ࡱ> 9;8a jbjb,, &NNl l l l x Y   ,KR     .  $  ul ) 0Y _ _ D(D(Lengthy hearings begin on TABOR petition Capitol Report for dailies for week of June 18, 2006 By Jim Campbell OPA Capitol News Bureau The going before a state Supreme Court referee will be slow, tedious and downright boring to anyone bothering to look on. As somnolent as it may be, the outcome is important to Oklahoma voters. It will determine whether State Question 726, an initiative that would restrict state spending increases to a formula matching inflation and population growth, is on the Nov. 7 election ballot. Hearings expected to last several weeks began June 15 before Referee Greg Albert on the sufficiency of signatures on the Taxpayer Bill of Right petition. To print the ballots in time, the State Election Board must have a decision by about Sept. 1. Attorneys for a coalition of Oklahoma businessmen protesting the petition spent the first two days trying to disqualify thousands of signatures on grounds the petition circulators were out-of-state residents not legally qualified for the job. Kent Meyers of Oklahoma City, attorney for the protesters, contended that about 120,000 of the 299,029 submitted by Oklahomans in Action are invalid for a variety of reasons. To make the ballot, 219,564 signatures of registered voters are necessary. Oklahomans for Action Chairman Rick Carpenter of Tulsa said the 57,300 signatures on petitions that protestors argued were circulated by people who may not be Oklahoma residents would still leave them 20,000 short. At the end of the day 220,000 plus will be qualified, Carpenter said, expressing confidence Oklahomans would vote on the issue this fall. Mary Robertson, another lawyer for the protestors, said attorneys would begin challenging the registration of each petition signer during the second week of the hearing. That will be long and tedious, she said. They will be challenged by name, address and town. Eighty percent are not based on name. Robertson said the protestors hoped to throw out another 50,000 to 60,000 names in that process. Lawrence Albert Wood, a political campaign consultant who has been employed in several ballot challenges, was the opening witness. He testified that three petition circulators put down addresses in out-of-state cities on petitions they turned in. A number of others used motel addresses and registered under home addresses in such locations as Denver, St. Louis, Kansas City, Baldwin, Mo., Buckley, Wash., and Kalamazoo, Mich. Some circulators listed motels as their address, Robertson said, but the motels had no record of their having stayed there. Robertson had Wood identify sheaves of records subpoenaed from motels across the state. Attorney Kieran Maye of Oklahoma City told the court the TABOR supporters he represents would accept only that the motel records show what clerks had written down but nothing more. Under SQ 726, revenues above a certain level that could be spent according to a formula based on the rate of inflation and population growth would be returned to taxpayers. *** At least four other state questions, all referred by the Legislature, will be on Oklahomas November ballot. SQ 725 would allow up to $10 million of the state Rainy Day Fund, once it totals $80 million, to be used for new Quality Investment Act incentives. Backed by the State Chamber of Commerce, it is intended to keep at-risk manufactures in the state. SQ 724 would bar legislators jailed for criminal offenses and later found guilty from receiving any pay while incarcerated. SQ 733 would lift the states prohibition against selling alcohol by liquor stores on election days. SQ 734 would require businesses to apply to county assessors for a property tax assessment on goods shipped into Oklahoma that do not remain in the state more than 90 days. The so-called Freeport exemption already is law, but the state question would direct the Legislature to develop the application procedure. Besides TABOR, eminent domain and school funding proposals await decisions from the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The