In order to save taxpayers millions of dollars on a special election in the event of a future mid-term U.S. Senate seat vacancy, the Senate passed legislation Tuesday night to allow the governor to fill the seat by appointment. Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, is the author of Senate Bill 959, which would move the special election for the U.S. Senate seat to the next regularly scheduled statewide general election.

Late Tuesday night, the Senate passed legislation to protect the annual leave of state employees who are unable to use it during a governor-declared emergency. Senate Bill 282, Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, will allow such leave to be carried over until the end of the next fiscal year following the emergency.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The full Senate on Tuesday evening voted in favor of a measure to reinstate the full sales tax exemption on motor vehicles and trailers.  In 2017, faced with declining revenues due to downturns in the energy industry, the Legislature voted to remove 1.25 percent of that exemption. 

A bill requiring school districts to provide suicide awareness and prevention training to teachers and staff every two years won unanimous approval from the full Senate on Tuesday.  Sen. Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, is the principal author of Senate Bill 21.

Floyd said data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows the problem of suicide in young people has only gotten worse in recent years.

Hundreds of Oklahoma students complete their college degree each year thanks to the financial assistance provided them through the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP), a scholarship program that provides free tuition to state colleges and universities for certain qualifying students. Currently, students must be an Oklahoma resident, have a federally adjusted annual gross family income of $55,000 or less, and enroll in OHLAP in the 8^th, 9^th or 10^th grade. Sen.

Having a sufficient number of law enforcement officers is crucial to public safety in Oklahoma, and Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, wants to give high school students a glimpse into career opportunities in this field. Senate Bill 784 authorizes the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) to develop a statewide law enforcement and public safety youth program designed for high school students.

The Senate unanimously approved a measure on Monday that would modernize county clerk services. Senate Bill 569, authored by Sen. Joe Newhouse, R-Tulsa, would allow certified copies of county land records to be signed, notarized and recorded electronically.

The Senate approved a measure on Tuesday to give municipalities local control to adopt policies allowing their employees to carry concealed firearms.

The Senate gave approval to the Second Amendment Sanctuary State Act on Tuesday, which would preempt the entire field of legislation by any agency or political subdivision of the state to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of Oklahoma citizens.  

Sen. Kim David, R-Porter, authored Senate Bill 848 to better address the unique mental health needs of law enforcement officers and other first responders who have witnessed and experienced traumatic events. The bill, which was unanimously approved late Monday by the Senate, came about after listening to public safety officers’ stories in an interim study last September she hosted with Sen. Roger Thompson to learn how the state could improve crisis intervention services for Oklahoma’s heroes.