Sen. Constance N. Johnson on Monday commended Justin Jones, Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC), for prudent use of taxpayer dollars following a recent announcement of targeted budget cuts within the agency. DOC recently announced that it would reduce its private prison space contracts by five percent beginning this month.

Members of the Senate Republican Rural Caucus met Tuesday and called on the Governor to allocate 5% of his discretionary stimulus funds to the Department of Human Services, specifically for the Senior Nutrition Program.

Unfunded Mandates Will ‘Blow Up’ State Budget

Saying the health care reform bill working its way through Congress would break the bank in Oklahoma state government, Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee and House Speaker Chris Benge called on Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation to vote against the bill.

Says Minority Leadership Knows Reality of DHS Cuts;
Are Disingenuous, Considering Their Past Inactions on Budget Issues

Senator Mike Johnson (R-Kingfisher), suggested Senate Democrats might have considered camping out on the Capitol grounds in 2003 to protest their own leadership’s inaction on the DHS budget cuts at that time, and offered a civics lesson on how state government works.

State Sen. Steve Russell said the recently signed federal hate crimes legislation oversteps the Constitution. He’s authored a bill that will be introduced in the State Senate in 2010 to protect Oklahomans from encroachments on speech, assembly and religious beliefs.
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State Sen. Debbe Leftwich said it was unconscionable for the Department of Human Services (DHS) to pass out nearly $200,000 in pay hikes at a time when the agency has cut $7.4 million from senior nutrition programs. Leftwich said while many employees at DHS and other state agencies are underpaid, raising salaries while cutting senior nutrition is the wrong thing to do. She applauded House member Randy Terrill, R-Moore, for bringing attention to the situation on Wednesday.
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Sen. Corn's letter to state lawmakers

State Sen. Kenneth Corn is seeking the signatures of state lawmakers on a petition that would enable the Oklahoma Legislature to call itself into an emergency special session to deal with life-threatening cuts to the states senior nutrition programs and any other problems being caused by a massive state budget shortfall.

Although the 2010 elections are still a year away, State Sen. Jim Wilson wants to make sure the campaigns take the high road. Hes filed legislation that would make it illegal for anyone to intentionally lie or spread misinformation in a political campaign.

Every year it seems like the lies and the mudslinging just gets worse and worse. It would be laughable if it wasnt such a serious issuethese lies can and do impact the outcomes of our electoral process, and yet nothing is ever done to hold those responsible accountable, said Wilson, D-Tahlequah. Its got to stop.

A bill filed last week by Democratic Sen. Andrew Rice will give Oklahoma voters the choice to increase the amount of money that can be deposited in the rainy day fund each year from 10 percent of prior year collections to 15 percent. Rice said doing so will guard critical state services which all Oklahomans depend on from the chopping block in times of economic crisis.

Time for Tough Decisions to be Made