Every year during the month of October, staff and members of the Oklahoma State Senate plan and participate in a series of competitions and events with the goal of raising money for charities throughout the state of Oklahoma. Its part of the United Ways annual State Charitable Campaign (SCC). Last year, the Senate raised $10,500. This year, senators and staff raised $13,477.

Sen. Kyle D. Loveless (R-Oklahoma City) released the following statement today regarding the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum.

“I am pleased the committee appointed by Oklahoma City Mayor Cornett today heard the consultant’s report on this project and it now heads to the full City Council. This proposed plan exemplifies the Oklahoma Standard. City, county, state and tribal governments have all joined together to showcase our unique history and shared culture by moving forward with this Smithsonian-style museum.

Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman released the following statement after today’s meeting of the State Board of Equalization.

Sen. Kyle D. Loveless (R-Oklahoma City) on Thursday filed Senate Bill 915, an act to prohibit state funding for Project Relate (The Oklahoma Marriage Initiative).
“I believe strong marriages are the backbone of strong families, but I don’t think the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative makes sense. The data just doesn’t back up their claim of helping Oklahoma families,” said Loveless.

Sen. Kyle D. Loveless (R-Oklahoma City) Tuesday released the following statement commemorating the 224th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights:

“The Bill of Rights lays the foundation of our government and guarantees certain rights to our citizens. Of these are our religious liberty, the right to bear arms, and the right to be secure in one’s life, liberty and property.

In an effort to raise awareness and educate Oklahomans about the importance of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, State Senators Patrick Anderson, R-Enid, and John Sparks, D-Norman, support building a Bill of Rights monument on the grounds of the state Capitol. The lawmakers held a press conference on Tuesday, which was Bill of Rights Day, to discuss the proposal. The effort is part of a nationwide push to create similar monuments in all 50 states.

Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman has announced the appointment of University of Oklahoma economist Cynthia Rogers to the Incentive Evaluation Commission. Rogers has been appointed to a term that will expire in June, 2020.

Bingman said he was confident Rogers would provide exceptional leadership as a member of the Commission. Rogers has had a long and distinguished career in academia, with extensive work on economic development, and state and local tax policy research.

With the 2016 legislative session quickly approaching, the Senate has completed its bill filing period. Thursday, January 21 was the deadline, resulting in the filing of 704 Senate bills and 42 Senate Joint Resolutions. A total of 636 Senate Bills and 31 Senate Joint Resolutions carried over from the 2015 session.

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.

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.