By Journalist Macy Baca (SE)
Today, the Senate was introduced to the bicameral “Sooner State Solar System” Act of 2023.
Co-authored by Senator Howell (OU) and Representative Howard (OU), this piece of legislation charges the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation with creating and maintaining a scale model of our solar system; the components of which will be spread throughout the entire state of Oklahoma. During the time for author’s explanation, Howell explained that the bill was designed to serve two purposes.
First, it will encourage Oklahoma tourism. Because the Sooner State Solar System will be a free attraction, road trippers will notice the signs for the nearest model and be inspired to stop by. Families within Oklahoma and the surrounding states will not have to look far or spend an excessive amount of money for a road trip destination. Second, this model would serve an educational purpose, enlightening young (or old) minds by providing them with a visual representation for the distance between Mercury and the Sun, Saturn and Neptune, or Earth and her moon. Most people, it could be argued, have no idea just how immensely huge space really is.
For this bill, the Oklahoma State Capitol building was chosen to represent the Sun, complete with gold accented bricks and a band of sunflowers. The other components need not be elaborate, Howell explained. If funding is hard to come by, flowers can be planted, or rocks arranged to represent the planets or moons, so long as they meet the specific dimensions and are located an appropriate distance from the Sun.
On the money side of things, funds from the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation will be appropriated to cover up to one-half of the cost of construction and installment for each of the components. The other half of the funds will be supplied by either the municipality, organization, or private property owner that agrees to host these heavenly bodies. Should the ideal locations listed in the bill be unable or unwilling to participate, the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation will select an alternate location, providing that the coordinates are an appropriate distance from the Capitol building and the other components of the Sooner State Solar System.
Overall, the bill was well-received by the Senate, passing with a vote of fourteen in the affirmative, two in the negative, and three abstentions.