They voted to make it easier to raise your taxes. Vote accordingly.

In 1992, Oklahoma voters revolted against higher taxes and passed State Question 640, a constitutional amendment that attacked the ease with which tax increases had historically been passed. SQ640 required revenue-raising measures to either be passed by a majority vote of the people (50%+1) or a 75% vote in both houses of the Legislature, rather than a simple legislative majority as had been the practice.

Big government advocates and tax hogs have complained about it ever since.

During the last major state budget crisis (2016-2018), most legislative Republicans abandoned their conservative principles in the face of tough fiscal choices. Additionally, they increasingly started to talk about gutting SQ640 and lowering the standard for revenue-raising measures.

Until the 2017-18 special sessions, no outright tax increase had achieved that 75% hurdle, although hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes had been raised through other means (votes of the people, fees, and other sleight-of-hand loopholes). To be fair, very few outright tax increases had been previously attempted. Nevertheless, the 75% hurdle did not prove to be "impossible" as tax fans had decried.

At the beginning of the 2018 legislative session, efforts began in earnest to actually reduce the revenue-raising threshold and gut SQ640's constitutional language. House leadership filed a measure (HJR1032) to drop the threshold to 3/5ths (60%), and then a new measure (HJR 1050) to change it to 2/3rds was brought to the floor.

All of this continued to ignore the fact that a statewide vote of the people only requires a bare majority of 50%+1 vote. Legislators continue to fear placing tax increase measures before the voters, counting instead on short memories to cover up their legislative voting records.

HJR 1050 made it to a vote. An amendment was submitted to reduce the tax-hike vote threshold from the proposed 2/3rds back down to 60% (like HJR 1032). That amendment failed, although a shameful 39 Republicans voted for it. The next vote saw 44 Republicans join 7 Democrats in passing the bill.

That brings us to this election. Three Republicans on the June primary ballot for statewide office and one running for Congress voted to gut SQ640 and make it easier for the Legislature to raise your taxes.

Former House Speaker Charles McCall, and former Rep. Jon Echols, current Rep. John Pfeiffer, and then-Sen. Kim David all voted to reduce the tax-raising requirement from 3/4ths to 2/3rds. Speaker McCall and Reps. Echols and Pfeiffer voted to move it even lower to 3/5ths.

Bill to keep Pardon & Parole Board from politicizing cases passes House committee

House Committee Passes Pardon and Parole Board Reform Act

OKLAHOMA CITY – To keep punishment decisions for the most heinous crimes out of the hands of political appointees and with courts and juries, where they belong, Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, advanced legislation Wednesday restricting the Pardon and Parole Board from exceeding its jurisdiction on death penalty and life without parole cases.

“The Pardon and Parole Board’s controversial, unprecedented actions last year in the death penalty cases of Julius Jones and others exposed a major loophole in state law that threatens proper separation of powers in government,” Pfeiffer said. “Trial and appellate courts of the judicial branch, not agencies of political appointees in the executive branch, are the proper venues for appeals on legal procedure or wrongful conviction. The Pardon and Parole Board’s function is not to re-litigate already-adjudicated and repeatedly appealed cases like that of Julius Jones, but to assess inmates’ applications for clemency with impartiality. This bill restores proper balance to the board’s duties.”

State Rep. Pfeiffer to revive bill directing law enforcement to work with ICE

Pfeiffer to Revive Legislation on ICE

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, today said he intends to refile legislation that would require Oklahoma law enforcement to comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requests.

During the 2020 legislative session, Pfeiffer authored House Bill 3195, which directed all sheriffs, jailers and deputies to comply with any request made in an immigration retainer request provided by the federal government, and would have required the person identified in the detainer to be informed they were being held pursuant to the request. Compliance would not be required if the person has provided proof of American citizenship.

State House passes bill to allow bonds for aging flood-control dams

Bill to Allow Bonds for Aging Flood-Control Dams Passes House

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill authorizing the issue of bonds to improve and repair some of the state’s high-risk flood-control dams passed the House today with a vote of 93-1.

House Bill 3298 by state Rep. Carl Newton (R-Cherokee) authorizes the Oklahoma Capitol Improvement Authority (OCIA) to acquire property and invest capital to update dams throughout Oklahoma.

“Many of these dams are more than 50 years old and have reached their life expectancy,” Newton said. “It is important that we protect the homes and cities that are built beneath these structures, many of which supply water to surrounding communities.”

HB 3298 is asking for the ability to bond $17.5 million for property acquisition and would make use of a 65% federal match of $50 million to extend the life of these dams. Debt retirement payments would be made by the Oklahoma Conservation Commission. The bill passed in the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee by a vote of 19-0 in February.

HB 3298 is co-authored by House Majority Leader Mike Sanders (R-Kingfisher) and House Majority Deputy Floor Leader John Pfeiffer (R-Orlando). The bill now moves to the state Senate where it is authored by Sen. Darcy Jech (R-Kingfisher).

House passes bill requiring law enforcement comply with federal immigration agencies

House Passes Bill Requiring Law Enforcement to Comply with Federal Immigration Agencies

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed legislation directing all sheriffs, jailers and deputies to comply with any request made in an immigration retainer request provided by the federal government.

House Bill 3195 is authored by Rep. John Pfeiffer (R-Orlando), who pointed to instances in Oklahoma where illegal immigrants have been released by local law enforcement despite their immigration status having been confirmed.

Pfeiffer said the bill was requested by members of law enforcement to help define their role in these situations.

“I repeatedly heard from law enforcement in my district and from across the state that they needed clarification as to their roles in these situations,” Pfeiffer said. “House Bill 3195 requests that they comply with federal immigration agencies by alerting them to a person’s immigration status and holding a person for no longer than 48 hours while federal officials arrive.”

House Bill 3195 was co-authored by Rep. Sean Roberts (R-Hominy).

“Our local law enforcement should be cooperating with federal immigration agencies in instances where a person’s status as an illegal immigrant has been confirmed,” Roberts said. “We’ve seen unfortunate situations in Oklahoma where our existing laws failed to keep our citizens safe by releasing an illegal immigrant before federal agents arrived.”

The legislation would require the person identified in the immigration detainer to be informed they are being held in accordance with the request from federal agencies. The bill states that a sheriff, jailer or deputy is not required to comply if the person has provided proof that the person is a citizen of the United States.

House Bill 3195 passed the House by a 78-21 vote. It is now available to be considered by the Senate, where it is authored by Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville).

Bill requiring ICE compliance passes State House committee

Pfeiffer Passes Immigration Legislation through House Judiciary Committee

OKLAHOMA CITY (February 4th, 2020) – Rep. John Pfeiffer (R-Orlando) today passed House Bill 3195 through the House Judiciary Committee. The legislation would direct all sheriffs, jailers and deputies to comply with any request made in an immigration retainer request provided by the federal government.

The legislation would require the person identified in the immigration detainer to be informed they are being held pursuant to the request. A sheriff, jailer or deputy is not required to comply if the person has provided proof that the person is a citizen of the United States.

While presenting the bill before the committee, Pfeiffer explained that the need for the bill arose after a county sheriff released an illegal immigrant after only 90 minutes notice to the federal immigration office in Dallas.

“House Bill 3195 clarifies that our law enforcement should work with federal immigration agencies to help protect Oklahomans as these situations arise,” Pfeiffer said. “The need for this bill arose out of a need to promote cooperation between our state law enforcement officers and federal law enforcement agencies.”

The bill passed committee 13-4. It is now available to be considered on the House floor.

Rep. John Pfeiffer, a Republican, serves District 38 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes portions of Garfield, Grant, Kay, Logan and Noble counties.