Monday, Mar. 16 to Thursday, Mar. 19, 2009

Monday, March 16

• The Senate approved the following resolutions on Monday:

-SR 9 by Sen. Glenn Coffee, praises the professionalism of Oklahoman reporter John Greiner and wishes him well on the occasion of his retirement.

-SCR 12 by Sen. Glenn Coffee, declares that the Oklahoma Legislature will adjourn sine die no later than 5 p.m. Friday, May 22, 2009.

-SCR 3 by Sen. Kenneth Corn, honors Bobby Taylor’s military career and service to veterans and mourns his loss.

-SCR 5 by Sens. Kenneth Corn and Jerry Ellis, thanks W. David Smith for his 41 years of service to the state of Oklahoma and wishes him the best in his retirement.

-SR 2 by Sen. Kenneth Corn, congratulates Henry Burris Jr. for his football accomplishments.

-SCR 9 by Sen. Earl Garrison, strongly urges the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to act promptly and decisively in revising and streamlining the natural gas certification requirements applicable to small volume manufacturers and waiving requirements for recertifying natural gas conversion kits.

• Senate committees took no action on Monday.

• The House convened briefly Monday, approving the following resolution:

-HR 1023 by Rep. Marian Cooksey, congratulates native Oklahoman Lanette Miller on being selected as one of four participants in NASA’s microgravity research flight held Jan. 8-17, 2009.

• House committees took no action on Monday

Tuesday, March 17

• The Senate met Tuesday and approved the following resolutions:

-SCR 13 by Sen. Mike Johnson, requires state agencies to report to the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the House Appropriations Committee and the Governor, funds received from or anticipated to be received from the federal stimulus program and prohibits expenditure of funds from the program unless the funds have been included in the state agency’s budget limit for the fiscal year.

-SCR 10 by Sen. Ron Justice, commends the public, military, educational and civic service of former USAO President Roy Troutt and hails his many contributions to the state and his local community.

• Senate committees approved the following measures on Tuesday:

-HB 1948 by Rep. Chris Benge, provides an income tax credit for taxpayers who install geothermal heating and cooling systems on residential and nonresidential property between tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2009, and ending Dec. 31, 2014.

-HB 1949 by Rep. Chris Benge, extends a one-time tax credit for investments in qualified clean-burning motor vehicle property.

-HB 1295 by Rep. Jason Murphey, adds a definition of “reissue” as it relates to the inability of a person to obtain a professional license if he/she is not in compliance with Oklahoma income tax laws.

-HB 1297 by Rep. Pat Ownbey, adds school supplies to the list of items subject to the back-to-school sales tax holiday.

-HB 1618 by Rep. Daniel Sullivan, specifies the new address of the Oklahoma Banking Department.

-HB 1919 by Rep. Steve Kouplen, modifies the definition of “eligible agricultural business” under the Oklahoma Agricultural Linked Deposit Program to include any person who is establishing a practice in which at least 30 percent of the practice consists of services for large animals.

• The House took no action on Tuesday.

• House committees took no action on Tuesday.

Wednesday, March 18

• The Senate approved the following resolutions on Wednesday:

-SCR 6 by Sen. Randy Brogdon, congratulates Kelsey Cartwright upon her selection as Miss Oklahoma 2008 and recognizes her many abilities.

-SR 14 by Sen. Constance N. Johnson, endorses a curriculum and policy on teen dating violence and abuse.

-SB 21 by Sen. Brian Bingman, praises Terrie Malone, Oklahoma winner of the ANCOR award for direct support professional and commends the Bios, her employer, and ANCOR for aiding those with disabilities.

• Senate committees took no action on Wednesday.

• The House met Wednesday and approved the following resolutions:

-SCR 13 by Sen. Mike Johnson, requires state agencies to report to the chairs of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the House Appropriations and Budget Committee and the Governor funds received from or anticipated to be received from the federal stimulus program and prohibits expenditure of funds from the program unless the funds have been included in the state agency’s budget limit for the fiscal year.

-SCR 12 by Sen. Glenn Coffee, declares that the Oklahoma Legislature will adjourn sine die no later than 5 p.m. Friday, May 22, 2009.

• House committees approved several measures including the following on Wednesday:

-SB 592 by Sen. John Ford clarifies language related to the State Architectural and Interior Designers Act.

-SB 406 by Sen. Brian Crain, authorizes the Insurance Commissioner to review specific financial circumstances and the history of a professional cash bondsman to determine whether to release a portion of his/her deposit.

-SB 418 by Sen. Randy Bass, modifies language related to the membership of the Commission on Consumer Credit.

-SB 52 by Sen. Clark Jolley, modifies language related to the Oklahoma State Employees Benefits Council, changing reference from health maintenance organizations licensed by the Department of Health to health maintenance organizations issued certificates of authority by the Insurance Commissioner.

-SB 527 by Sen. Roger Ballenger, requires an employer whose check to an employee was returned to reimburse the employee for any fees or costs incurred due to the bank’s refusal to honor the check.

-SB 452 by Sen. Mike Schulz, designates the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry as the state entity empowered to implement the policy of the state regarding the care and handling of the livestock.

-SB 564 by Sen. Charles Wyrick, authorizes the State Board of Agriculture to require more than the minimum $25,000 surety bond for operating, conducting or maintaining a livestock auction market.

-SB 349 by Sen. David Myers, allows the Department of Environmental Quality to collect administrative penalties under the Oklahoma Hazardous Waste Management Act.

Thursday, March 19

• The Senate met briefly Thursday and approved the following resolution:

-SCR 2 by Sen. Mary Easley, urges Congress to increase federal funding for Alzheimer’s research.

Other News

• The Senate this week approved a resolution supporting and endorsing the PRCA National Steer Roping Finals be returned to Oklahoma in honor of former State Senate President Pro Tempore Clem McSpadden. McSpadden was a rodeo announcer for ABC’s “Wide World of Sports”, the National Finals Rodeo, the Calgary Stampede and the Canadian Finals Rodeo. He also served as President of the Rodeo Cowboys Association from 1970 to 1971. The Rogers County native continued announcing rodeo events throughout the country until his passing last year.

• The Senate also paused to honor former State Capitol reporter John Greiner on Monday. The 66-year-old Greiner retired from “The Oklahoman” newspaper last fall. Greiner first joined “The Oklahoman” in 1966 and covered seven gubernatorial administrations and more than a third of the state’s legislative sessions. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1993 and serves on the Advisory Committee of Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee authored Senate Resolution 9 praising Greiner.