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State Sen. Susan Paddack said friends and neighbors in her community of Ada were devastated by this past weekend’s kidnapping and murder of teenager Caitlin Elizabeth Wooten. The Ada high school student was abducted by her mother’s former boyfriend and was later found dead in an apparent murder/suicide. Now Sen. Paddack is looking at possible legislation to prevent similar crimes in the future.
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In the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, State Senator Kenneth Corn said he will ask Oklahoma’s Civil Emergency Management to examine emergency evacuation plans for population centers around the state to ensure that Oklahomans will not be left behind should a disaster occur in this state.
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Republican state lawmakers today unveiled a plan that will provide nearly 300 million in new road funding in the next five years, more than double the amount that would have been provided by a fuel tax increase rejected by voters Tuesday.
Yesterday, the people said: Not one more dime of my money fix Oklahomas roads with the dollars you already take from us, said House Speaker Todd Hiett, RKellyville. We all agree that Oklahomas roads are in bad shape. But the voters expect us to live within our means. read more.

Republican state lawmakers today unveiled a plan that will provide nearly 300 million in new road funding in the next five years, more than double the amount that would have been provided by a fuel tax increase rejected by voters Tuesday.
Yesterday, the people said: Not one more dime of my money fix Oklahomas roads with the dollars you already take from us, said House Speaker Todd Hiett, RKellyville. We all agree that Oklahomas roads are in bad shape. But the voters expect us to live within our means. read more.

Senator Earl Garrison and Representative Barbara Staggs announced today that Tahlequah and Muskogee Schools are making room for the children of the evacuees from hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast area.

The plan announced by the two Muskogee Democrats also includes educational opportunities for pre-school children and adults seeking job training or a high school equivalency diploma.

State Senator Johnnie Crutchfield and State Representative Wes Hilliard are working closely with federal, state and local officials to ensure a smooth transition for Hurricane Katrina victims who will temporarily be placed at Falls Creek Baptist Camp in Davis.

“We don’t know exactly when the evacuees will be here,” Crutchfield said. “But we want to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible for these families who literally have nothing but the clothes on their back.”

Sen. Don Barrington has asked Senate staff to examine possible legislative and/or administrative solutions that would allow college and university students displaced by Katrina to relocate to Oklahoma schools.

“The short-term and long-term impact of Katrina is almost unimaginable. Many people may not realize that several major universities have been virtually destroyed. It may be years before they can be totally rebuilt, but their students can’t wait that long,” said Barrington, R-Lawton.
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State Sen. Kathleen Wilcoxson is urging Oklahoma to consider scaling back planned expenditures on upcoming centennial celebrations in order to offer greater assistance to neighbors in need.
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Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee said he was extremely proud of one Oklahoma church’s efforts to directly assist victims of Katrina. Victory Church in Norman was making its shelter ministry in Oklahoma City available to evacuees. As of mid-afternoon, the shelter at 1900 N.E. 36th Street was already providing housing to some two dozen evacuees and was preparing for the arrival of more than 80 additional refugees later in the day.
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