Senate Democrats Continue to Thwart Constitution to Protect Trial Lawyers

Senate Democrats continued to ignore the Oklahoma Constitution Tuesday in their effort to protect trial lawyers from real workers’ compensation reform.

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan and Senate Democrats again ignored Lt. Gov Mary Fallin’s presence in the presiding officer’s chair of the Oklahoma Senate Tuesday – but Fallin gaveled down Morgan, whom she ruled out of order, as the Democrat leadership ordered her microphone to be turned off.

Fallin, the constitutional President of the Senate, has been in the presiding officer’s chair since Thursday in an attempt to have an up-or-down vote on real workers’ comp reform in the Democrat-controlled Oklahoma Senate.

As a result of the Senate Democrats’ flagrant disregard for the state Constitution, Fallin and Senate Republicans have asked Senate Democrats to join them in a petition to the Oklahoma State Supreme Court to assume original jurisdiction to resolve the matter.

“The Senate Democrats have shown they are willing to ignore the constitution in an effort to protect trial lawyers,” Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, stated.

“The issue of saving and creating Oklahoma jobs through real workers’ compensation reform is too important to let the Senate Democrats abuse their power to protect trial lawyers. Taking court action was the last thing Republicans wanted, but the other side has left us no choice. We have to make it clear that the President of the Senate has the right to preside over the Senate,” Coffee said.

“We hope this matter will be resolved quickly so Senate Democrats will let the Senate get back to the peoples’ business,” he stated.

The Oklahoma Constitution clearly names the Lieutenant Governor as “the president of the senate,” and says that the duty of the president pro tempore is to preside over the Senate “in the absence or in place of the Lieutenant Governor.”