The February revenue report is encouraging, and it’s good to see our revenues meeting projections for the first time in over a year, but we must keep in mind as we craft our 2011 budget that we are still well below where we need to be, and we will plan accordingly as we move through the process

The Oklahoma Senate approved a measure Monday that supporters say would be a critical component of the state’s effort to support small businesses.

Senate Bill 1723 would establish an “Entrepreneur Ready Community” program, helping communities find ways to encourage creative Oklahomans to take their ideas and turn them into goods and services. Senator Jay Paul Gumm of Durant wrote the measure.

State Sen. Earl Garrison has won unanimous Senate approval for a bill to make it illegal to videotape assaults and post them on Internet sites such as YouTube. Senate Bill 1981 is aimed at individuals who have prior knowledge that an attack is going to take place, then videotape the assault for the Internet.

Legislation to increase access to mental health courts has been approved by the full Senate. Sen. Debbe Leftwich is the author of Senate Bill 2153, which would enable the creation of more mental health courts once resources are available.

“We have the potential to save millions of dollars every year in state spending on corrections, healthcare and public assistance,” Leftwich said. “Mental health courts have been proven to be far less expensive and have enabled individuals with mental illness to become much more productive by giving them access to the treatment they need.”

The state Senate on Monday adopted an amendment that would allow the Legislature to reduce the salaries of statewide elected officials in the event of a revenue failure.

Sen. Kenneth Corn, author of the amendment, said elected officials should be prepared to shoulder their part of the burden in a struggling economy.

The full Senate has given approval to a measure ensuring greater consumer protection for renters through passage of the Clandestine Drug Laboratories Remediation Act. Senate Bill 2241, by Sen. Roger Ballenger, D-Okmulgee, and Rep. Wade Rousselot, D-Wagoner, would require property owners to remediate an apartment, hotel room or residence used to make meth before it could be rented to anyone.

Legislation to reduce recidivism and help more Oklahomans pursue better paying jobs has been approved by the full Senate. Senator Harry Coates, author of Senate Bill 2070, said the bill would simply enable individuals who have been convicted of a felony crime and have completed their sentence to later apply for a professional license as long as it is in a field unrelated to their crime.

While many have expressed concern over DHS’s budget-induced reductions in senior feeding programs, Senator Dan Newberry (R-Tulsa) has been working with local pastors in his district to step up and fill the need for their local community.

A bill now moving to the House of Representatives contains legislation that will put Oklahoma in a better position to attract high-paying manufacturing jobs—that’s according to Sen. Jay Paul Gumm. The Democrat from Durant said his legislation, which the full Senate approved on Wednesday, shores up his long-term efforts to attract a firearm manufacturer to the state.

State Sen. Randy Brogdon has won Senate approval for the Oklahoma Firearms Freedom Act. The measure passed with overwhelming bipartisan support—a vote Brogdon says mirrors the values of most Oklahomans. The Senate approved Senate Bill 1685 on Wednesday on a vote of 39 to 3.

“As a private citizen and as a state senator, I believe it is important that we guard against the continued erosion of the Bill of Rights, including the right to protect ourselves and our families,” said Brogdon, R-Owasso. “This legislation reaffirms our Second Amendment rights.”