Constituent requested bills pass committees

(Last) week was an exciting one because I was able to present two bills that originated from constituents in our district – one dealing with assault on teachers and the other with unfair roof claims.

House Bill 3500 increases the punishment for anyone intentionally harming a teacher or a school board member. It unanimously passed the House Common Education Committee. 

We’ve had instances locally of students assaulting teachers, including one incident where a teacher was beaten badly by a student in the classroom. When I presented this bill in committee, I was told of other occurrences across the state where teachers were severely injured, requiring medical attention or even hospitalization. School board members also have faced threats and even violence in our current charged environment. Teachers deserve a safe and secure workplace, and elected school board members deserve protection as they meet to conduct public business.

As anticipated, other lawmakers suggested amendments to this bill. One is to ensure we are not potentially sending to jail young people who cause only minor harm – such as a pen to the back of a teacher’s head, for instance – a scenario brought forward in committee by a former teacher. I accepted a friendly amendment to give district attorneys the ability to use discretion when charging students with assault. But the message with this bill must remain strong: that we value teachers, school board members, and support staff and want to create safer places for them to work and meet. We must challenge state agencies, district attorneys, and schools to work together on the best way to deal with troubled students who attack teachers.

The other constituent requested bill also passed committee this past week. House Bill 3495 deals with an unfair insurance claims practice that denies coverage for roof damage from wind and hail after 365 days on insurance policies of lesser value. This bill would expand the window to make roof claims to 24 months after a storm. Language in the bill comes from the Oklahoma Insurance Department, which has determined this really is a problem in our state. Last year I ran this bill and received some pushback, but not this year! I can only imagine that others have complained about this practice to bolster our case.

As an insurance agent myself, I’ve had instances where people on limited incomes had a leak in their roofs. When they got a roofing company out to assess the damage, they were told it was hail damage, but when they made a claim they were told by the insurance company there had been no significant weather event in the last 365 days, and the claim was denied. I noticed, however, that this only happens on policies of lesser face value and that it is a relatively new practice employed by insurance companies. People who could afford to carry more costly policies were given an expanded window of time to make their claims. This bill would stop such unfairness.

On one final note, it was a pleasure to welcome Leadership Duncan Class 26 to the House this past week. It is always good to see familiar faces from home. They watched our session and attended several committee meetings to get an idea of how the Oklahoma Legislature works. It’s always good to visit with those who are involved with making our communities and our state a better place to live and work.   

Please feel free to contact me at marcus.mcentire@okhouse.gov or (405) 557-7327.