eminent domain measure would bar condemnation of property for private development and the other would require that 65 percent of public school operating funds go into the classroom. Backers of a minimum wage increase proposal were still collecting signatures and planning a rally on the Capitol steps on Monday. Their petitions are due June 26. *** Approval of the official licensing agreement for Spaceport Oklahoma near Burns Flat was the culmination of persistent efforts by Sen. Gilmer Capps, D-Snyder, and others. The term-limited Capps received praise for his efforts from Bill Khourie, executive director of the Oklahoma Space Authority. Senator Capps is without question a beacon of light and the driving force to develop a spaceport and aerospace resources for Oklahoma, Khourie said. hm)^n  T h e8/Jp? / =!"#$%|HH[`G(HH(d}@@`@ mNormalCJ_HaJmH sH tH DA@D Default Paragraph FontZi@Z  Table Normal :V 4 l4a _H(k@(No List LOL WordCounty1$CJOJPJQJtH uROR COUNTY1$ 8 CJOJPJQJtH uVOV WordCity1$ 8 CJOJPJQJtH u^O2^ NEWSPAPER$]^a$;CJOJQJmHnHuF%@2F Envelope Return CJOJQJVOBVEVENT$]^a$;CJOJQJmHnHu^O^CITATION CATEGORYCJ0OJQJmHnHsH tH u&"& z z m)^n Th e  8 / Jp?0000000000000000000000000000000000)^n Th e  8 / Jp?fwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfwfw{5f8f8u y  @ *[` @UnknownGTimes New RomanISymbolWingdings3 ArialG`HelveCompressedc`{TCLB Helvetica Condensed Black? Arial Black;Helvetica"qh!!r4@m(Lengthy hearings begin on TABOR petitionJennifer GillilandJennifer Gilliland Oh+'0D# ,8 T ` lx')Lengthy hearings begin on TABOR petitionJennifer GillilandNormalJennifer Gilliland1Microsoft Word 11.2@F#@xw@4wG!PICT!b HHb bHH6061Lbb          ,wwwwkZwo{O c^VcJRg9R^VJRcZR^ZVZVkZZR^RZRZRVMo{wwo{swwswswwo{o{w[cVZ"kZZ^ZZkZg9RkZZVo{kZVZRkZVZ^VZkZg9^V^kZVcVVV'o{wo{wwww) Vcg9o{NsVVNsRR^kZkZ%o{o{wo{wwo{7cZZwcVZo{g9R^RVVVZkZ^V^ RkZwwskZo{wswwwwww?kZR^cZo{VcR^RkZ^VNsVRR^ZkZF1kZ^cZ^kZZ^kZ^kZ^JRw^kZR^ZRVwwRZo{JRZVZZZVRkZZRg9%wwwwwGRZ^Vcg9ZVVg9ZV^RZg9R^^Vcg9ZRZVZV;wwwwo{wwwwwwswwwwwo{wsU#kZ^RZJRg9ZsVV^kZZZ^kZkZ^VkZRR^NskZg9VRVVZRZZs Yswwwswwo{wwwwswso{wwsZcg9R^^VZZkZg9R^ZVg9 VRVVZRZVwo{kZR^VkZo{^Zo{cVkZZJRg9^kZZNsZZRkZ^ZRVc6swo{wwwwswwe+cZVkZRJRc^cNsNsRZNskZVF1VV^RkZZRZVg9R^RZ^^g9RRkZVkZkZAwwo{wwwswww:Vg9VZZZR^ZZVwVVZJR^kZkZVVc^kZkZZkZJR^ZkZZg9^NsZkZF1Vo{ZVg9g9RV^g9ZVV^kZZR^cNsEwwswwwwwsww cRNsRVco{Vcg9R^kZ^Z V^ZVZkZ^VcRZ^$ZVZo{cV^kZZ^^VRF1Z^NsVZVZ^VZkZg9R^R^V^VcmskZwwwwwwswwskZwwwwwwwwwwwCskZRVNswo{kZJR^kZZVcVVZg9^ZR^Zo{F1^ZNsZskZR^g9VkZkZJR^JRVkZRVc^ZRg9VVNsRwVZZkZ^ZF1VZ 'o{wwwsOg9F1wVVZRg9g9Z^kZcJRg9VkZJRZJRVZ^ZVNsRsPo{wwwwwwwso{o{wo{wZZR^Z.VZVRJR^ZkZZg9^NsZkZF1ZZ^ZNsg9RkZZVV^g9VVZg9R^VVRVVg9ZVVRV VNsRZo{Vg9RJR ZRc^ZZִTwwo{wwwwwwwwwwcVVg9^Vc^Zg9R^ZckZZwVZZkZZZV"NskZZVZVcZVZ^kZNsVg9VNsZRVZR^JR^NsRkZNs^ZNs"wwwww[&ZR^kZVkZRNsRg9cRVkZRVc^ZRRZJR^ZZJRo{VcVwZV^ZZ ?wwswwwwwwws?cRg9^Z^kZVZg9RJRg9RkZ^^ZRo{^ZVc^c^Nsg9ZkZZZRZZVRVZZkZ^ZZ^F1Z^^ZcZNsg9^cZVZF1KwwwwswwwwwwZ^>ZVNsR^g9RkZV^ZNsZR^NsJR^kZZkZZg9F1kZZ^Z^ZNskZZRNsZZkZ^ZZ^ZVZkZ^ZZRkZ^Z^VZ^kZQwwwwwo{kZwso{wo{wwww?RZNsRF1ZkZ^ZZ^RVZ^cRkZZcJRRVZVZcVVkZ^kZNsg9cZ^Rw^RVZVZco{g9wVRkZZVkZVwVNsw= o{wwo{wwwswwwwIVZcVRg9wckZVF1wVVZ^RkZVNsNs^ZZRg9o{cR[kZwwwwwwwo{wwwwwww@RZNsRZkZcRVg9RZkZRRZNsRg9^RVZg9R^^VZZkZ^ZZVZR^kZNsZVZVRwR^g9g9R^NsRg9^RF1ZVZ 'wswwwwCkZ^NskZZZkZg9R^^RVkZNscZNsg9^Zg9R^kZ^]o{w wwo{wwwswswwwswwZZR^ZVRVZckZZ/o{Z^V^ZZR^Ns^ZZkZkZ^cZkZZZ^RZZ^VV^ZkZZNskZNskZZRRVcRZZJR^ ZNsRUwswwso{wo{wwwwwkZwo{w5Zcg9RV^g9^kZ^kZVVg9Vg9^RcNsNsRZNskZVco{g9g9RZg9R^cZ^Zg9R^kZZwV^RZ^Z^kZF1^ SwwwwwwwwwwwwwwAkZ^ZkZ^F1RZVV^kZZVcc^Zg9F1kZg9g9RVg9JR^NsRg9RkZ^cZRZZRZVwVNsVg9cRkZVZRVZVg9o{g9RVZZVRww' R^g9VZJRo{VcNskZR^NwkZo{so{wwwwwwwswBcNsZ^kZRg9^g9Vg9^kZ^V^^ZVRZkZ^Vc^kZNso{VkZR^kZg9RJRcZ^kZZR^ZZ^Vg9VcNskZZo{JRg9ZVkZZF1kZ^NsEwwwso{wwwwwRVZ^ZVg9F1kZJR^ZkZo{VkZV^ZVZ#^kZJRo{F1ckZF1wJRVV^kZZR^kZ^RkZV^Zg9Zg9NsZVg9^kZZ s                ՜.+,0$ hp  'Oklahoma Press Service! )Lengthy hearings begin on TABOR petition Title  !"#$%&'()*+,-./1234567:Root Entry FZQM<1Table_WordDocument&SummaryInformation(t#DocumentSummaryInformation80CompObjXObjectPoolZQMZQM FMicrosoft Word DocumentNB6WWord.Document.8