The Oklahoma Senate Thursday approved a measure to eliminate a tax rebate for economically at-risk oil and gas wells, which has ballooned in cost as a result of low commodity prices.

Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman issued the following statement Thursday, after his office and others in the Senate received questions from constituents about plans to raid the teacher retirement pension system to help balance the Fiscal Year 2017 budget:

“There is absolutely no way the Oklahoma Senate would ever consider any plan to raid the teacher retirement system to balance next year’s budget. We’ve worked too hard to strengthen TRS and reduce the unfunded liability that had threatened it in the past.

Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation Monday to modernize how schools, hospitals and other entities apply for money for high speed internet services through the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund (OUSF). Sen. Eddie Fields is the principal Senate author of House Bill 2616, which modifies the Oklahoma Telecommunications Act to reflect advances in technology.

The Oklahoma Senate Joint Committee on Appropriations and Budget Thursday approved reforms that would generate approximately $190 million to help address the $1.3 billion budget shortfall. The measures approved by the committee reform various tax credits and incentive programs, generating new revenues for the state.

Legislation that will save millions of dollars and give greater control to local school districts in evaluating teachers will take effect beginning July 1, 2016. House Bill 2957, by Rep. Michael Rogers, Vice Chair of the House Common Education Committee, and Sen. John Ford, Senate Education Chair, was approved during the just-ended 2016 legislative session. The measure makes changes to Oklahomas Teacher Leader Effectiveness Evaluation System (TLE).

For his distinguished service and heroism flying combat missions during World War II, the Oklahoma Senate and the French government on Thursday honored a World War II veteran from Moore.

Lloyd Mitchell served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a navigator in a B-17, and completed 25 air missions over Nazi occupied France, including 12 missions over France when there was no fighter protection for Allied bombers. Mitchell received the Distinguished Flying Cross and many other decorations for his service.

State Sen. Roger Thompson has been named to the panel responsible for preparing and approving the project programming plan for the repairs of the state Capitol building. The historic building is in the midst of repairs and restoration necessary to ensure its safety and functionality, but throughout the project, Thompson will help make sure the publics dollars are spent prudently.

Oklahoma Speaker of the House Jeff Hickman and Senate Appropriations & Budget Committee Chairman Clark Jolley said they were surprised by comments from Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister in her news release regarding school textbook funding today.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Democratic Leader John Sparks (D-Norman) issued the following comments in response to the report that Governor Fallin is considering calling the Legislature into special session to use “extra money” to fund a pay raise for public school teachers:

“Once again, Governor Fallin and the Republican majority in the legislature are showing how bad they are at public finance and how good they are at election year political pandering – because that is all this proposal for a special session on teacher pay raises is.

Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman released the following statement on the passing of former Senator E. Melvin Porter, Oklahoma’s first African-American state senator.