Oklahoma House Rejects Storm Shelter Plan

The Oklahoma House has soundly rejected a plan supported by Gov. Mary Fallin to help school districts pay for safety upgrades like storm shelters and safe rooms.

The House Thursday voted 61-34 against the measure that calls for a statewide vote of the people to give school districts a one-time increase in their bonding capacity to pay for the safety upgrades.

The vote came two days after the anniversary of a massive tornado that struck Moore, killing seven students at Plaza Towers Elementary School.

Opponents say the measure doesn’t do enough to protect school children. They say it would affect only 25 school districts in the state, only about 3 percent of the more than 500 school districts in Oklahoma.