In addition to $11 million in funding for the Department of Corrections, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan and Majority Leader Ted Fisher announced today that they will ask Senators to approve a $10 million appropriation for the Oklahoma Centennial Commission when the Senate convenes in Special Session Tuesday and Wednesday.

Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee made the following statement regarding Democrat Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan’s decision to bring the State Senate back into special session.

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan announced today that members of the Oklahoma Senate will reconvene the First Extraordinary Session of the 50th Oklahoma Legislature next week.

“The Senate has a plan to address the public safety crisis created by a shortage of correctional officers in our state prisons. We have the money to fund the plan and we are going to act,” Morgan said.

Republican Senator Randy Brogdon of Owasso said today that the state and Native American tribes should enter into arbitration to the fix tobacco tax problems.

Opposition by Senate Democrats to GOP proposals to eliminate the state’s death tax proves how out of touch the Senate’s century-old majority is with the people of Oklahoma.

Coffee said Senate Republicans plan to push for the elimination of the death tax during the 2006 legislative session. House Republicans announced similar plans today.

“The Senate Democrats’ knee-jerk reaction in opposition to eliminating the death tax shows how out of touch their party is with the people of Oklahoma,” stated Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

Sen. Brian Crain is planning to introduce legislation limiting the circumstances local governments can use for taking personal property. He said last week’s Supreme Court decision was a serious blow to the rights of individual property owners.

“I support the use of eminent domain for roads, bridges and other kinds of infrastructure projects that clearly benefit the public. But I do not support selling eminent domain powers to the highest bidder. That’s what I’m afraid this Supreme Court ruling could do,” said Crain, R-Tulsa.

Some children in Oklahoma are still not safe from sexual predators even after their attackers have been tried, convicted and served their time in prison, said Sen. Charlie Laster, author of an amendment that would prevent convicted child molesters from moving back into the home where their victims live.

“Believe it or not, there’s nothing on the books right now to prevent the perpetrator from serving his time and then going right back into the same home where the child victim lives,” said Laster, D-Shawnee. “This would fix that.”

A juvenile justice task force recommendation for a study on the facilities that house youthful offenders won't be heard in the legislature this year--that's after a House committee failed to hear the measure for the study.

The measure, House Bill 2915, was authored by Rep. Danny Morgan, D-Prague and Sen. Nancy Riley, R-Tulsa. Riley said there are three state-run juvenile facilities, including the Rader Center in Sand Springs which is in her district.

Teenagers with learner’s permits could soon face restrictions on cell phone use while driving. That’s the focus of legislation approved by the State Senate on Thursday. Sen. Clark Jolley is the author of Senate Bill 1542. He said it was important for new drivers to focus on the road instead of their cell phones.

The State Senate passed a measure today to protect Oklahoma's elderly and disabled from financial scams. Senator Ron Justice, R-Chickasha, is the author of Senate Bill 1793 which makes it a felony to knowingly, through deception or intimidation, obtain or use the funds, assets or property of elderly or disabled people.