But not before many long days and nights doing the people's business in the House chamber.

We just wrapped up hearing and voting on Senate bills and are now going into the last phase of the legislative process, that of hearing bills in joint House-Senate conference committees. There, we re-work previous bills and send them back to the House and Senate chamber floors for approval before they go on to the governor's office to be signed into law. In those committees, House and Senate members of both parties come together to amend bills and try to come to agreements in those meetings so the bills can be approved on the floor. Sometimes they don't make it out of the conference committee, while other times, the re-worked bills go back to the floor and pass votes in both chambers.

While there are still some interesting days ahead, there has also been some interesting news recently.

Last time I wrote, I talked about the positive things that tort reform would do for Oklahoma. Unfortunately, the bill was vetoed by the governor. Passage of the tort bill would have helped the average Oklahoman avoid "hidden taxes" from the rising costs of lawsuits. I hope that we can bring meaningful lawsuit reform back to the table next session and get it passed.

Another big issue which has made news across the state this week was concerning the topic of illegal immigration. House Bill 1804 is now on the way to the governor's desk for his signature. It's my hope that he will sign it into law, as it will put Oklahoma on the front lines of fighting illegal immigration. The bill will ensure that the tax dollars of hard-working American citizens and legal immigrants are protected from waste and improper use by those who are breaking the law. Another big focus of the bill is to determine worker eligibility. It goes a long way in ensuring that the immigrants working in this state are here by legal means and want to become a legitimate member of American society. Stronger immigration laws will help to ensure that your tax dollars are being spent properly.

Even with some setbacks, I feel that the things we've worked on this session have been very good for Oklahoma. And we still have a few weeks to go to finish up on some other items that I hope to see become law. If you ever have a question or need anything, call me at (405) 557-7289 at the Capitol, (918) 336-4855 in Bartlesville or e-mail me at earl.sears@okhouse.gov.

Earl Sears (R- Bartlesville) serves District 11 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

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