Let Me Begin this week with an Explanation that I should have made a few weeks ago. Thi is Specifically Referring to Demarion's Law, or House Bill 2863, which was Designed to Require Daycare Centers to have Insurance to Cover Incidents of Neglect.

The Word got out that It Would Require the Centers to have $200,000 Insurance Coverage, for Each Child, Served.

This would have caused many Day Care Centers to Close Their Doors. The Reality is that This Bill Does the Following: It Requires $200,000 liability coverage for Each Incident of Neglect, and Provides the Centers that Cannot Afford this Insurance Coverage the Option of Having a Parent Sign a Form Provided by DHS that the Center WillNot have this Coverage. It should Not Result in Forcing Day Care Centers from Closing.

We Again Heard Rep. Sally Kern's, R-Oklahoma City, bill Requiring Schools to Create and Implement a Policy Protecting Students from Being Discriminated Against for Making Religious Statements in the School. This was the Same Bill for whish My Predecessor, Ray Miller, lost his microphone privileges when he was persistent in his opposition to it. This week it took the form of Senate Amendment on HB 2633.

I began by asking the author if any educational organization such as the ORA, CCOSA, or the Oklahoma State Department of Education endorsed this bill. Her response was that she had talked to Superintendent Garrett and she was supportive of it.

During Rep. Ray McCarter's, D-Marlow, debate Against this bill, he challenged this Supportive Position, by the Superintendent of Education and Subsequent Contacts byby Rep. McCarter, have confirmed the questionable nature of Rep. Kern's Claim of Support. I was Compelled to Debate Against the bill, by telling of my 30 Years of Experience in Schools where We Discussed Religious Issues, and even shared very intense Spiritual Experiences. I shared the Experience at Stigler of a Prayer Vigil in the Auditorium, on Monday, after the weekend deaths of two students.

Also, I shared one of  my most moving memories I have of school, in the statement by a student at Webbers Falls, that their church was praying for my brother, who htey knew had terminal cancer. I told the body that I have always held that "faith" is a verb, not a noun, in that I LIVE MY FAITH, RATHER THAN HIDE BEHIND A LABEL OR A LAW.

This latter aspect allows people to "feel justified",  merely by being symbolically for something, but doing nothing to Demonstrate that Belief.  This will be one of the Effects of This bill.

To Demostrate that this bill will be also harmful to Our Schools, I asked all those on the House Floor to put themselves, in the rold of a high school social studies teacher, discussing the Civil Rights Issues, of Our Nation. I then asked them to Consider a Student Makiing statements of the Much Publicized Proclamations of Reverend Jeremiah Wright, advocating that we move from saying "God Bless America" to "G...d D...n America". I then asked the Representatives, "As that teacher, what would you do with that student making this proclamation?"

I stated that I would remove him from my classroom and then, as a result of this bill, I would be called to the principal's office and be Admonished for Violating this Student's Rights, under this law. (My language was an exact quote from a frequently quoted person, and I do not apologize for its very schocking nature, because I was demonstrating through debate what nightmarish situations that this bill will create for our teachers & schools.

As a Republican Colleague stated to me, "Those that were offended accurately demonstrate the counterproductive effects of this bill".

Many of those voting on this Do Not have a Clue Wat Goes On in the Classroom and the Need to Challenge Students to Think and Experience Problem Solving. Therefore, they vote for a bill that allows one student to offend others in the classroom by sanctioning their abrasive and offensive statements in the name of their particular religious perspective.

I was dismayed by the Senate's unanimous vote for this and the response has uniformly been: "We Pick Our Battles and This Was Not One of Them".

Well, the teachers and students impacted by this will not have the luxurious choice to pick and choose their battles and this legislation will, as we say here at the Capitol, "Throw the teachers under the bus."

We, in the House, did have enough votes to kill the Emergency Aspect of This Bill, so it will Not Go into Effect until November, if the Governor signs it.

If you wish to contact me, please utilize any of the following: P.O. Box 98 Porum, Oklahoma 74455, by email at ed.cannaday@okhouse.gov or call my home phone: 918-484-5701, cell: 918-448-5702 or my Legislative Assistant, Cassi Peters, at 800-522-8502, ext. 375, at the Capitol.