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A bill to keep Oklahoma college students’ names and addresses from being sold to credit card companies has won final approval from the State Senate. Sen. Jim Reynolds is the principal author of Senate Bill 496, which will now go to Gov. Brad Henry for final consideration.

“We’ve had students right here in Oklahoma who have committed suicide because of credit card debt,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. “We want to do everything in our power to protect students who are major marketing targets for these credit card companies.”

Calling it good news for Oklahoma children, Sen. Cliff Branan said he was extremely pleased that Gov. Brad Henry had signed Senate Bill 473, a measure to ban smoking at zoos located in Oklahoma.

“There are literally hundreds of thousands of children who visit the Oklahoma City and Tulsa zoos each and every year,” said Branan, R-Oklahoma City. “We would be shocked if these children were being exposed to cigarette smoke in their classrooms at school, but in reality, zoos are an outdoor classroom.
We need to ensure our kids’ health and safety there as well.”
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The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) was honored by the Senate on Tuesday, as a resolution celebrating the 20th anniversary of the agency was approved unanimously.

Senate Resolution 35, authored by Sens. Clark Jolley and Susan Paddack, salutes OCAST for its role in spurring economic growth and development through science and technology research.
Jolley said the agency is a critical cog in the effort to create a more prosperous future for the state.
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