THE PERKINS JOURNAL, Thursday, December 2, 2004oA5
I
II
l
. oma offers new official Web site with enhanced
services at www.OK.gov
CITY - Gover-
unveiled a new
for the state of Okla-
saying the new
!,Vill give Oklahomans
]aCcess to their govern-
lOklahoma s new Web
W.OK.gov) features
services and design
- ents to help citizens
inesses interact more
with state govern-
believed that
have easy access to
y. "The
site will help private
businesses interact
rgovernment and take
ofthe many programs
The new portal, unveiled at a
State Capitol news conference
Monday, has been designed
with a focus on self service
so users can find what they are
looking for easily, with little or
no knowledge of government
agency functions. The portal
conducted extensive focus
groups with citizens, state
employees and business lead-
ers to customize the site to fit
the specific needs of every type
of user.
Some of the key features of
the new portal include:
Bold new look and new easy-
to-remember Web address
Statewide newsroom for agen-
cies to publish news releases
Statewide calendar of events
accessibility
Ever-changing content on the
home page
Photo gallery and Oklahoma
information
The state of Oklahoma will
focus on the use of the new
www.OK.gov domain as the
standard for state agency Web
sites. In the coming months,
the Oklahoma Office of State
Finance will help agencies
integrate OK.gov's site design
into their own Web sites.
Office of State Finance
Director Scott Meacham dis-
cussed the relevance of the
new site design and the trend
of a "common look and feel"
with state agency Web sites.
"Citizens of Oklahoma will be
Churches, schools, fire
departments, senior citizens
groups and other non-profit
organizations can once again
use raffles for fundraising
without fear of breaking the
law according to Senator
Frank Shurden, a Democrat
from Henryetta.
"I've been working for years
so that non-profit groups could
use raffles for fundraising. The
only way we could make raffles
legal again was to tie the leg-
islation to State Question 705,
The Oklahoma Educational
Lottery Act," he said.
Sen. Shurden and State Rep-
resentative Don Armes (R-
Faxon) authored Senate Bill
837 in 2003 to make raffles
legal for non-profit organiza-
tions, after an Attorney Gener-
al's opinion had deemed that
raffles were Class 3 Gaming
senior citizen centers across
this state needed a way to raise
money. They had to stop using
fundraisers like drawings for
quilts or a side of beef when
the Attorney General's opin-
ion deemed raffles illegal,"
the lawmaker added.
"Those that participated in
these raffles usually gave a
dollar here or a dollar there
because the money was going
to a worthwhile cause," Sen.
Shurden said. "They were not
doing it to gamble."
Rep. Armes (R-Faxon) added
that he was happy to be the
house author of Senate Bill
837 because it was common
sense legislation.
"Non-profit groups through-
out Oklahoma should have
the right to conduct fundrais-
ers without fearing that their
actions are illegal." Armes
it provides. The Enhanced Google search very pleased with the fresh look and illegal in Oklahoma. said. "Raffles should have
li !ents will help make engine of OK.gov. It is important that When State Question 705 was never been considered illegal
ernment more con- Improved information archi- people are able to find what they certified by the State Election and the language in this bill
business-friendly.'-- tecturewithaddedusability& are looking for without having Board as passing this month, it allows them to be legal again,
to search for the right agency, made Class 3 Gaming legal in its just common sense legisla-
The new design will become a Oklahoma and the legislation tion.
'; eelve 4 o Tickets;, standard for agencies to follow, legalizing raffles also became Senator JohnnieCrutchfield,
et the Perkins Journal I so that anyone who visits the effe, ctive onNov. 9. Senate co-author of the bill and
state of Oklahoma online will Our youth organizations a Democrat from Ardmore,
|
have a positive experience." like 4-H, high school bands, added the law prevents groups
for $24! ] The new Web site is designed churches' fire departmelts and from hiring an outside organi-
(That's only Se/mo.) !and maintained by OK.gov, a
rgood for new, renewals & gift subscriptions public-private partnership with
the Oklahoma Office of State
Offer good through Dec. 15 I .d
d l l/lust present coupon with payment. NIc.Finance and eGovernment firm
zation to conduct the raffle.
"This part of the bill is
important because we want all
the money raised to go directly
to the organization conducting
the raffle, not some outside
group that automatically takes
a portion of the money simply
to conduct the process." Sen.
Crutchfield explained.
State Representative Joe
Dorman, a Democrat from
Rush Springs and co-author of
the bill, added that is impor-
tant for groups across the state
to be aware that raffles have
once again become legal in
Oklahoma.
"I have had several school
superintendents in my district
call me inquiring about the
status of this legislation. I
am pleased to let them know
raffles are now legal and they
can begin fundraising without
any hesitation." Dorman said.
"Any time you have a delay in
effective dates for legislation,
and especially a two year delay
in this particular instance, it
can create some confusion.
So I hope by making the public
aware that Senate Bill 837 is
now effective, we can eliminate
some of that confusion." Sen.
Shurden said.
5-8:$0 p.m.
Joi. us ia dowatowa Perkins.
:e Li lhti,0-00rd0, Park. 6 p.m Sa,ta arrives at 6:20
Live Music, Business Ope~ Houses, Hay I ides
MsAn Steer
Lieutenant Governor Mary
Fallin invited Oklahomans to
join her in inscribing their sig-
natures on a state flag that will
be sent to the 550 members of an
Oklahoma Army National Guard
unit in Iraq.
"I invite all Oklahomans to stop
by my office at the State Capitol
this week and add their names to
this very special and symbolic
greeting to the soldiers of the
120th Engineer Battalion," Fallin
said. The flag will be displayed
in her second floor office at the
TRIPLE TICKETS with the
purchase of Gift Items
DOUBLE TICKETS with any
Over the Counter Medicine Purchase
Capitol through Friday. Capitol
visitors can add their signatures
to it between 8:30 a.m. and 5
p.m. each day until then.
The 120th Engineers will be
on active dot);.'irllthe' WaX zone
4hrough the holidays. Most
recently, the "U {t Was st' ti0ned
in the vicinity of Fallujah, where
intense fighting throughout
November focused on clear-
ing Iraq's major remaining
terrorist stronghold. The 120th
Engineers are headquartered
in Okmulgee, and many of the
unit's members come from that
part of the state.
"Along with all of the other
worthy efforts to support our
troops during the holiday
season, this effort will send
an Oklahoma message to the
members of an Oklahoma unit
in harm's way." Fallin said. She
said she "enthusiastically sup-
ports" other programs to send
holiday greetings to American
forces overseas, including the
Operation Kids and Troops pro-
gram sponsored by Oklahoma
resident Spencer Cluff, which
focuses on enlisting school
children to write to service men
and women.
"We need to send a unified
message that we support and
appreciate our guardians,"
she said. "This Oklahoma flag
will remind the members of
this Oklahoma unit that we are
thinking of them and praying
for them." Fallin said the signed
flag will be shipped to the 120th
Engineers in Iraq betbre Christ-
mas so they can display it in their
mess hall or living quarters.
The Lieutenant Governor
expressed thanks to the Okla-
homa Military Department for
offering to ship the flag to the
unit before Christmas and to
All Sooner Flag and Flagpoles,
5812 N. Portland, for donating
the flag.
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