Mark McCullough On The Issues
Put
his voting record to the test... Mark promised to promote
conservative values if elected, and that's exactly what
he's done. Equipped with a broad background and a genuine
desire to serve, Mark McCullough has remained committed
to a conservative platform designed to move Oklahoma forward.
Mark
McCullough's
Impact in the Legislature:
Education
Mark
voted for the plan to create a long-term solution for our
state's poorly funded Teacher Retirement System. He also
voted for a responsible budget which included over $2.53
billion for public education in 2008 -- the largest education
budget in state history. Mark is a strong supporter of public
education. He believes that continuous objective analysis
should be applied to all areas of government, including
public education, to seek out best practices and creative
ways to improve quality instrucion and outcomes in our schools.
Mark also supports parents' right under the Oklahoma Constitution
to homeschool their children, and believes parents should
also have the option to send their children to the private
school of their choice.
Family
Values
Mark
believes the sanctity of the traditional family is key to
keeping our nation both ethical and functional. Many of
the problems facing society stem directly from the fragmentation
of the family -- high crime rates, high taxes for welfare
needs, high divorce rates, and unacceptably high numbers
of abused and abandoned children. Mark will be conducting
an Interim Study this summer at the Capitol to examine the
possibility of coordinating social service agencies toward
the primary policy goal that of preserving the family.
The
Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing
First-Ever Estimates for the Nation and All Fifty
States
from the Institute for American Values
|
Government
Reform
Mark
believes there's always room for improvement, and he has
made reform a priority within his platform. He supported
and promoted the Taxpayer Transparency Act, a law passed
in 2007 which puts the entrire state budget on line. Visit
Oklahoma's
Finances: Online and In Action (www.ok.gov/okaa)
to review the Taxpayer Transparency Act database.
Transportation
Mark
passed the bond issue to provide $300 million for road and
bridge construction. In addition to the bond issue, road
funding also received a boost through the regular budget
process. The Department of Transportation will spend $445
million for roads and bridges this year, a 10% increase
from last year.
Public
Safety
As
Vice-Chair of the Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee,
Mark has been working hard on Public Safety. He authored
House Bill 2533, designed to improve law enforcement and
the courts' ability to better monitor and screen criminals
being released from prison, as they considered for a probation
transfer to Oklahoma. The bill was passed unanimously by
both the House and the Senate and was signed into law by
the Governor.
Pro-Life
Took
action to strengthen Oklahoma's abortion laws by passing
Senate Bill 139, a measure that prohibits use of state employees
and resources for abortions not necessary to save the life
of the mother unless resulting from rape or incest.
Immigration
Voted
for House Bill 1804, an Immigration Reform Measure that
has been called the most meaningful in the nation, containing
provisions to ensure taxpayer-supported benefits are made
available only to American citizens and legal immigrants.
The bill gives local law enforcement officials the power
to enforce federal immigration law.
Health
Care
As
a member of the Health Care sub-committee, and former professional
in the medical industry, Mark supports tax incentives for
those who purchase long term health care or nursing home
insurance to pay for their future needs, and he seeks reasonable
ways to lower the costs of prescription drugs. Mark also
supports eliminating the state sales tax on over-the-counter
medications. He supports Medicare and Medicaid reforms passed
by the Legislature, and he seeks ways to continue finding
better efficiencies in the system.
