Monday, May 15 through Friday, May 19, 2006

Monday, May 15

• The Senate met Monday, approving a number of measures in a lengthy session. Among the bills approved were the following:

SB 990 by Sen. Bernest Cain, would create the Genetic Counseling Licensure Act, giving administrative authority to the Board of Health. The amended bill prohibits genetic counselors from discussing abortion with patients.

SB 1366 by Sen. Cal Hobson, would require that after $1 million of revenue has been deposited into the Corporation Commission Revolving Fund, 8 percent of remaining revenue from the fuel tax be deposited into the Department of Environmental Quality Revolving fund.

SB 1634 by Sen. David Myers, would waive the requirements for accepting and seeking work for recipients summoned to appear for jury duty.

SJR 37 by Sen. Brian Crain, would propose a constitutional amendment that would allow the Oklahoma Legislature to enact laws establishing procedures for application to county assessors for freeport exemptions.

SJR 48 by Sen. Patrick Anderson, would request authorization for the Legislature to hold an official meeting at Convention Hall in Guthrie on Statehood Day, Nov. 16, 2007, as part of Oklahoma’s Centennial Celebration.

SR 101 by Sen. Cal Hobson, honors Dr. J. Donald Capra for his service as president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

• Senate Committees took no action on bills Monday.

• The House met briefly Monday, passing one resolution and rejecting amendments to one bill.

• House Committees took no action on bills Monday.

Tuesday, May 16

• The Senate met Tuesday passing several bills. Measures approved included the following:

SB 1058 by Sen. Cal Hobson, would remove overlapping district restrictions on appointments of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission.

SB 1460 by Sen. Charles Wyrick, would create the Uniform Environmental Covenants Act. The bill would establish regulations governing environmental response projects performed for environmental remediation of real property and conducted under a federal or state program.

SB 1858 by Sen. Mike Morgan, would expand the crime of felony murder to include deaths caused to police officers or any other person while attempting to elude an officer.

• Senate committees took no action on bills Tuesday.

• The House met briefly Tuesday, taking action on several bills. Among the measures passed were the following:

HB 2487 by Sen. Don Barrington, would give the Director of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation authority to detect, investigate and maintain actions regarding vehicle theft.

HCR 1072 by Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, declares June 3, 2006, as Gen. Tommy Franks Day.

• House Committees took no action on bills Tuesday.

Wednesday, May 17

• The Senate met Wednesday, approving several bills. Among the measures approved were the following:

SB 1359 by Sen. Glenn Coffee, would specify the standard colors to be used in the display of the state flag and require display by all state agencies and boards of Education.

SB 756 by Sen. Debbe Leftwich, would enact the Elevator Safety Act. The bill would require individuals working on elevators to hold a valid elevator mechanics license.

SB 1095 by Sen. Harry Coates, would expand the definition of unfair or deceptive acts or practices to include deceptive use of a financial institution’s name in solicitation or notifications for an unrelated financial institution.

SB 1479 by Sen. Jim Wilson, would make it a felony to solicit sexual conduct with a minor or communicate with a minor for sexual interests by any technology, including computers, cellular phones and handheld devices.

SB 1574 by Sen. Owen Laughlin, would require that any employee of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board that has evidence of acts of groundwater waste committed in their presence are to report complaints.

SB 1971 by Sen. Nancy Riley, clarifies language relating to hospices.

HCR 1070 by Sen. Debbe Leftwich, encourages General Motors to utilize its Oklahoma City facility for the construction of the 2008 Camaro.

SR 111 by Sen. Constance N. Johnson, commends Miss Black Oklahoma 2005, Michelle J. Millben.

SR 112 by Sen. Frank Shurden, honors the humanitarianism of Trooper Jason Fox.

SR 113 by Sen. Jeff Rabon, honors the heroism of Trooper Joe Standridge.

• The Senate General Conference Committee on Appropriations met Wednesday, approving several measures. Among the bills approved were the following:

SB 1357 by Sen. Jim Wilson, would remove date restrictions from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry for the employment of temporary fire suppression personnel.

SB 1401 by Sen. Susan Paddack, would authorize the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training to provide food and lodging to law enforcement officials at courses approved by the Council.

