The Oklahoma State Senate voted Tuesday to send Workers’ Compensation reform to Oklahoma polls next year.

House Joint Resolution 1041 by Senator Clark Jolley requires Senate confirmation of appointments to the Workers’ Compensation Court. Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee said Jolley’s legislation brings reform to a Workers’ Comp system in much need of overhaul.

The State Senate passed House Bill 1949 by Senator Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa, which received overwhelming bipartisan support and includes tax credits for compressed natural gas (CNG) use in Oklahoma.

House Bill 1949 extends the duration of existing tax credits available on the purchase of qualified clean-burning and electric motor vehicles. A 50% tax credit is available for originally equipped and converted qualified clean-burning and electric motor vehicle property.

Many Democrats in the Senate are more obsessed with politics than they are in producing results for Oklahoma citizens, according to members of the Republican Senate Rural Caucus. “Disgruntled members of the Senate minority are more concerned with lobbing bombs than they are in moving Oklahoma forward,” said Ron Justice, R- Chickasha, Chairman of the Senate Republican Rural Caucus and the Senate Agriculture Committee.

A current example is the Democrat grandstanding on REAP funding in the recently announced state budget.

The state Senate on Tuesday honored the life and accomplishments of athlete and musician Wayman Tisdale. Tisdale played basketball at the University of Oklahoma from 1983-1985, where he was the first player in collegiate history to be named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press in his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. He was the first athlete in Sooner history to have his jersey number retired.

Oklahoma voters will make the final decision next fall on reform of the Judicial Nominating Commission.

The Oklahoma State Senate voted late Tuesday to send Senate Joint Resolution 27 to a vote of the people. If approved by voters, SJR 27 will bring several reforms to Oklahoma’s Judicial Nominating Commission.

The state Legislature approved legislation Tuesday recognizing the many contributions of cowboys to Oklahoma’s culture and economy. House Concurrent Resolution 1025, by Rep. Danny Morgan and Sen. Harry Coates, proclaims July 2009 as Oklahoma Cowboy Heritage Month and designates July 25, 2009 as Oklahoma Day of the Cowboy.

"Senator Justice is correct that Senate Democratic members did “find the problems” with the Republican leadership’s budget proposal that completely gutted funding for REAP and would have required furloughs of state troopers.

Senate Democrats understood doing so would have jeopardized the public safety of all Oklahomans and left rural Oklahoma in the dust.

The Senate Republican Rural Caucus announced Tuesday the accomplishments and advances made for Rural Oklahoma this session.

Senator Ron Justice, R-Chickasha, Chairman of the Republican Rural Caucus commended his fellow caucus members for working together to achieve a quality reform policy agenda.

The Oklahoma State Senate has honored the crew of Apollo X with a resolution commemorating the fortieth anniversary of the first mission ever to achieve lunar orbit.

The crew included astronauts, Eugene A. Cernan and John W. Young, along with Weatherford, Oklahoma native, Thomas P. Stafford. Sen. Clark Jolley authored the resolution which was approved unanimously on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Senate recognized an Oklahoma soldier for his service to his country as well as his humanitarian efforts to help needy Iraqi families and those of deployed soldiers. Senate Resolution 41, by Sen. Harry Coates, Don Barrington and Randy Bass, commends Colonel William J. Finley
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