 12 years."

Tax Hikes 2: "I was all for that cigarette tax. It should go back on the table." 

Tax Hikes 3: [question from interviewer: "So, where do we make up the revenue? Higher taxes on horizontal drillers?"] Bush: "Yeah. What about a luxury tax?"

Gay "Rights": "Of course. You can’t legislate morality."

Abortion: appears to be pro-abortion, and wants schools to be able to give birth control to students

Bush also appears to lean toward allowing assisted-suicide laws, and found Rep. John Bennett's talk at a recent caucus meeting to be "prayer revival, Bible thumping" and "offensive", further saying "We need to muffle his megaphone."

Bush says she was recruited to run by extreme liberal Democrat ex-Rep. Jeannie McDaniel . McDaniel had the 7th most liberal rating in the House, and 5th worst CPI score.

It looks like she will be a "fitting" replacement for ex-Rep. Doug Cox, who had the 2nd-worst CPI score among Republican House members and the worst conservative average.