Statement from Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan

“I have not yet been served with the lawsuit and, obviously, we haven’t had a chance to study it and so I can’t make any specific comments today.

(Oklahoma City) Veteran State Senator Cal Hobson today announced the filing of legislation that will create a permanent funding source to provide state funds to bolster the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) administered by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

The Helping Oklahomans Pay for Energy (HOPE) Act will set aside an estimated $8 million a year that can be used to help low income Oklahomans pay their utility bills both in the winter and summer months.

State Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, expressed concern that Democrats in the Oklahoma State Senate may again attempt to legalize voting for convicted felons who are on probation or parole.

Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre, D-Tulsa, has introduced Senate Bill 1042, a bill similar to a measure she introduced in 2005, which would restore voting rights to convicted felons who are on probation or parole.

Senator Coffee cant be serious. The Minority Leader should stop making baseless claims in an attempt to score political points in an election year. Oklahomans arent interested in this kind of hateful rhetoric. They expect real answers to the real issues facing our state and thats what Senate Democrats intend to deliver in the coming Legislative session.

The author of a proposal to end forced school consolidation said Thursday that rural Oklahoma wants consolidation decisions in its hands not with judges, bureaucrats or politicians.

Senator Jay Paul Gumm made the comment in the wake of speculation that a lawsuit by the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA) against Oklahomas education funding system could lead to forced consolidation of school districts.

State Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson has filed legislation banning the sale of lottery tickets at pawn shops, payday lenders and check-cashing businesses. Wilcoxson, R-Oklahoma City, said the measure would ensure the rules adopted by the Lottery Commission blocking such sales will not be reversed.
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State Senator James A. Williamson has authored legislation calling for a special incentive package for employees within the Department of Corrections. The incentives would be awarded to employees of prisons that can show a measurable reduction in recidivism among their former inmates.
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Senator Daisy Lawler, a Democrat from Comanche, said today she looks forward to working with lawmakers from both parties to statutorily ban the sale of lottery tickets at pawn shops and payday loan centers in the upcoming legislative session.

Thousands of Oklahoma drivers would be eligible for a tax rebate on turnpike tolls under legislation proposed by Senator James A. Williamson for the 2006 session. Williamson, R-Tulsa, said the rebate would be available to drivers of passenger vehicles who file tax returns with the State of Oklahoma.
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State Senator Brian Crain has filed legislation to identify registered sex offenders on their state driver’s license. Under Senate Bill 1426, convicted sex offenders would be given 180 days after being notified by the Department of Corrections to get a new license reflecting their status as a sex offender or face cancellation of their license for one year.

“I simply want to make sure we are using every resource available to protect children from molesters and rapists,” said Crain, R-Tulsa. “The sex offender registry is already the law and is available to the public. read more.