ConstitutionCowboy
member
The Oklahoma House Public Safety committee has killed legislation to allow concealed carry permit holders to carry weapons openly
This is quite curious since there is nothing in the Oklahoma Constitution to allow the House of Representatives to have legislative committees, and the Oklahoma Constitution, Section V-34, requires that ALL bills be read on three different days in each House, and if it has a number, it's a bill.
The Oklahoma Senate may have legislative(standing) committees per Section V- 28, but nowhere in the Oklahoma Constitution is the House authorized to create such committees let alone to grant such committees the power to kill a bill. Such power would be in violation of Section V-34.
Now, if the House wants to create committees to DRAFT legislation, I can see where such power would not violate the Oklahoma Constitution, but once drafted, submitted by a representative, and assigned a bill number, like all bills presented and assigned a number(each Rep is allowed to introduce 8 bills each session), it should be read three times on the House floor and given an up or down vote. Period.
I had the opportunity to ask Kris Steele(Speaker of the House) about this today, and he stated that the "committees" are created under the House's "legislative powers", but could not reconcile that with the requirement in the Oklahoma Constitution to read every bill on three different days in the house (unless two-thirds of a quorum present vote to dispense with the reading per Section V-35, which does not negate the requirement for an up or down vote. A committee with 17 members is hardly a quorum.). He said he'd get back to me.
Woody
This is quite curious since there is nothing in the Oklahoma Constitution to allow the House of Representatives to have legislative committees, and the Oklahoma Constitution, Section V-34, requires that ALL bills be read on three different days in each House, and if it has a number, it's a bill.
The Oklahoma Senate may have legislative(standing) committees per Section V- 28, but nowhere in the Oklahoma Constitution is the House authorized to create such committees let alone to grant such committees the power to kill a bill. Such power would be in violation of Section V-34.
Now, if the House wants to create committees to DRAFT legislation, I can see where such power would not violate the Oklahoma Constitution, but once drafted, submitted by a representative, and assigned a bill number, like all bills presented and assigned a number(each Rep is allowed to introduce 8 bills each session), it should be read three times on the House floor and given an up or down vote. Period.
I had the opportunity to ask Kris Steele(Speaker of the House) about this today, and he stated that the "committees" are created under the House's "legislative powers", but could not reconcile that with the requirement in the Oklahoma Constitution to read every bill on three different days in the house (unless two-thirds of a quorum present vote to dispense with the reading per Section V-35, which does not negate the requirement for an up or down vote. A committee with 17 members is hardly a quorum.). He said he'd get back to me.
Woody
