A pair of bills aimed at increasing accountability for those convicted of domestic violence have been approved by the full Senate.  Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, is the author of both measures, which were approved on Monday.

Senate Bill 1103 deals with domestic violence attacks that deal with strangulation, a crime that is often a precursor to domestic homicide. Senate Bill 1104 deals with domestic violence against pregnant women.

The Oklahoma Constitution is well overdue for an upgrade. That’s according to State Sen. Joe Newhouse, R-Broken Arrow, who authored Senate Joint Resolution 31, which would give power to the people to decide if the state should call a Constitutional Convention to propose alterations, revisions and amendments to the document. Although it has been amended over the years through state questions, the constitution has not undergone a comprehensive review since it was first drawn in 1906.

The proposal passed the Senate Rules Committee unanimously on Wednesday.

A measure providing for the display of the national motto, “In God We Trust,” in the Oklahoma State Capitol visitor center has been passed by the Senate.

Senate Bill 1118, authored by Sen. Wayne Shaw, R-Grove, aligns the state with the tradition established by the display of the national motto in the Tourist Information Center of the United Sates Capitol Building. The measure directs the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to utilize money from the Oklahoma State Capitol Building Repair and Restoration Fund to place the motto in the Oklahoma State Capitol.

The Oklahoma Senate approved legislation to improve fiscal transparency and accountability of Oklahoma’s state agencies. Senate Bill 177, by Sen. Ron Sharp, was one of the seven recommendations made by the multi-grand jury in May 2018 following the discovery of financial issues at the State Department of Health.

SB 177 requires state agencies to provide a balance sheet and statement of revenues, expenditures and changes in fund balances as prescribed by the State Auditor and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES).

The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved legislation Wednesday to expand the definition of child abuse to better protect Oklahoma’s children and hold abusers accountable.  Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City, authored Senate Bill 1773, which extends the crime to include anyone who engages in or enables child abuse. 

The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved two bills Tuesday to help the children of military families easily transition into the Oklahoma education system when their parents are transferred to the state.  Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, said the bills were necessary to help lessen the stress of military families regarding their children’s education when they’re preparing to relocate.

Social media has allowed at-home food business owners to reach larger numbers of potential customers, but Oklahoma’s strict regulations have kept many from growing and succeeding.  Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, wants to remove unnecessary regulations for these small business owners with his Senate Bill 1714, the Homemade Food Freedom Act, which passed unanimously Monday out of the Senate Agriculture and Wildlife Committee.

A bill to encourage and retain Oklahoma’s top educators has cleared its first legislative hurdle. Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, is the author of Senate Bill 1127, the Teacher Retention Act of 2020.  The bill was approved by the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Senate Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to strengthen the penalty against individuals who sell intimate photos or videos without their partners’ consent.  Senate Bill 1462, by Sen. Kim David, R-Porter, creates a felony for individuals attempting to gain financial advantage or gain anything of value as a result of the nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images.

In an effort to protect Oklahoma’s unborn, Sen. Paul Scott has authored Senate Bill 1859, which passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Monday afternoon.  The bill would require doctors to recognize life just as they do death through heartbeats and brainwaves or the lack of such activity.