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Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105
For Immediate Release: December 16, 2011
Sen. Charlie Laster
Sen. Laster says 2012 session will be his last
State Sen.
Charlie
Laster announced this week that he has decided not to seek
another term in the Oklahoma State Senate. Although the Shawnee
Democrat would not have been term limited until 2016, Laster said it
was time to refocus his attention on his family and his legal
career.
Laster first came to the Senate in 2003 in a special election after
Brad Henry was elected governor with two years remaining in his
term. Laster was elected to his first full term in 2004 and again in
2008. During his legislative service, Laster served on multiple
committees and served in key leadership positions, including Senate
Democratic Leader, Co-Floor Leader of the Senate and Judiciary
chair.
“First of all, I want to say what a tremendous honor and privilege
it has been to serve the citizens of Pottawatomie, Oklahoma and
Cleveland counties at the State Capitol,” Laster said. “It has been
an exciting and challenging undertaking from the very beginning, and
I’m very proud to have played a role in creating public policy aimed
at improving the lives of all Oklahomans.”
Laster was the Senate’s lawyer during the impeachment proceedings
against former Insurance Commissioner, Carroll Fisher in 2004. He
was also in the spotlight during another key historical event in the
Senate. As a result of the 2006 elections, the Oklahoma State Senate
was tied, with Democrats and Republicans each holding 24 seats.
Laster served as Co-Floor Leader of the Senate during those two
years.
“It was a remarkable experience, because when you think about how
passionate either side can be about a range of political issues, we
could have had two years of acrimony and gridlock,” Laster said.
“But that didn’t happen—we all worked together to make sure that
didn’t happen, developing a power-sharing plan that ensured the
people’s business would continue to be conducted in a professional
and efficient manner. I will always be very proud of that.”
Among his many legislative successes was a victims’ rights bill for
students aimed at limiting contact between attackers and school-age
victims of violent crime. He was also principal Senate author of a
measure requiring all prenatal classes to teach pregnant women about
the risks of drug or alcohol use during pregnancy. That measure,
authored by Rep. Kris Steele in the House, also became law.
Laster also co-authored legislation ensuring the rights of schools
to display national mottos, including “E PLURIBUS UNUM” (Out of
Many, One) and “IN GOD WE TRUST.” He championed legislation seeking
to limit sales to minors of household products containing chemicals
or inhalants that an increasing amount of young people had used for
hallucinogenic or intoxicating but dangerous effects. He also
authored legislation to better protect citizens from the crime of
identity theft.
This past session Laster introduced legislation authorizing a
compact between the state, counties cities and tribal governments so
that vehicle tag information could more easily be accessed by law
enforcement. That measure was signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin.
Throughout his tenure, Laster was honored by children’s advocacy
organizations, law enforcement and education organizations for his
work in the Oklahoma State Senate. He also volunteered time in the
“America’s Legislators Back to School” program to help students have
a better understanding of state government and encourage their
involvement as citizens.
Laster has a law practice in Shawnee, where he makes his home with
his wife of 33 years, Dr. Kathy Laster, their daughter, Kara, age
18, and son Luke, age 15.
“Our children were still very small when I first took the Oath of
Office, and I’m fortunate that my district was close enough to the
State Capitol that I didn’t have to be away from my family all week
during session,” Laster said. “But at this point in my life, I want
to turn my time and attention more fully to family and my law
practice. Serving in the Senate has been the experience of a
lifetime, and I will remain forever grateful for the opportunity. In
fact I enjoyed the Senate so much, at some point on down the road I
may just decide to come back for my final four years. You never
know.”
“This bill is a necessary and logical extension of the cooperative
agreements and cross deputization of law enforcement officers in
state, county, city and tribal law enforcement agencies. It will
help facilitate the sharing of tag information between all of these
entities. Doing so will help officers in the investigation of crimes
and will be tremendously helpful in addressing Amber and Silver
Alerts to find kidnapped or missing children and seniors,”
said Barrett. “The Potawatomi Nation is grateful to Senator
Laster for addressing this need and looking forward to assisting
with the intergovernmental agreement.”
The bill was also supported by the Department of Public Safety.
“The passing and subsequent signing of Senate Bill 857 provides
the Highway Patrol with another opportunity to fulfill its mission
of protecting the public,” said Major Rusty Rhoades, legislative
liaison for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. “Given that there
are multiple tribes that issue tags, there have been many times
when troops were unable to run license plates in the middle of the
night to check for stolen vehicles or wanted individuals. In future
cooperatives with tribes, the Highway Patrol hopes to better identify
vehicles on the roadway and enhance our public safety mission.”
For more information, contact:
Sen. Laster: (405) 521-5539
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