Calling it good news for Oklahoma children, Sen. Cliff Branan said he was extremely pleased that Gov. Brad Henry had signed Senate Bill 473, a measure to ban smoking at zoos located in Oklahoma.

“There are literally hundreds of thousands of children who visit the Oklahoma City and Tulsa zoos each and every year,” said Branan, R-Oklahoma City. “We would be shocked if these children were being exposed to cigarette smoke in their classrooms at school, but in reality, zoos are an outdoor classroom.
We need to ensure our kids’ health and safety there as well.”
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The State of Oklahoma has a proud military heritage and prides itself on honoring and supporting the men and women of the armed forces. On Tuesday, the State Senate praised the Silver Star Families of America, with the passage of Senate Resolution 29, for their efforts in honoring those who have been injured or wounded in the defense of their country.
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A bill to keep Oklahoma college students’ names and addresses from being sold to credit card companies has won final approval from the State Senate. Sen. Jim Reynolds is the principal author of Senate Bill 496, which will now go to Gov. Brad Henry for final consideration.

“We’ve had students right here in Oklahoma who have committed suicide because of credit card debt,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. “We want to do everything in our power to protect students who are major marketing targets for these credit card companies.”

The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) was honored by the Senate on Tuesday, as a resolution celebrating the 20th anniversary of the agency was approved unanimously.

Senate Resolution 35, authored by Sens. Clark Jolley and Susan Paddack, salutes OCAST for its role in spurring economic growth and development through science and technology research.
Jolley said the agency is a critical cog in the effort to create a more prosperous future for the state.
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Members of the Legislature will be readying their ace bandages, heating pads and crutches in anticipation of the fourth annual Senate vs. House baseball game. The game will begin at 4 p.m. at Oklahoma City’s Bricktown Ballpark on Wednesday, May 2, 2007.

Coach “Casey” Myers will again be leading the Senate Redhots team—hopefully to their fourth victory.
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Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan and Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee announced Wednesday 46 of the Senate’s 48 members have been assigned to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations.

The conference committee, which will consider legislation dealing with budgetary matters, will include every senator other than the two leaders.

The full Senate has given final approval to a bill allowing relatives of murder victims to wear buttons displaying a picture of their loved one in the courtroom. Sen. Jim Reynolds is principal author of Senate Bill 868, known as “Taylor’s Law.” Reynolds said it was a victim’s rights issue.

“Usually, the only images seen of the victim in court are the crime scene photos,” Reynolds said. “Their families want to be able to remember them as they were in life—not just homicide victims. They should have that right.”

A joint meeting of the Senate and House Committees on Education has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 8, at 9 a.m. in the State Senate Chamber. Legislators will have the opportunity to learn more about a recent report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce which gave Oklahoma a “D” in education. The study, called “Leaders and Laggards: State Report Cards,” was highly critical of Oklahoma’s public education system in areas ranging from academic achievement, truth in advertising about student proficiency, and data quality.
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The evenly-divided Oklahoma Senate voted Monday to send Gov. Brad Henry a tax relief package that speeds up income tax cuts and provides Oklahomans with a back-to-school sales tax holiday.

Senate Bill 861, by Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton, passed on a bipartisan 33 to 15 vote. This bill is the result of a bipartisan tax relief agreement announced by Senate and House leaders in March.

Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, called on Henry to sign the legislation.

The Democratic author of the “Back-to-School” sales tax holiday praised passage of this year’s tax cut agreement legislation that passed off the Senate floor today.

Senator Jay Paul Gumm said this year’s agreement includes four specific tax cuts—none of which are more important than a proposal he authored for a “Back-to-School” sales tax holiday.
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