A Republican state senator said GOP Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin and new Sen. Mike Schulz of Altus both deserve credit for the decision by the Senate’s liberal Democrat leadership to reverse their decision and allow a vote on a GOP-authored pro-life bill Thursday.

“Gov. Fallin had indicated privately through Republican leaders that she was willing to take the chair as Senate President to force a vote on pro-life SB 1742. Plus, the math changed this week when Mike Schulz was sworn in, giving Republicans a 23rd vote in the Senate,” stated Sen. Owen Laughlin, R-Woodward.

The State Senate has given unanimous approval to a bill targeting Internet ''phishing." House bill 2473, by Sen. Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Fred Perry, R-Tulsa, would outlaw the increasingly common scam in Oklahoma.

"When we say we're against phishing, we're not talking about the fishing you do at the lake," explained Coffee. "Phishing is a scam used by identity thieves to lure Internet users into providing financial and personal information."

The State Senate unanimously approved a measure recently to give deaf and hearing impaired students in Oklahoma better access to specialized education. House Bill 1646 would modify the Education Open Transfer Act to allow students to transfer to school districts with specialized deaf education programs at any time during the school year. The legislation is authored by Chickasha republicans, Senator Ron Justice and Representative Susan Winchester.

Realistic State Budget Must Come Before Massive Tax Cuts

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan said Monday that any package of tax cuts should be negotiated by Senate and House leaders in conference committee – once a framework for a realistic state budget has been established.

State Sen. Debbe Leftwich and Rep. Rebecca Hamilton are calling for a house committee to vote on legislation to give victims of sexual assault or domestic violence some economic protection. Senate Bill 935 was approved unanimously by the full Senate last year. It eventually was assigned to the House Rules committee but no further action was taken during the 2005 session. The lawmakers are asking for the bill to be heard before the final deadline for House committee action in two weeks.

Note to Editor: Senator Jay Paul Gumm, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and a Democrat from Durant, made the following statement in response to a press release from Senator Ron Justice on the so-called “Come Home Oklahoma” Act.

The Senate Finance Committee killed legislation earlier this week that would have helped boost economies in rural communities. House Bill 3126, authored by Senator Ron Justice (R-Chickasha) and Speaker of the House Todd Hiett (R-Kellyville), would have helped broaden Oklahoma’s tax base and attract out-of-state residents into communities that have declining populations.

The Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services Thursday questioned why House leaders appear to be stalling on providing extra funding to help rural fire departments repair and replace worn out equipment.

Governor Brad Henry signed into law Tuesday a measure that provided a total of $9 million for rural fire departments, which included setting aside $2 million immediately to help with equipment needs.

Two key members of the Senate budget team said Wednesday that the General Appropriations bill passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives last week would lead to another severe funding shortfall at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the furloughing of Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troopers.

The latest attack news release from the Speaker of the House is “deceptive at best” about actions of the Senate Finance Committee, the panel’s chairman said Wednesday.

In a news release, Republican Speaker Todd Hiett lamented the Senate Finance Committee’s defeat of the so-called “Come Home Oklahoma” act, a tax giveaway to individuals who may have never set foot in Oklahoma – part of the REDI initiative.