House Speaker Larry Adair and Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson announced Friday the formation of a 23-member bipartisan joint committee on lawsuit reform.

The committee, which will be led by Representative Jari Askins and Senator Mike Morgan, will conduct a series of open hearings beginning April 15, to examine the myriad of issues surrounding lawsuit reform. Members of the joint committee are also expected to serve as members of the conference committee that will write the final version of lawsuit reform legislation this session.

Senate Republican Leader James A. Williamson gave the just-completed 2004 legislative session a grade of “D.”

“The 2004 legislative session is one of the worst examples of missed chances I have ever seen,” said Williamson, R-Tulsa.

“This session started with so many positive opportunities to create jobs and promote economic development. Instead, the governor’s program to raise taxes and expand gambling dominated the debate and our time. Even those issues were referred to a vote of the people instead of being dealt with directly by the Legislature,” he said.

State Sen. Jim Reynolds will be on hand next week when a new permanent exhibit about the U.S.S. Oklahoma is dedicated at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The unveiling will be on December 6, 2004, the eve of the 63rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“About a million and a half people visit the museum every year. They know all about the Arizona, but there are too many people who don’t know that the U.S.S. Oklahoma sustained the second largest loss of life, with 429 men killed. This exhibit will finally help tell their story,” Reynolds said.

Senator Debbe Leftwich said she is hopeful the full Senate will support her efforts to ensure all Oklahoma women have access to breast and cervical cancer treatment. House Bill 2552 won approval by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.

“The American Cancer Society has a map of the United States showing all the states that provide breast and cervical cancer treatment to women who are under-insured or have no insurance. Oklahoma is the only state that offers no such program,” said Senator Leftwich, D-OKC.

(Oklahoma City) Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson and House Speaker Todd Hiett announced Thursday an agreement on deadlines for the First Session of the 50th Oklahoma Legislature.

“These deadlines provide a framework for the exercise of democracy, in which critical issues are debated and decided by the people’s representatives. Oklahoma’s citizens can be confident that the new bi-partisan government will work,” said Hiett, R-Kellyville.

“If my particular bill were to be passed, I would sign it. I was serious about that effort last year." -- Gov. Brad Henry, discussing the possibility of future lawsuit reform legislation in The Journal Record, 12/02/2004.

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – New Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, said he welcomes comments by Gov. Brad Henry that he would sign new lawsuit reform legislation in the next legislative session.

“It is very welcome news that Gov. Henry now seems willing to ignore his moratorium and support new lawsuit reform.

(Oklahoma City) Saying it’s only natural to continue to build on the advances enacted by the Legislature in the last two years, Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson announced Friday that he will support Governor Henry’s continued work on tort reform in the coming legislative session.

(Oklahoma City) Oklahoma’s continued inclusion in a national report released this week as one of the top 10 “business friendly” states didn’t just happen, a veteran state senator said Thursday.

Senator Jeff Rabon, D-Hugo, said the state’s outstanding showing in the annual rankings by Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc. is a result of work by the Legislature to foster an environment to grow existing Oklahoma businesses and attract new firms.

A ranking of the top ten “business friendly” states by the Pollina Corporate Real Estate, Inc., shows that Oklahoma is in dire need of economic reforms, a Republican senator said Tuesday.

“We should all be promoting the positives of this report and our top ten ranking, but Oklahoma’s lack of workers comp reform, lack of comprehensive lawsuit reform, and our high income tax rate are big reasons why we still rank near the bottom nationally in job growth and wages,” stated Sen. Scott Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow.

Appropriations Committee Chairman Mike Morgan announced Tuesday that the Appropriations sub-committees in the Oklahoma State Senate will begin work on the FY 2006 state budget in the next two weeks.

“We’ve got a tremendous amount of work ahead of us and we’ve got seven new sub-committee chairpersons who are eager to get to work on what could be one of the most challenging appropriations processes in recent years,” said Morgan, D-Stillwater.