Weekly Opinion Editorial

LESS GOVERNMENT, NOT LESS REPRESENTATION!
by Steve Fair

State Representative Gary Banz, (R-Midwest City) is conducting an interim study next week to look at reducing the number of members of the Oklahoma Legislature by approximately ten percent.
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“As lawmakers, we constantly talk about the need for smaller government,” said Banz, a retired coach and educator. “My legislation lets legislators prove it in a way that shows we are truly committed to reducing the size of government.”
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If both chambers of the legislature approve Banz’s House Joint Resolution 1021, voters in November 2012 would have the opportunity to approve a constitutional amendment reducing the Oklahoma Legislature membership. The proposal would cut the number of seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 101 to 91, and reduce the number of state senators from 48 to 43. If approved by the voters, t would not take effect until after the next redistricting- 2021.
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“I believe the Legislature needs to look at itself first,” Banz said. “If we ask agencies to consolidate, it is important for the Legislature to take the lead and do the same.”
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In 1921, Oklahoma’s population was just over two million and there were 92 seats in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Each State Representative represented about 22,000 Oklahomans. In 1953, there were 124 members in the State House and the population was 2.2 million in the Sooner state and each lawmaker represented about 17,000 people.
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“The House has successfully operated with far fewer members in the past, and the chamber has also successfully downsized in the past,” Banz said. “History shows this idea is very feasible.”
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“This would be a significant change, and I want to solicit input from every corner of Oklahoma,” Banz said. “I think this is good policy, but also believe it should be carefully vetted.” You can express your opinion by contacting Banz’s office at 405.557.7395.
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Three observations about Banz’s proposal:
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First, you will get little argument Oklahoma state government is too big. When you consider the largest employer in the state is state government, lawmakers should to be seeking ways to downsize government and save taxpayers money. But just how much money would Banz’s proposal save?
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Rank and file Oklahoma state legislators make $38,500 annually and then there are expenses, benefits, and staff for each member. The savings resulting from eliminating fifteen district would likely be around a million a year- not an amount to be sneezed at, but when the Oklahoma state budget is 6.7 billion annually, the savings from this proposal are virtually insignificant.
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Second, are Oklahomans currently over represented? Oklahoma’s population in 2011 is 3.75 million. That means an Oklahoma State Representative has slightly over 37,000 population in their district- a State Senator around 75,000. Today’s legislators represent over twice the population a 1950s legislator represented. If the number of legislators were reduced, it would make it even more difficult for citizens to get to know their state legislator. It would also increase the amount of geography each lawmaker would represent. The more sparsely populated areas in a district would get likely little or no attention as legislators would ‘fish where the fish are.’
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Third, Banz’s proposal would hurt rural Oklahoma. A large percentage of Oklahoma’s population lives in the urban areas of the state. If the number of state legislators is reduced, those larger population areas would gain more power and rural areas would lose representation. In the 2011 redistricting, rural Oklahoma lost three House seats and one Senate seat to the urban areas. You can’t change the dynamic of population shifting to the urban areas, but if the total number of legislators is reduced, the influence of rural Oklahoma counties will be reduced proportionally.
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While I applaud Banz’s willingness to save taxpayers money, reduction of the number of legislators will not result in enough savings to really matter. It would make access to state lawmakers more difficult than it is now, and dilute the influence of rural Oklahoma. Oklahomans need less government, but we don’t need less representation.