Week In Review

• The Senate met briefly Monday and took up no legislation. Monday's floor session was the first since last Thursday's deadline for bills and joint resolutions to be heard in their chamber of origin.

• The Senate Education Committee met on Monday morning and unanimously approved eight nominations for different committees and governing bodies. The following nominees were approved by the Senate Education Committee:

• The Senate met Monday, passing the following bills:

-SB 1030, by Sen. Josh Brecheen and Rep. Sean Roberts, requires the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to seek Medicaid waiver authority to pursue modifications to Medicaid eligibility criteria so that eligibility for the parent/caretaker group, relative to the federal poverty guidelines, is reduced to 20 percent. The measure passed 25-17.

Monday, March 5, 2018

• The Senate met Monday, passing the following bills:

• The Senate met quickly in special session Monday afternoon to receive new bills from the House calling for cuts from each state agency, restoring funding to Oklahoma two primary teaching hospitals and outlining funding priorities for the Department of Human Services (DHS). Those bills, all of which passed off the House floor Monday, include:

• The Senate met briefly Monday but no formal floor action was taken.

• Teachers from around the state rallied at the State Capitol on Monday in support of the Step Up Oklahoma plan, which outlined a proposal to pay for teacher pay raises. State Superintendent of Education Joy Hofmeister and Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis spoke to the group Monday.

• The Senate Education committee met on Monday and approved the following legislation: