The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1395 Wednesday to improve the financial transparency and accountability of Oklahoma’s five public virtual charter schools. Sen. Dewayne Pemberton (R-Muskogee) and Rep. Sheila Dills (R-Tulsa) are the authors of the bill, which will subject virtual charter schools to same financial reporting requirements, financial audits, audit procedures and audit requirements as traditional public school districts.
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Sen. Dewayne Pemberton released the following statement regarding the passing Monday of his predecessor Sen. Earl Garrison.
“Earl Garrison had a true public servant’s heart. From his military service to his long career in public education and his years of service to the State of Oklahoma, he always gave his all for his students, state and country.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education honored Sen. Dewayne Pemberton last week with the 2019 Distinguished Service Award for Higher Education. The Muskogee Republican and retired educator thanked the Regents for the great honor.
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Each year at the Organization of Rural Oklahoma Schools’ (OROS) Fall Conference, the board of directors recognizes a legislator who has gone above and beyond in support of Oklahoma’s rural schools. This year, Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, received the award for his dedication to the preservation of rural schools.
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Sen. Lonnie Paxton applauded Gov. Fallin for signing legislation Tuesday to help grow Oklahoma’s agriculture industry by allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp. House Bill 2913, by Sen. Paxton, Rep. Jon Echols and Rep. Mickey Dollens, creates the Oklahoma Industrial Hemp Agricultural Pilot Program.
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Despite the political rhetoric of House Democrats, Senator Lonnie Paxton said Senate Republicans are following the law and protecting the pensions of state retirees by sending a cost of living adjustment (COLA) bill for further study.

Although the 2017 session has not yet begun, freshman Sen. Joe Newhouse has already determined his focus for the next four years—helping address the need to revisit specific tax preferences in order to better manage public resources. Last month, the Oklahoma Incentive Evaluation Commission released a lengthy report focusing on 11 tax incentives. Newhouse has filed a slate of bills for the 2017 session largely based on the findings of that report.
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A bill aimed at reducing the number of individuals fraudulently claiming to be disabled veteran has cleared the full Senate. Sen. Joe Newhouse is principal author of Senate Bill 456, which directs the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) to create and administer a registry of 100 percent service-disabled veterans. The agency would also be charged with verifying all information provided through the registry.