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LAWMAKER SAYS HATE CRIMES BILL CONTAINS ERROR Legislation would take away gay, lesbian rights but threatens religious, racial rights RICKY MARANON Assignment Editor
OKLAHOMA CITY — A bill intended to remove hate crime protections from gays and lesbians actually takes away rights from everyone else because of a “legislative error,” according to one lawmaker. Oklahoma State Senate Minority Leader Andrew Rice, D-Oklahoma City, said when the Senate passed Senate Bill 1965 on March 10, it eliminated hate crime protections
for race and religion. The bill states local law enforcement agencies should not enforce any sections of federal law under hate crimes statutes listed under Title 18 U.S. Code Section 245 unless they are in correlation with Oklahoma’s hate crimes laws. But the protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes, which passed Congress last year, are not listed under Section 245, but Section 249 “The bill in its current form doesn’t take away rights from gays and lesbians,” Rice said. “It takes away rights for religion and race.” Rice said the error occurred
during the creation of the bill. “This is most likely a legislative error or at least a typo,” Rice said. When The Daily asked bill author Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, for a comment on the typo, his legislative assistant declined the interview and referred The Daily to Monday’s edition of The Tulsa World for an official statement on the error. “Before it gets to the House floor, it will be much amended,” Russell said about the bill in The Tulsa World’s Monday issue. Gay rights groups were initially outraged by the bill’s passage. “Not only does the state hate crimes law exclude sexual orientation
ANDREW RICE
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and gender identity, but SB 1965 also prevents law enforcement officials from asking for federal assistance in enforcing the LGBT-inclusive federal hate crimes law,” Laura Belmonte, vice president of The Equality Network, ERROR CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
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The City of Norman plans to replace the street lamps on the Elm Street with LED bulbs. The new lights will replace the old high pressure sodium lights, pictured in orange.
Norman to replace street lights with LED lights New technology will last longer, reduce energy, maintenance costs DANIEL PUMA Contributing Writer
The city of Norman will receive a facelift as the city begins replacing old street lights with more efficient and durable technology. LED lights will be used to replace the old highpressure sodium street lights. A PowerPoint presentation shown to City Council said all of the lamps on Main Street from West of Merkle drive to University Boulevard will be upgraded to LED lights. Shawn O’Leary, director of Public Works, said the lights will provide energy savings and last much longer. The savings in energy costs and maintenance will be between $20,000 and $25,000 per year, O’Leary said. The LED lights are known for their energy efficiency while also improving brightness and
visibility. “LED street lights appear to be up to five times more efficient than the current high pressure sodium street lights,” O’Leary said. The city and Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. (OG&E) are coordinating on the project. Norman’s capital cost share is approximately $50,000. O’Leary said the project will pay for itself in approximately two years. The presentation said the project will consist of replacing 75 high pressure sodium lamps and fixtures with the new LED lights and fixtures. It will also consist of replacing 45 poles that have been damaged or run the course of their life. The total project cost for the new LED lights and lamp poles will be $575,000. O’Leary said the project is hopefully the first of many. “We hope to add more LED street lights to the Norman system in the future,” O’Leary said. “However, the capital costs of doing so are very high, and we are dependent upon the power
companies including OG&E and OEC (Oklahoma Electric Cooperative) to provide and maintain street lights.” Norman has been switching to LED lights over the years, including the traffic lights across the city. O’Leary said Norman has been converting the traffic lights for almost 10 years. “Norman was one of the first cities in Oklahoma to do so,” he said. “By 2011, we hope to have all 130 traffic signals in Norman converted to LED.” Other cities have had problems with LED traffic lights because the lights do not generate enough heat to melt ice in bad winter weather. O’Leary said that problem is very limited in Oklahoma due to typical weather climates for the state. The Main Street Project should be completed by spring of 2011. City Council member Tom Kovach said City Council has been extremely supportive of the project. He said this is a win-win situation for the city of Norman. The lights will provide energy savings and longer life, with little cost to the tax payer.
Oklahoma looks to join lawsuit against health care State leaders worry new federal regulations could endanger current Oklahoma health care programs RICKY MARANON Daily Staff Writer
State Republican lawmakers are asking Attorney General Drew Edmondson to join with more than 10 other states in suing the federal government over the constitutionality of recently passed health care reform. The bill passed Sunday night in the U.S. House of Representatives without a single Republican vote, and Oklahoma Republicans are joining with other GOP leaders across the country to legally challenge the bill against the U.S. Constitution. “We are dealing with a government that wants to be all things to all people,” said Oklahoma House Speaker Chris Benge, R-Tulsa. “We are dealing with a government with no boundaries that wants to create a utopian
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society.” Benge said he is concerned the new federal regulations could endanger Oklahoma’s current program that partners private and public partnership to help Oklahomans without insurance receive health insurance coverage. “We are calling on the attorney general to file suit against provisions of this health care bill that hurt our efforts to provide health care to our citizens,” Benge said. Benge said the state of Oklahoma has the right to sue the federal government because of the problems he said Oklahoma would face under the new reforms. “Just because Congress passes a law, doesn’t make it constitutional,” Benge said. “We have every right as a state to challenge the constitutionality of this bill.” State Senate President Pro-Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, called the bill the “Democrat Job Elimination Bill of 2010.” HEALTH CARE CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
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Presidential candidate defends referendum Nicholas Harrison takes fight for equal time to UOSA Superior Court TROY WEATHERFORD Daily Staff Writer
A UOSA presidential candidate is battling in UOSA Superior Court to allow his argument equal time at a forum to defend a referendum he coauthored. In September 2009, Nicholas Harrison, law and business graduate student, coauthored a referendum that would create a fifth branch of UOSA made up of representatives from various student organizations if passed. A UOSA-sponsored forum to discuss the referendums in the upcoming election was scheduled for Sunday night immediately following the Graduate Student Senate meeting. Harrison contended, and the UOSA Superior Court and the election chair agreed, that UOSA would be offering an opinion on a referendum if it did not allow both sides equal time to speak at the forum. The UOSA Constitution currently prohibits UOSA and UOSA officers from offering their opinion on referendums while acting in their official capacity. Meanwhile, a bill is circulating GSS and Undergraduate Student Congress that would remove this restriction. After the court ordered an injunction, the organizer of the UOSA forum organized a similar forum that she said was not affiliated with UOSA. EQUAL TIME This particular dispute arose March 7 when Harrison responded to an e-mail sent by Lindsey Harvell, the organizer of a UOSA forum to discuss referendums. Harvell’s e-mail contained a flier describing a forum Sunday that would have immediately followed the GSS meeting. The schedule for the forum allowed Harrison 10 minutes of speaking time to explain the referendum; Matthew Gress, vice chairman of Undergraduate Student Senate, 10 minutes to explain undergraduate impact; and Michael Upkong 10 minutes to explain graduate student impact. Harrison said both Gress and Upkong have come out publicly against the referendum and he expected them both to oppose the referendum at the forum. “Equal time is basically an issue of fairness,” Harrison said. “If you’re going to give one side 20 minutes you should give the other side 20 minutes. If one side has two speakers, the other side should have two speakers.” Harrison asked that Matthew Bruenig, co-author of the referendum and philosophy junior, also be allowed time to speak. Harvell replied that Bruenig could speak at the forum but must share Harrison’s allotted time. This response left Harrison UOSA CONTINUES ON PAGE 2
VOL. 95, NO. 118