OKLAHOMA CITY— State Senator Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, was presented with the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Distinguished Service Award on Thursday, February 1 in Oklahoma City.

State Senator Robert M. Kerr said he felt optimistic after beginning chemotherapy last week. In a statement read to fellow members, the Altus Democrat disclosed that after beating cancer into remission 11 years ago, he has again been diagnosed with the disease.

“My doctors told me another round of chemotherapy can put this back into remission. I had my first treatment last Friday morning and will continue to receive chemotherapy at three week intervals,” Kerr said.
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State Sen. Jim Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, said that a Democrat state senator who on Monday accused Oklahoma police departments and law enforcement officers of extorting money from Hispanic illegal aliens should provide evidence of the alleged wrongdoing.

Sen. Kenneth Corn and Rep. John Trebilcock on Tuesday announced that an agreement to provide some of the most significant public safety funding increases in state history, including funding for additional drug interdiction agents and pay increases for state troopers, has been reached.
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A measure designed to better protect children from child abuse will advance to the Governor’s office after being passed unanimously by the Senate Tuesday. House Bill 2840, the Kelsey Smith-Briggs Child Protection Reform Act, is named in memorial of a two-year-old victim of child abuse from Meeker.

Senator Harry Coates, Senate author of the bill, said the measure will provide greater protection for children and reform how courts and social workers handle child abuse cases.

- Obstruction by Senate Democrats will mean fewer new jobs, higher health care costs for Oklahomans

State Senate Democrats have killed a meaningful lawsuit reform bill, once again proving their loyalty to their trial lawyer allies. Tuesday, Senate Democrats defeated the most meaningful lawsuit reform bill in state history during a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Following is a statement by Senator Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant, author of SB 1747, the original bill authorizing the death penalty for repeat child molesters. That bill was not granted a hearing in the House Corrections and Public Safety Committee.

State Sen. Scott Pruitt said he was elated after a House committee joined the full Senate in approving his legislation to lower the state income tax rate from 6.25 percent to 4.9 percent. If signed into law, Pruitt’s measure, Senate Bill 2022, would be the largest tax cut in the history of the state.

“Within just a few short years, Oklahoma families would save literally thousands of dollars on their state income taxes,” said Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow. “That’s money they can save, invest or spend, all of which is going to help Oklahomans and our economy.”
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Oklahoma Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee said that he, Speaker of the House Lance Cargill, and Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan, have approved a FY 2008 budget work program for the Criminal Justice Resource Center (CJRC) that reduces spending for the current year by $80,559, an amount equal to 12 percent of the agency’s appropriation. The Criminal Justice Resource Center is a division of the Legislative Service Bureau.
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President Kennedy said, “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

As we fought for health insurance coverage of children with autism last session, we fought a “persistent, persuasive and unrealistic” myth. The constant refrain from those who oppose helping these families is that insurance mandates like “Nick’s Law” raise premiums and increase the number of people who are uninsured.