4 state questions await Oklahoma voters

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma voters were deciding Tuesday whether they wanted to constitutionally secure their right to hunt and fish and provide a boost to the state's growing wine industry.

Both issues were among four state questions referred to the ballot by the Oklahoma Legislature.

State Question 742 proposed a new section to the Oklahoma Constitution declaring that all Oklahomans have right to "hunt, trap and fish" subject to reasonable regulation. If approved, the measure would allow the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to approve methods and procedures for hunting, trapping and fishing.

Senate Co-President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, who authored the bill to place the question on the ballot, said the measure was a proactive step to prevent outside groups from interfering with Oklahoma's hunting and fishing laws.

"There have been a number of states that have passed restrictions on hunting and fishing, and so we worked with the (National Rifle Association) and other hunting and fishing groups to protect those rights here in Oklahoma," said Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

"I think hunting and fishing are an important part of our heritage ... and I want to protect those rights for my children and grandchildren."

Voters also will be provided another opportunity to give a lift to the state's winemaking industry with State Question 743, which allows winemakers in Oklahoma and other states — with some restrictions — to sell wine directly to liquor stores and restaurants.

Currently, wineries are limited to sales at fairs and festivals, unless they go through a liquor wholesaler.

"What it's going to do is allow the small wineries trying to start up in rural Oklahoma a better profit margin to work with," said Bob McBratney, owner of the Stone Bluff Cellars winery in Tulsa.

State Question 735 proposed giving a household personal property tax exemption to veterans and their spouses if the veteran is 100 percent disabled because of an injury that occurred during military action or through a disease contracted while in active service. The measure would take effect on Jan. 1.

If approved, State Question 741 would require a person or business to file an application with the county assessor to get an exemption from property taxes, which now is not always required.

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