Sen. Connie Johnson and Rep. Randy McDaniel will be joining agency and community advocates in celebrating the 5th Annual World Diabetes Day on Thursday, November 14, 2013. The public is invited to attend the free event, taking place on the first floor of the State Capitol from 5:30-7:45pm, to help raise awareness of a devastating disease that affects more than 350 million people worldwide.
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Sending individuals to track and record a political opponent’s comments and actions has become a routine part of many campaigns. But State Sen. Brian Crain said Friday when that kind of surveillance moves into a candidate’s neighborhood and causes anxiety and fear for others living there, it’s gone too far. Crain said he was drafting legislation in an attempt to stop such harassment.
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Senate Appropriations Chairman Sen. Clark Jolley and Senate Education Chairman Sen. John Ford released the following statement today in response to concerns regarding third grade retention legislation.

The State Senate and staff raised $10,073.92 this fall as part of the annual State Charitable Campaign, more than ever raised in the previous decade of participation.
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Senate Democratic Leader Sean Burrage announced today that he has decided not to seek another term in the Oklahoma State Senate. Although the Claremore Democrat would not have been term limited until 2018, Burrage said it was time to refocus his attention on his family and his legal career.
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Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman released the following statement in response to Senate Minority Leader Sean Burrage announcing he will not be seeking re-election next year.

I consider Sean not only a colleague but a personal friend and have enjoyed working with him in our leadership roles in the Senate in recent years. Sean is the utmost professional and has represented his district and his caucus with dignity and strength and will be missed in the Senate.

Sen. Connie Johnson will join the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP) on a tour of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Death Row, Execution Chamber and Burial Grounds next week. The tour follows the group’s recent meeting with the governor to try to persuade her to issue an Executive Order to study and examine the costs and use of the death penalty in Oklahoma.
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For the first time since World War II, Oklahomans will be able to take advantage of their first true “Black Friday” sales. Senate Bill 550, by Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Tom Newell, R-Seminole, was signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin during the 2013 legislative session, and takes effect on November 1. Under existing state law, retailers were not allowed to offer the same sale prices as in other states.
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Senator Tom Ivester, D-Sayre, issued the following comments at the close of the second day of the legislature’s special session to readdress tort reform:

Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman issued the following statement Thursday in response to the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) filing an overall workers compensation premium level decrease for the state, as a result of the Legislature’s approval of comprehensive workers’ compensation reforms this year.
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