By Journalist Trevor Friesen (OSU).
Senator Chris Moss (UCO) moments before presenting his bill “UCO-005” in the sentate
Controversy continues, and with day two of O.I.L. session underway, the senate continues to be divided.
On Friday morning, March 31st, Senator Chris Moss (UCO) presented a bill in the senate “UCO-005”, “an act relating to the Prohibiting Tobacco Sales”.
Rising uproar and tension from the minute Moss took spotlight, the bill was subject to immediate deliberation and argumentation. Dividing by nature, senators took to caucus, scouring every word of the contentious bill.
In summarization, the bill aimed at creating law that prohibited the selling of tobacco or tobacco products for “any person(s) born on or after the 1st of January of 2007”.
“Adamantly against this [bill]” from the beginning, Senator Jake Urban (NWOSU), expressed his concerns hinged on his “beleif of individuals and their needs”, stating what a person “puts in [their] body is [their] choice”.
Urban was not alone in his efforts, supported by fellow Senator, Reece Sconyers (OSU), similar to many Sconyers understood the intent and even went as far to credit the bill as “a good idea”, however, multiple pressing issues concerning potential “violations [of] the 14th Equal Protection Clause and the Due Process Clause”.
Yet the O.I.L. senate is never short of argumentation, and those in favor were equally vociferous, one of which was Senator Kannin Koehn (NWOSU). Koehn expressed his general support for the bill independent of his personal amendment’s (one that would replace the violation fine from $10,000 to $25,000) passing.
Opinions and argumentation eventually dispersed, the bill moved to voting with a total of five attempted amendments, four of which passed.
Moving to a final vote, the senate action overall failed the bill with a vote of 6 in the affirmative and 9 in the negative. This bill was the fourth to fail overall in the senate and first of day three of session.
Overall, action continues to make headlines and waves in the senate. As tensions rise and remaining bills fall, this session continues to remain exciting and unexpected.