Efforts Underway To Gather For Special Session To Address Governor’s Vetoes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 16, 2018
Rep. Faught Supports Veto-Override Special Session
Petition for Special Session would give chance to stop US 69 Bypass
OKLAHOMA CITY – State Rep. George Faught today announced his support of a legislative petition authored by State Sen. Nathan Dahm calling for a special session devoted to overriding vetoes issued by Gov. Mary Fallin.
Article V, Section 27A of the Oklahoma Constitution allows for the Legislature to call itself into special session and set the guidelines without the governor’s input. Dahm’s petition would allow for the special session to take up overrides of Gov. Fallin’s vetoes from the 2017-2018 legislative term and allow for the members of the House and Senate to re-author and pass any measure Fallin has vetoed during her term, going back all the way to the 2011 legislative session.
“This would give lawmakers the opportunity to fix all the mistakes Mary Fallin has made and decisions she messed us up over the last eight years,” said Dahm, R-Broken Arrow.
One measure important to the Muskogee area that would be eligible to be heard during the special session would be Senate Bill 86. The legislation required the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to perform an economic impact study before any planned bypass around a community is placed on ODOT’s eight-year plan and required the department to present the study to the municipality, which would need to approve the bypass before beginning construction. SB 86passed the House by a vote of 62-27 and the Senate by a vote of 32-11.
“A veto override special session would give Muskogee another chance at stopping the U.S. 69 Bypass, and give input and protections to communities in the U.S. 69 corridor and across the state from future bypass projects,” said Faught, R-Muskogee, who served as the House author of SB 86.
Another potential measure eligible for a veto override is House Bill 1552, an important government transparency and accountability measure authored by Faught. HB 1552 would have brought much-needed reforms to the state’s regulatory process. It would have reformed the administrative rules process by restoring legislative control over government regulations, thus strengthening transparency and accountability and reining in unelected bureaucrats. HB 1552 passed the House by a vote of 71- 23 and the Senate unanimously.
“Gov. Fallin has failed Oklahoma citizens by vetoing legislation that is important to the Muskogee area and the state as a whole,” said Faught. “This veto-override special session would give us a chance to correct those problems, advance Oklahoma in a positive direction, and protect citizens from government overreach.”
Lawmakers are also considering overriding vetoes on pro-life, pro-gun, and government reform measures.
“Citizens can go to OKLegislature.gov to find out who their legislators are and how to contact them. I urge Muskogee area residents to call their legislators and ask them to sign Sen. Dahm’s veto-override special session petition. Give lawmakers another chance at stopping the U.S. 69 bypass, as well as overturning other vetoes of policy measures that would benefit Oklahoma citizens and businesses,” said Faught.
Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee, represents House District 14, which covers portions of eastern Muskogee and western Cherokee counties, including the communities of Muskogee, Fort Gibson, Braggs and Webbers Falls. He chairs the General Government Oversight and Accountability committee.
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