Political Pulse

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - State Rep. Ryan McMullen of Burns Flat is
leaving the Legislature to become the Oklahoma director of rural
development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
McMullen is among several Obama administration nominations
announced late Monday by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The USDA rural development division coordinates federal
assistance to rural areas in such areas as housing, water and
sewer, electric, telecommunications and economic development.
McMullen has a degree in agricultural economics from Oklahoma
State University. He was elected to the House in 2004 in a district
including Washita, Kiowa, Caddo and Canadian counties.
His family has been in farming in western Oklahoma for four
generations.
He is expected to assume his new duties in mid-July.
When his resignation is official, the governor will have 30 days
to set a special election.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - Oklahoma Ethics Commission filings show more
than half the early contributions to Attorney General Drew
Edmondson’s gubernatorial campaign have been from private-practice
lawyers and law firms.
Edmondson had received $357,000 from those sources through March
31, the end of the most recent filing period. About $45,000 came
from lawyers and employees associated with Ada-based Prepaid Legal
Services and about $34,000 was from attorneys and employees of the
firm Riggs, Abney, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis.
Edmondson, who opened a campaign account in 2007, has brought in
nearly three times as much contributions as the other three
announced candidates combined. They didn’t open campaign accounts
until this year.
Filings show Lt. Gov. Jari Askins and U.S. Rep. Mary Fallin have
raised more than $100,000 each, while state Sen. Randy Brogdon has
brought in more than $22,000.
The next filing deadline is July 31.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Attorney General Drew Edmondson’s office
says Oklahoma is not violating the state Constitution by spending
federal economic stimulus money without legislative authority.
In an opinion made public Thursday, Edmondson’s office says
direct allocation of the federal money to state agencies does not
violate constitutional requirements that the Legislature
appropriate money and that the Board of Equalization certify money
as available for appropriation.
Edmondson’s office also says spending the federal money does not
violate the U.S. Constitution.
Oklahoma received $2.6 billion in federal economic stimulus
money to pay for a variety of transportation, health care,
education and other services.
State Rep. Mike Reynolds of Oklahoma City asked for an attorney
general’s opinion on whether accepting and spending the money was
unconstitutional.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn is questioning 100
projects that have received or will receive funding from President
Barack Obama’s economic recovery program, including one in his home
state.
Among other things, Coburn cited the repair of 37 rural bridges
in Wisconsin, including one that is located in Portage County, Wis.
It carries 260 vehicles a day, largely to a backwater saloon and a
country club.
Portage County highway commissioner Bill Weronke says the bridge
has reached its life expectancy and is dangerous.
Coburn also criticized using stimulus money for a new $5 million
wastewater treatment plant in Perkins, Oklahoma. He says the
stimulus money came with strings that will increase the costs.
With a new pricetag of $7.2 million, the city will have to
borrow money and, as a result, utility taxes have increased by 60
percent this year.
Ed DeSeve – a senior adviser to Obama for Recovery Act
implementation – says there have been some mistakes.
But he says Coburn’s report includes criticisms of projects that
already have been stopped or were never approved.
Here is the entire report.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A newspaper analysis of financial disclosure
statements filed by state lawmakers indicates that one in five are
unemployed outside of their legislative work.
The Tulsa World studied the statements, which the 149 state
legislators must submit to the state Ethics Commission by May 15
each year.
The newspaper reports that about 80 percent of lawmakers
reported income outside of their state salaries. The 101 House
members and 48 state senators receive a base pay of $38,400. The
legislative jobs are considered part-time.
Thirty-three had no outside income and half reported that they
did not hold securities. Of those who reported an outside income,
25 say they receive either a pension or retirement pay.
Lawmakers are required to report to the Ethics Commission all
sources of income or security holdings of more than $5,000
annually, as well as lobbyist income if it exceeds $5,000 a year or
honoraria of more than $200 a year.