Collinsville, Oklahoma
January 21, 2016
Miscellaneous News
J.J. Dossett Sworn In /
Collinsville Track Schedules /
Forfeiture Reform Proposed

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Copyright 2016 -- Collinsville, Oklahoma
New State Senator Now Representing Collinsville Area

Senator J.J. Dossett was sworn in by Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice John Reif during a ceremony held Thursday at the state Capitol in the Senate Chamber.

For Immediate Release: January 21, 2016

J.J. Dossett becomes newest member
of the Oklahoma State Senate

Friends, family, and supporters looked on Thursday as Senator-elect J.J. Dossett was officially sworn in to represent District 34 in the Oklahoma State Senate. Dossett, D-Owasso, won the seat in a special election held January 12, becoming the first Democrat chosen to represent that district since 1990.

“I am extremely grateful for the support I received and for the faith the citizens of District 34 have placed in me,” Dossett said. “I don’t take it for granted, and I will always endeavor to be the strongest voice possible for all those I represent here in the Senate.”

Dossett, a teacher, coach, and combat veteran, grew up in Owasso where both his parents were educators. He and his wife, Ashley, also a teacher, have two sons and are expecting a third in February. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Dossett is a technical sergeant in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. He served two active duty deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Senate Democratic Leader John Sparks said he was excited to welcome Dossett to the Oklahoma Legislature.

“J.J. is a native of our state with strong Oklahoma values. His life is about service to his family, his community, his state and his country,” said Sparks, D-Norman. “I know he will do an excellent job serving the people of District 34 as a member of the Oklahoma State Senate.”

Dossett acknowledged with a looming shortfall for the 2017 budget that could well exceed $1 billion, he knows his first session will be a challenging one.

“We’re going to be faced with many tough decisions—but at the end of the day, we have to recognize that Oklahoma’s future prosperity is directly tied to the investments we make in education. I’ve seen it first-hand as a teacher and that’s something that will guide me throughout my service in the Senate.”

Note: Dossett is filling the remainder of Rick Brinkley's term ... following Brinkley's August 2015 resignation.
Collinsville Will Host Three 2016 Track Meets

Here is the 2016 Collinsville Track and Field schedule. Please note the following about this years schedule: we will be hosting three home track meets this year, one of those three will be the jh Metro Lakes Conference Meet. The CHS conference meet will be at Talehquah because it their turn to host. They were unable to host the jh conference meet, so we volunteered. The jh conference has been moved to Saturday, April 30 at 10:30 am.

We would also like to point out that the 2016 Track and Field Pie Auction is on Tuesday, March 1st. Start time is 6:30 pm. Location is the brand new Collinsville High School Commons Area.

Thank you for all of your support,
Collinsville Track Coaches

1/20/2016 (Sean Tesar)
Note: Collinsville had no home track meets last year (2015) due to construction at the high school.

Loveless introduces comprehensive forfeiture reform package

Immediate Release: January 20, 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Kyle D. Loveless (R-Oklahoma City) Thursday unveiled the details of his legislative efforts to reform Oklahoma’s civil asset forfeiture laws.

In May, Loveless introduced Senate Bill 838, the Personal Asset Protection Act. The bill has been the subject of intense debate during the interim.

“I have heard a lot of concern from district attorneys and from some in the law enforcement community about my fight to protect private property rights and due process. This new language is an attempt to address some of those concerns while not compromising my goals for reform,” said Loveless.

The bill package includes three stand-alone bills and one omnibus reform bill.

“The new language still requires a criminal conviction before the government can forfeit property, but it provides for five exemptions to this requirement including the death of the owner or the owner was given immunity as part of a plea agreement,” said Loveless. “The government currently has the ability to forfeit personal property without proving a crime was committed in a court of law. My legislation corrects that but leaves the authorities with some flexibility.”

Another major difference in the legislation involves where the forfeited proceeds are deposited. The original version sent the funds to the state’s General Revenue Fund.

“My intention is to remove the direct profit incentive of forfeiture. An agency shouldn't be able to grow its budget based on how much property it takes. At the same time, the state’s General Revenue Fund shouldn’t rely on that either,” said Loveless. “I want to create a new fund that would be run by a citizen oversight board with funds being used to address our state’s continued drug crisis.”

The 15-person board would issue grants from the fund to drug treatment facilities, drug courts and law enforcement agencies.

“This updated proposal to reform civil asset forfeiture laws shows Senator Loveless’ willingness to listen to all sides and work hard to bring people together,” said Trent England, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs. “While many would like to see

even more reforms and a few seem bent on opposing any changes at all, Senate Bill 838 is a healthy middle ground where reasonable people can agree and move ahead.”

Loveless’ reform efforts have garnered support from a wide range of organizations over the last several months including the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs and the Oklahoma Policy Institute.

"We've already seen too many examples of civil asset forfeiture being abused in Oklahoma and around the nation,” said Gene Perry, Director of Policy for the Oklahoma Policy Institute. “Reforms to ensure due process will help to restore trust in our justice system and make sure law enforcement has the right incentives for keeping us safe.”

Other supporters include the ACLU of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma City branch of the NAACP and the Oklahoma Second Amendment Association.

"The latest version of the Personal Asset Protection Act contains reforms that can better protect the civil rights of Oklahomans and provide for a better system for Oklahoma law enforcement,” said Brady Henderson, Legal Director of the ALCU of Oklahoma. “For the first time in our state, it provides a way for innocent victims of a wrongful government seizure to recover a portion of their costs in court. Likewise, it remedies a serious conflict of interest and lack of transparency that stands in the way of citizens' ability to trust those charged with protecting our communities.”

The legislative session begins February 1.

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For more information, contact:
Sen. Loveless: (405) 521-5618