Resolutions are Value Statements

State Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City
From Oklahoma House, Communications & Public Affairs    
House resolutions are seen by our constituents as value statements. As policymakers, we should take them just as seriously as the laws we write. They signal to the people what we care about, especially in a time when the everyday needs of Oklahoma have been magnified. Resolutions are ways we show the people what laws might come from us in the future.

Today [Tuesday, March 16], we spent time declaring our sovereignty under the 10th Amendment. Of course, state sovereignty has been recognized by the courts since the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791.

The motive of these bills, however, didn’t seem to be adherence to the Constitution so much as an attempt to score political points by attacking legislation coming out of the U.S. House of Representatives.

What legislation did Congress pass that we found so egregious? The expansion of voting rights and background checks to purchase a firearm.

We must do better for our constituents. Government can no longer be focused on the pomp and circumstance of politics. We need real Oklahoma Focused solutions for the problems our constituents face every day. 

Note: Mauree Turner is a first-term Democrat from Oklahoma’s state House District 88. This statement was sent to The City Sentinel, CapitolBeatOK.com and other news organizations on Tuesday, March 16.