The full Senate Appropriations Committee has approved Senator David Holt’s legislation to make “revenge porn” against the law in Oklahoma. Senate Bill 1257 will now advance to consideration on the Senate floor. Approved Wednesday on a vote of 37 to 1, the measure criminalizes the dissemination of non-consensual pornography, sometimes known as “revenge porn.”
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A bill that could potentially save the lives of domestic violence victims has won approval by the Senate Appropriations Committee and is headed to the full Senate for a vote. Senate Bill 1491, by Senator Bryce Marlatt said his legislation deals with how many prior convictions of domestic violence are required to establish a pattern of physical abuse.
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A legislator working to improve Oklahoma’s forfeiture laws said the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent decision to suspend the Federal Equitable Sharing Program was a step in the right direction, but reform of state statutes is still needed. The federal program allowed state and local law enforcement agencies to partner with federal law enforcement in prosecuting civil asset forfeitures under federal law instead of using state law. The program also allowed local agencies to receive up to 80 percent of the proceeds from those forfeitures.
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Senate Majority Floor Leader Mike Schulz today announced his intention to file legislation that would allow most statewide officials to serve up to 12 years in office. Schulz said his proposal would not apply to the office of the governor, or corporation commissioners. Oklahoma corporation commissioners may currently serve terms of up to 12 years.
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Sen. Jason Smalley, R-Stroud, released the following statement Friday following the announcement that four Wal-Marts will be closed in his Senate District 28. The company will be closing a total of 269 stores, which includes 154 in the U.S. and six in Oklahoma.

“The closing of multiple Wal-Mart stores in Senate District 28 and surrounding districts is extremely disappointing. The loss of jobs is going to affect numerous families and take away opportunities for these communities to grow.

Sen. David Holt has introduced Senate Joint Resolution 44, which would ask the people of Oklahoma to set the cap on the state’s Rainy Day Fund at 15 percent of the total state budget (approximately $24 billion). Currently, the Rainy Day Fund’s 15 percent cap is measured against the artificially smaller number of “general revenue fund certification” that was just $5.6 billion for the most recent budget, less than a quarter of the dollar amount actually spent by the state.
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Sen. Kyle D. Loveless (R-Oklahoma City) Thursday unveiled the details of his legislative efforts to reform Oklahoma’s civil asset forfeiture laws.
In May, Loveless introduced Senate Bill 838, the Personal Asset Protection Act. The bill has been the subject of intense debate during the interim.

Friends, family, and supporters looked on Thursday as Senator-elect J.J. Dossett was officially sworn in to represent District 34 in the Oklahoma State Senate. Dossett, D-Owasso, won the seat in a special election held January 12, becoming the first Democrat chosen to represent that district since 1990.

“I am extremely grateful for the support I received and for the faith the citizens of District 34 have placed in me,” Dossett said. “I don’t take it for granted, and I will always endeavor to be the strongest voice possible for all those I represent here in the Senate.” read more.

Sen. David Holt is proposing a $10,000 teacher pay raise, and he has introduced a package of six pieces of legislation to implement the pay raise without a tax increase, using a multi-year, multi-faceted approach that can be considered this legislative session. Oklahoma teachers have not received a pay raise since 2008 and salaries now lag behind the national average by more than $10,000.
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The chair of the Senate Education Committee has filed legislation designed to help more Oklahoma schools attract high quality teachers and enhance course offerings. Senate Bill 1384 would help schools attain these goals by giving local districts autonomy over mergers enabling the combination of administrative and support services without requiring any schools to close.
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