OKLAHOMA CITY – Four southern Oklahoma legislators have been named to key leadership positions in the 54th Oklahoma Legislature.  State Senator Frank Simpson was officially named chairman of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and Rep. Pat Ownbey assumed chairmanship of the House Human Services Committee.   Rep. Tommy Hardin will be serving as Vice Chairman of the House Veterans and Military Affairs Committee while Rep. Charles McCall was named Vice Chairman of the House Appropriation and Budget Committee for Revenue and Taxation. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Frank Simpson said he was relieved that the Senate unanimously passed legislation Tuesday to protect vital services and programs at the Department of Human Services (DHS).  The Springer Republican presented House Bill 1058X, which outlines priority spending for the upcoming fiscal year for the agency read more.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Frank Simpson was one of six senators recently appointed to the newly created Capitol Construction Oversight Committee.  Legislation (Senate Bill 2044) authorizing a $160 million bond issue for the much-needed repairs to the state building was approved by the Senate last Thursday and will now be considered by the House. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Frank Simpson was tapped by his colleagues for one of the Senate highest leadership roles Wednesday when he was appointed Assistant Majority Floor Leader.  The Springer Republican was elected last month to serve his last term in the Senate. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman recently appointed Sen. Frank Simpson to the Senate Agenda Committee to decide what issues the Senate Republican Caucus will be addressing in the 2014 session.   

Two weeks ago a news story broke which alleged patient abuse and neglect at some of our State Veterans Centers.  If these allegations are true then they are shocking and saddening, but currently they are only allegations.  As Vice-Chairman of the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, and based on the nature of the charges, I felt it was my duty to ask for an interim study to look into these allegations.  They could not go unanswered.  If left unanswered it would cast a shadow of doubt over the entire department.

The status of our public retirement systems matters greatly to me, since they exist to provide lasting financial security to men and women who have served the state, educated our children, and paid into the system with the expectation that they would receive benefits in their retirement years.  Fortunately, the Oklahoma Teacher Retirement System (TRS) is on a trajectory to be fully funded due to reforms undertaken by the Legislature in recent years.

Editorial by Sen. Frank Simpson

Since 2011, I’ve questioned the way we care for our aging veterans.  After visiting the Watkins-Logan Texas Veterans Home in Tyler, Texas, I’m even more convinced that in many ways we are doing our elderly veterans a disservice in the way we care for them.   I think we can do better.

Tourism is big business, not just worldwide, but also here in Oklahoma.  Research has shown that worldwide one in every 11 people are employed in the travel and tourism industry  This industry supports more than 284 million jobs and contributes more than $7.2 trillion to the global economy.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman has announced the appointment of Sen. Frank Simpson to represent Oklahoma on the Energy & Environment Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC).