Issue Position: Military & Veteran Support

Issue Position

The Oklahoma National Guard has deployed more men and women than any other state per capita since the War on Terror. Both Tulsa's Air National Guard 138th Fighter Wing and Oklahoma's 45th Infantry Brigade are two of the most decorated and deployed units in US history. Oklahoma has one of the highest per capita rates of active duty volunteers as well as Veterans in our nation. Despite our state's rich military history & tremendous public support, federal and state governments have failed to fulfill their promises to our warriors.
Due to President Obama's failed foreign policies, we face a danger from ISIS and Islamic terrorism that is clear and present. Militant Islamic fundamentalism is not swayed by Western diplomacy. The choice is not if we engage in combat with the militants, but where; because they will bring the fight to us one way or another. I support operations abroad which keep the battlefield away from home.
This doctrine relies on sending men and women in uniform overseas, many of whom come from Oklahoma and Oklahoma units. As a Reservist myself, I too am eligible and prepared for combat once again. As a state senator I will support our military in two primary ways:

1. Combat Servicemembers
*Help ensure Title 32 funding (state-appropriated funding for guard units as compared to Title 10, which is federally-appropriated) is adequate for continued training, facilities upkeep, and equipment maintenance.
*Support National Guard family programs, such as Survivor Services, which assist the families of deployed service members as well as those who die in the line of duty.
*Continue to work with Gov. Fallin's F-35 Task Force, a consortium of public / private agencies who are working together to bring the F-35 to the Tulsa Air National Guard (138th FW), which will replace the F-16. It is imperative that we bring the F-35 to Tulsa or else the 138th could face closure. The 138th employs 1,200 Guardsmen and has an economic impact of $500M per year. Tulsa needs to keep its military base.
*Exempt the salaries of all Oklahoma active combat servicemembers from the state income tax.
*Provide a tuition-free undergraduate education at any Oklahoma state-run college or university for the children of servicemembers who were either died or became permanently disabled because of active combat operations.

2. Veterans
*Improve living conditions at state-run Veterans Affairs nursing homes. Elderly Veterans have been neglected, mistreated, and have even died due to conditions (one was scalded to death in a hot bathtub).
*Establish Veterans Treatment Courts in all 77 counties, to be modeled after Tulsa's nationally acclaimed program. VTC allows a separate docket and graduation program designed exclusively for Veterans. The Tulsa graduation rate is an amazing 95%!
*Monitor conditions at newly-approved Veteran drop-in centers across the state (as initiated by SB 713 from the 2015 legislature), which are modeled after Tulsa's own Coffee Bunker, a judgment-free zone that offers peer support and counseling.
*Promote Veteran agencies in our judicial system, such as establishing Veterans prison teams at state prisons. Sadly, Veterans are a disproportionate share of the prison population, often due to self-medication and mental health issues. However, when incarcerated Veterans are organized into prison teams, their discipline and behavior drastically improve; recidivism declines; and fewer corrections officers are needed.
*Work with VSOs (Veteran Service Organizations) and the OK Sec of Veterans Affairs to seek unregistered Veterans and educate them about federal benefits they have earned.

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