Staff and wire reports

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma lawmakers, no strangers to making headlines, have been in the news a lot in recent months with legislation targeting illegal immigrants, making English the state’s official language and authorizing some college students to carry concealed weapons in classrooms.

Their policy debates and comments have made news so frequently some in government and business are starting to worry about the state’s national and global image, especially after the worldwide negative reaction to Rep. Sally Kern’s anti-gay remarks in which she said the gay agenda was a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism.

“You’re sending someone a message. That may have consequences that you don’t intend,” said Cynthia Reid, vice president of marketing and communications for the Great-er Oklahoma City Chamber.

“Where it makes a difference is in a company’s perception of a state,” said Gary Yates of the Staubach Company, founded by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and a worldwide provider of real estate services to office, retail and industrial tenants.

Last week, a legislative panel gave preliminary approval to legislation that would make English the official language of the state. Secretary of State Susan Savage said she is concerned about the legislation’s impact on Oklahoma’s role in the global economy as well as its diplomatic and cultural relationships.

“As government officials, we have to be concerned about perception,” Savage said. She said divisive and polarizing public policies and comments have the potential of marginalizing the state in the eyes of the rest of the world.

“Do we sometimes communicate the perception that: ‘Don’t come here until you learn to speak English because we won’t welcome you’?” Savage said. “We have to be very careful in a global world.”

“It’s an extremely chilling situation,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith, who attended the committee meeting where the “official English” bill was approved but was denied permission to express his opposition.

Smith said afterward he is alarmed about the measure’s goal of forcing immigrants to assimilate into Oklahoma society by learning to speak English. In the past, American Indians were herded into boarding schools and forced to speak English instead of their native language.

“What this does is send a message that we want to turn people away because they speak another language,” Smith said. He described the bill as “a badge and a brand of intolerance, mean-spiritedness, close-mindedness, cold-heartedness.”

State Rep. Mike Jackson, R-Enid, said one of the things legislators must ensure they do is put forth the best image they can for the state.

“Whether in tax policy, health care or the best education system we can have in the state ... that’s our focus in the House and we will continue to focus on doing that,” he said.

He indicated people may be focusing on controversial issues and overlooking some of the positive measures that have been done.

“Overall the state budget in the past four years continues to grow, and we’ve seen increases in aerospace jobs in the state and also in the overall average yearly salary,” he said.

Enid Republican John Enns agreed, saying people can often overlook positive issues when they become caught up in controversial ones.

The widely publicized issues have made it harder for officials to promote Oklahoma as a good place to live and work, said Dave Lopez, president of American Fidelity Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Oklahoma City-based insurer American Fidelity.

“I have been touting that Oklahoma is such a welcoming place. It’s been that way for me,” Lopez said. “These headlines of divisiveness detract from that.”

Reid said some chamber clients have complained the anti-illegal immigrant measure adopted by the Legislature last year, House Bill 1804, “sends a negative message.” Among other things, the measure bars illegal immigrants from tax-supported services and punishes employers who hire illegal immigrants.

“There are companies that will not put Oklahoma on the list for consideration because of that. It does send a message,” she said. The Oklahoma City Chamber is one of several business groups in the state that have joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in a federal lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of the state’s anti-illegal immigrant law.

People on both sides of the issue have formed opinions about the state and its people, Reid said.

“We have to recognize that we are alienating some and putting a welcome mat out for others,” Reid said. “The challenge is how can we have conversations about these issues and find a place where we can all meet.”

Lopez, who is of Hispanic descent, said he began getting negative feedback about the state from residents of other states last summer following passage of House Bill 1804, which was touted at the time as the toughest state law against illegal immigrants in the nation.

Since then, more than 30 other states have proposed similar immigration measures.

“It was confusing to them,” Lopez said. “I have been a cheerleader for Oklahoma for a number of years. It was inconsistent with the Oklahoma I had described.”

Lopez said political wedge issues like the immigration bill do not necessarily reflect the true character of Oklahomans, which he said was best demonstrated in the public outpouring of assistance and grief following the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

“To see how Oklahoma responded to that was such a positive message to the world,” Lopez said. “I don’t think anyone at that moment was asking what language was spoken and what sexual preference they had. It was a matter of everybody responding in a great way.”

Lopez said it is the responsibility of Oklahoma’s political leaders to assert themselves by steering the state toward positive policies that do not pit Oklahomans against each other.

“Despite some of the debates at the moment, I still believe that’s what Oklahoma’s about — bringing people together,” Lopez said.

Staff writer Robert Barron contributed to this Associated Press story.