HUNTER FOR CONGRESS WATCH PARTY

YOU ARE INVITED TO WATCH HISTORY IN THE MAKING WITH DR. DAVID HUNTER AND HIS WIFE, DIANNE

DATE: JULY 25TH

TIME: 6:30PM – 11:30PM

LOCATION: REMINGTON PARK ECLIPSE ROOM

ADDRESS: ONE REMINGTON PLACE
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73111

Remington Park is located on the NE corner of Oklahoma City at the intersection of I-35 and I-44. If you are traveling on I-35, exit west on NE 50th (also known as Remington Place). If you are traveling on I-44, exit south on Martin Luther King Boulevard. Please enter the parking lot through Gate 1 on NE 50th / Remington Place (across from the zoo entrance). Come in the doors with the big red “RACING” sign above it. Valet parking is complimentary.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!!TO RSVP FOR THE WATCH PARTY, PLEASE CALL THE CAMPAIGN OFFICE AT 405-297-9807 OR REPLY TO THIS E-MAILWITH YOUR NAME AND NUMBER ATTENDING BEFORE JULY 24TH

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Hobson: Gaming Legislation Spurs Horse Industry Boom

Two years after Oklahoma voters approved a state question allowing Oklahoma horse racing tracks to operate video gaming machines, Oklahoma’s horse industry is experiencing a major resurgence, Sen. Cal Hobson said on Tuesday.

In the 2004 legislative session, Hobson authored Senate Bill 553, the State-Tribal Gaming Act, which allowed Oklahomans to vote on establishing procedures for electronic gaming at Oklahoma race tracks. The legislation also designated payments from tribal gaming revenues to the state. In the past several years, track owners had openly discussed the closure of several facilities. However, since passage by the voters of SQ712, attendance, purses and revenue have soared at Oklahoma race tracks, due largely to video gaming, Hobson said.

"Through the quarter horse season that just finished, Remington Park managed to eclipse every season attendance total since 2000," said Hobson, D-Lexington. "Will Rogers Downs closed in 2001, but this year has reopened to great fanfare. The legislation I authored in the 2004 session carried with it the promise of saving the Oklahoma horse industry’s 10,000 jobs, and by all indications it has done just that."

In March alone, Oklahoma City's Remington Park attracted an average of 3,500 visitors daily, a significant increase from prior figures. The previously closed Will Rogers Downs in Claremore now employs more than 150 people, and revenues have nearly doubled. Hobson explained the benefits of Oklahoma's electronic gaming laws extend far beyond success for the state's racetracks. A provision of SB 553 called for gaming revenue received by the state to be dedicated to funding education as well as college scholarships.

"This was truly a win-win for the state," Hobson said. "We have the benefit of additional funding to improve our public schools and provide opportunities for college degrees, while protecting the horse industry and creating jobs for Oklahomans. I'm very pleased by the positive results this legislation has produced."

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Sen. Lawler to Head Illegal Immigration Task Force

Sen. Daisy Lawler has been chosen to chair a task force examining the issue of illegal immigration in Oklahoma. Lawler, D-Comanche, was author of a resolution calling for the creation of the task force during the 2006 session.

“Immigrants have played a critical role in the history of our great state, and I believe they will continue to be a vital part of Oklahoma, but illegal immigration is a different thing altogether,” Lawler said. “The social implications are something we should all be concerned about, from issues related to national security to the strain this places on public resources for education and other services.”

In Oklahoma alone, based on 2000 census figures, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimated that approximately 46,000 illegal or undocumented immigrants live in Oklahoma.


“That represents a 188 percent increase from just 1990. I’m sure the figures are much higher now,” Lawler said. “It is critical that we do whatever we can to get a handle on this situation.”


In addition to appointing Lawler as chair of the task force, Senate leader Mike Morgan has also appointed Sen. Kenneth Corn, D-Poteau, and Sen. Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah, to serve on the 11 member panel. The remaining eight members will come from law enforcement, education, human services, business and a major Hispanic community organization.

“While some areas are specifically within the realm of federal jurisdiction, there are other areas where we do have the authority and the responsibility to act. We want to examine what reforms may be needed to protect resources and services in our state,” Lawler said. “We’ll be looking at a number of issues, including education, public safety, homeland security, taxation, human trafficking as well as state and federal coordination on illegal immigration policies.”

Lawler said she expected to hold the first meeting by September. The task force will have until November 30 to submit a report of its findings and proposed legislation to the President Pro Tempore.

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