Oklahoma House Passes 'Birther Bill'

On the day that President Barack Obama released his original birth certificate, Oklahoma lawmakers moved forward a bill that would require that he prove his U.S. citizenship in order to be on the state’s presidential ballot next year, the Daily Oklahoman reported Thursday.

The Republican-controlled state House Wednesday easily passed the measure, which now goes to the Republican-controlled Senate.

State Rep. Sue Tibbs, a Tulsa Republican and author of the bill, said that it had nothing to do with President Obama.

“The U.S. Constitution says you must be a U.S. citizen to run for president,” Tibbs told the newspaper.

If the bill becomes law, a presidential candidate would have to present his or her birth certificate to be on the state’s primary ballot, Tibbs said. By law, the presidential primary nominee has to be placed on the ballot.

A similar measure failed two years ago.