Parliamentary wrangle continues in Oklahoma Senate

Thursday, April 6th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Democrats moved Thursday to take back control of the Oklahoma Senate in a parliamentary battle triggered when Republicans were blocked from forcing a floor vote on right to work.

Both sides traded charges that the other was engaging in political gamesmanship and unfair play.

The fight intensified after Republican Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin took over the chair of the Senate on Wednesday and tried to call senators into session. Democrats did not respond and a quorum was not obtained.

"It seems our friends in the other party love the smell of napalm in the morning," said Sen. Keith Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, who called the GOP insurrection "a bunch of people squatting."

On Wednesday, the Republican minority objected to not being recognized for a recorded vote on a motion to cut off a right-to-work amendment.

"We were run over, refused a roll-call vote," said Sen. Mark Snyder, R-Edmond, leader of the 15 Republicans in the Senate. There are 33 Democratic members.

During a recess, Republicans persuaded Fallin to call the Senate back into session, exercising a constitutional provision permitting her to preside.

She continued the quorum call for more than four hours, then declared the Senate was adjourned until 10 a.m. Thursday.

But Senate President Pro Tempore Stratton Taylor, D-Claremore, leader of the Democratic majority, summoned senators back to the chamber before Fallin arrived and adjourned the session until 1:30p.m. Monday.

Fallin returned to preside over the Senate at 10 a.m., as promised, and tried to issue a quorum call, but Democrats stayed away, as did some Senate employees who operate the sound and roll-call voting systems and attend to other duties while the Senate is in session.

She left the chamber at 10:30 a.m. with her fellow Republicans and held a brief news conference.

"We called the Senate back into session. Some of them showed up. Some of them didn't show up," Fallin said.

Republicans contended they were in session and Democrats said they were not.

"We have a group of people who lost and they want to say King's X," Taylor said, recalling that a bill to place right to work on a statewide vote had been rejected in committee. "This is all grandstanding and gamesmanship."

"What about Democratic gamesmanship?" asked Sen. Mark Snyder, R-Edmond, minority leader.

Taylor said Republicans could go to court to decide the issue, but doubted they were interested in doing so. Snyder said the GOP was "in a box" because of the time it would take to press a state Supreme Court lawsuit.

Republican Gov. Frank Keating, a right-to-work supporter, called Fallin "courageous" for trying to force the issue.

Taylor said the provision giving Fallin the right to preside over the Senate was not authorization for Republicans to hijack the Senate from the majority party.