SB 1581 by Sen. Debbe Leftwich, would provide procedures for compensating fire protection employees, law enforcement employees or Department of Corrections employees for leave time.

SB 1686 by Sen. Richard Lerblance, would allow exempt state employees who are not entitled to overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act, to receive overtime pay, at the discretion of their appointing authority, for each overtime hour worked on a holiday.

HB 2554 by Sen. Harry Coates, would require the Department of Central Services to create a database to track the condition of all state physical assets, equipment and buildings to manage long-range deferred maintenance funding requirements.

HB 2766 by Sen. Jeff Rabon, would prohibit Department of Environmental Quality temporary employees from applying against a full time-equivalent employee limitation imposed on the Department, with the exception of temporary employees hired through personnel service agencies.

• The House met Wednesday, approving several resolutions before adjourning. Among the resolutions passed were the following:

HB 2662 by Sen. Kenneth Corn, would authorize judges of drug courts to modify the revocation or denial of the driving privileges of an offender if it is determined that no other means of transportation exist.

HB 2771 by Sen. Kenneth Corn, would authorize police officers to send complaint information and abstracts of court records in electronic formats when filing traffic citations with district courts.

HCR 1069 by Sen. Randy Bass, designates the Lawton Rangers as the Official State Centennial Riding Club.

Thursday, May 18

• The Senate held a lengthy session Thursday, approving a number of bills. Among the measures approved were the following:

SB 1742 by Sen. Don Barrington, would create the Unborn Child Pain Awareness/Prevention Act. The bill requires physicians performing an abortion to inform the pregnant female of the possibility of pain felt by an unborn child after 20 weeks of development. Additionally, the bill would establish penalties for willfully killing an unborn child, excluding deaths due to legal abortions and medical procedures.

SB 1088 by Sen. Randy Bass, would allow state employees who are members of reserve components to retain their pay for up to 30 days after being called into active duty.

SB 1481 by Sen. Jim Wilson, would require the Board of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to monitor the condition of forest resources.

SB 1086 by Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, would modify the time period in which deductions may be taken for contributions to accounts established by the Oklahoma College Savings Plan Act.

SB 1495 by Sen. Kenneth Corn, would create the Kyle Williams Boating Safety Act. The bill places restrictions on the operation of various watercraft.

SB 1346 by Sen. Brian Crain, would authorize court reporters to destroy all exhibits in felony records adjudicated cases in which there has been no activity for more than 10 years, unless there is an objection by the chief judge of the district court.

SB 1816 by Sen. Richard Lerblance, would provide for the placement of a statutory lien on all assets of a warehouseman or public warehouse who has had their state charter, federal license or bond suspended or revoked.

SB 1709 by Sen. Kenneth Corn, would require each incorporated jurisdiction to develop a community-wide evacuation plan in the event of disaster.

SCR 56 by Sen. Harry Coates, creates the Oklahoma Contractors Licensing Task Force.

• The Senate General Conference Committee on Appropriations took action on a number of measures Thursday. Among the bills approved were the following:

HB 2461 by Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, would provide a sales tax exemption on personal property or services to the surviving spouse of a person who has been honorably discharged from any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and who is 100 percent disabled.

HB 2462 by Sen. Randy Bass, would modify from 50 percent to 100 percent the income tax exemption for retirement benefits for members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

HB 2958 by Sen. Glenn Coffee, would provide a $100 tax credit for families in which one parent stays at home with a child.

SB 266 by Sen. Cal Hobson, encourages special maintenance projects costing under $300,000 to be performed by state maintenance crews.

SB 1040 by Sen. Nancy Riley, would require certain state agencies to maintain a web site on which application forms for the services they provide are available.

SB 1463 by Sen. Charles Wyrick, would allow funds appropriated to the Department of Environmental Quality under the Lead-Impacted Communities Relocation Act to be used to assist municipalities, counties, school districts or other public entities in responding to hazards posed by mining.

SB 1909 by Sen. Kenneth Corn, would authorize the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to increase fees for fingerprint analysis and criminal history records.

SB 1919 by Sen. Constance N. Johnson, would call for the creation of an African American Centennial Plaza on the grounds of the State Capitol to educate Oklahomans on the contributions of African Americans to the state.

