Sen. Constance N. Johnson and Rep. Randy McDaniel along with other advocates will present the 3rd Annual State Capitol Dome Blue World Diabetes Day Program on Monday, November 14 to help raise awareness about diabetes, a growing health epidemic which kills more Americans each year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the 2nd floor Rotunda of the State Capitol. Open to the public, the program is part of an effort in which 1,100 monuments worldwide will be lit blue in observance of World Diabetes Day.
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Starting next Tuesday, November 1, Oklahomans who drive drunk will face tougher penalties—changes that supporters say will save lives. Sen. Clark Jolley and Rep. Jason Nelson authored the Erin Swezey Act last session, which won overwhelming approval by the legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin. The legislation was named for a 20-year-old Oklahoma State University student from Edmond who was killed in 2009 by a drunk driver with numerous DUI arrests and convictions.
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Twelve months of furloughs and losing nearly thirty percent of their staff over the last three years hasn’t dampened the spirits or generosity of the employees at the Oklahoma State Senate who donated thousands of dollars to various state charities including the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank this month.
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The Supreme Court has entered an order finding the Senate Redistricting Act complies with Article 5 Section 9A of the Constitution.

“I am pleased by the Supreme Court’s decision today confirming what we have said all along: the State Senate’s bipartisan redistricting act is constitutional. Given the amount of time, hard work and collaboration that went into creating these new districts, we had no doubt as to their constitutionality.

"As our state and nation approaches this emotional milestone of the September 11th attacks, my hope is that we as Americans gain a deeper understanding of our kinship with others suffering from ongoing acts of terrorism and political violence around the world. Almost every day people in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq are living the horrors of their own 9/11s. And our military personnel continue to serve in extremely precarious environments in the Middle East and South Asia. read more.

Pointing to the need to maintain the integrity of Oklahoma’s election process, the State Senate has filed a motion to intervene in Sen. Jim Wilson’s lawsuit challenging the bipartisan Senate Redistricting Act of 2011. Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman said the motion was filed late Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma County District Court.

Sen. Ralph Shortey is lending his support to backers of Oklahoma City pharmacist Jerome Ersland in their effort to petition the Governor for a pardon. Ersland in July was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in the shooting death of an unconscious robber.

“State Labor Commissioner Mark Costello’s comments this week comparing state workers to feral hogs was atrocious and completely unprofessional. I think the Commissioner has forgotten that his job is to protect state workers not undermine them, which seems to be the purpose of his newly created nonprofit.

State Sen. David Holt responded Wednesday to a recent study ranking all 50 states based on government union power versus taxpayer rights. The nonpartisan, data-based ranking, called the “Big Labor vs. Taxpayer Index,” ranked Oklahoma dead last in the entire Southern United States for taxpayer rights. Oklahoma was ranked 24th overall, meaning that 23 other states are more favorable to taxpayers.

The chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Pensions said he was extremely encouraged that the solvency of the state’s largest retirement system has dramatically improved in recent months. Dr. James Wilbanks, Executive Director of the Teachers’ Retirement System, announced the decrease in unfunded liability in the pension fund on Thursday.
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