The Legislature will be asked to consider putting a $500,000 bond issue to fund school storm shelters on a statewide ballot, State Rep. Joe Dorman said Tuesday.
The Rush Springs Democrat was the principal architect of an initiative petition effort aimed at getting the issue before voters.
“I absolutely am filing a bill…” to put the question on the ballot, Dorman said Tuesday. “That is going to be my number one goal in this legislative session.”
The deadline for Take Shelter Oklahoma to submit nearly 160,000 voters’ signatures to put the issue on the ballot was Monday.
The group, however, has indicated it is more than 30,000 signatures short of the requirement and has not submitted its petitions to the Secretary of State’s Office for verification.
A Supreme Court referee will hear the group’s challenge Wednesday of Attorney General Scott Pruitt’s rewriting of its proposed ballot title.
The referee will not render a decision but submit a report for the court’s justices to consider.
After reviewing the report, the justices can decide the case, reject its consideration or order additional arguments.
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