SB 2655 by Sen. Daisy Lawler, would create the Oklahoma Farm-to-School Program to provide fresh, high quality, locally grown foods to school cafeterias.

HB 2813 by Sen. Frank Shurden, would increase from $50,000 to $100,000 the amount of liability insurance required of the owner of a dangerous dog.

HB 2982 by Sen. Kenneth Corn, would authorize the Tourism Department to employ inmates working in Correctional Industries to rebuild forts for use as tourist attractions.

SB 1614 by Sen. Daisy Lawler, would provide for post-eradication control of boll weevils.

SB 193 by Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, would appropriate $15,633,001 to the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System.

HJR 1010 by Sen. Nancy Riley, would create the Oklahoma Task Force to Stop Sexual Violence.

• The House met Thursday passing several bills. Among the measures approved were the following:

HB 2840 by Sen. Harry Coates, creates the Kelsey-Smith Briggs Child Protection Reform Act.

HB 2454 by Sen. Brian Crain, would remove requirements that a person seeking relief provide a copy of the complaint that was filed with the law enforcement agency when filing the petition for an emergency protective order.

HB 2588 by Sen. David Myers, would create the Operation Enduring Freedom and Boys and Girls Clubs of America Supporter special license plates.

HB 2068 by Sen. John Ford, would remove the decision on whether to participate in a technology district from the school board and place it with the electors of the school district.

HB 2517 by Sen. Ted Fisher, would require state entities to establish appeal procedures for individuals that have had their drivers license suspended.

• The House General Conference Committee on Appropriations did not pass any bills Thursday.

Friday, May 19

• The Senate met Friday, passing a number of bills. Among the measures approved were the following:

SB 1614 by Sen. Daisy Lawler, would provide for post-eradication control of boll weevils.

SB 1842 by Sen. Charles Laster, would create the Medical Services Responsibility and Jail Custody Task Force.

SB 1686 by Sen. Richard Lerblance, would allow exempt state employees who are not entitled to overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act, to receive overtime pay, at the discretion of their appointing authority, for each overtime hour worked on a holiday.

SB 1597 by Sen. Charles Laster, would provide rules relating to out-of-school suspensions.

SB 1793 by Sen. Ron Justice, would make financial exploitation of elderly or disabled adults a crime.

SB 324 by Sen. Glenn Coffee, would provide regulations for construction contracts related to the production of oil and natural gas.

HCR 1072 by Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, declares June 3, 2006, as Gen. Tommy Franks Day.

• The Senate will reconvene Monday, May 22, at 9:00 a.m.

Other News

• Altus Republican Mike Schulz on Tuesday took the official oath of office, becoming the newest member of the Oklahoma Senate. Schulz won the District 38 seat in a special election held Tuesday, May 9. Schulz has lived in District 38 his whole life. A farmer, Schulz also owns and operates a custom cotton harvesting operation. An Oklahoma State University graduate, he has volunteered his time and talent in many civic, church and professional organizations, including serving as Chairman of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Ranchers state committee as well as serving on an agriculture advisory committee for Congressman J.C. Watts.

• Sen. Scott Pruitt was honored by his fellow Senators Tuesday. Pruitt is completing his final term in the Senate, leaving the body after two terms to run for Lieutenant Governor. While in the Senate, Pruitt served as Republican Whip from 2000 to 2002, and as Assistant Republican Floor Leader since 2002. He chaired the American Legislative Exchange Council's Civil Justice Task Force, was selected as part of a delegation to Israel in an exchange program with the American Council of Young Political Leaders and received a Henry Toll Fellowship. He was also named Legislative Advocate
of the Year for 2004 by the Oklahoma Professional Economic Development Council.

• On Friday, Gov. Brad Henry, Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin, Sen. Jim Reynolds, USS Oklahoma survivor Ed Vezey, Rear Admiral Greg Slavonic (Ret), Commander Tucker McHugh (Ret), architect Don Beck, and others were on hand at the State Capitol for the unveiling of the design for the USS Oklahoma Memorial. The event also marked the official kickoff of the fundraising effort for the memorial. Of the nine battleships in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the USS Oklahoma had the second highest loss of life, but is the only ship not to have a permanent memorial.