But the state Senate Transportation Committee chairman said he was surprised at the high percentage. Sen. Danny Staples said it would take a tax increase to fix all the bridges.
Failure to act on the bill could mean political trouble for three Democratic senators who face re-election next year. Sen. Mike Lyber, D-Huggins, Sen. Joe Maxwell, D-Mexico and Sen. Danny Staples D-Eminence all voted in favor of the partial birth abortion bill last spring, but switched their votes last week. All three are up for re-election in 1998.
Sen. Danny Staples, D-Eminence, said that opposition to the bill may stem from misguided reasons. He said that he heard that some opposition to the bill was due to the notion that it was "part of a Clinton plan."
Sen. Danny Staples, D-Eminence, made his pronouncement shortly before the Senate approved a measure that would let retired police officers and judges pack hidden pistols.
"I had to eliminate toll roads to get it out of committee," said Sen. Danny Staples, D-Eminence. "Now it's 20 down on the calendar. I think it's dead."