SQ 753: This measure amends a section of the Oklahoma Constitution. It amends Section 3 of Article 7-B. The measure deals with the Judicial Nominating Commission. This Commission selects nominees to be appointed judges or justices, when a vacancy occurs. The Commission selects three, sometimes four, qualified nominees. The Governor must appoint one of the nominees.
The amendment adds two at-large members to the Commission. At -large members can come from any Oklahoma congressional district. The Senate President Pro-Tempore appoints one of the new at-large members. The Speaker of the House of Representatives appoints the other. At-large member can not be lawyers. Nor can more than two at-large members be from the same political party.
Six non at-large members are appointed by the Governor. They cannot be Oklahoma lawyers. The measure adds a new qualification for non-lawyer members. They can not have a lawyer from any state in their immediate family. Each congressional district must have at least one non-lawyer member.
Six lawyer members are elected by members of the Oklahoma Bar Association. Each congressional district must have at least one-lawyer member.
SQ 754: This measure add a new section to the Oklahoma Constitution. It adds Section 55A to Article 5. The Legislature designates amounts of money to be used for certain functions. These designations are called appropriations. The measure deals with the appropriation process.
The measure limits how the Constitution could control that process. Under the measure the Constitution could not require the Legislature to fund state functions based on 1) Predetermined constitutional formulas; 2) How much other states spend on a function; 3) How much any entity spends on a function.
Under the measure these limits on the Constitution's power to control appropriations would apply even if: 1) A later constitutional amendment changed the Constitution, or 2) A Constitutional amendment to the contrary was passed at the same time as this measure.
Thus under the measure, once adopted, the measure could not be effectively amended. Nor could it be repealed.
This information provided by "Do You Have the Answers?" by Sid Sperry published in Oklahoma Living Magazine.
For more information about SQ 753 or SQ 754 or any other question on the November 2, 2010 ballot, visit the www.okpolicy.org website or visit www.ballotpedia.org.
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