A measure to better equip educators to recognize and address the mental health needs of students has received Senate approval and will now be considered by the House. Senate Bill 446, by Sen. John Haste, would require the State Department of Education and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to develop educator training programs on student mental health.
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Governor Stitt recently signed legislation to ensure county records are preserved. Sen. John Haste (R-Broken Arrow) and Rep. Mark Lawson (R-Sapulpa) are the authors of Senate Bill 442 to increase the record preservation fee collected by county clerks from $5 to $10 for each instrument recorded with the Registrar of Deeds.
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The Senate gave final unanimous approval Monday to Senate Bill 446 to better prepare teachers and other school employees to deal with the mental health needs of Oklahoma students. Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow, and Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, authored the legislation requiring the State Department of Education and the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, in consultation with school superintendents and school boards, to develop educator training and resources on student mental health.
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State Sen. Chuck Hall, R- Perry, has been chosen to serve on a bipartisan, bicameral oversight committee for the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT). Creating the office was a top agenda goal during the 2019 Legislative Session in order to help improve government transparency and accountability. Historically, legislators have had to rely on state agencies to provide financial data. LOFT will provide independent data to lawmakers and to the public on state agency budgets and program performance.
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The Oklahoma State Election Board appointed Brenda Landes to be the Secretary of the Noble County Election Board. Previous secretary, Pam McBride, resigned from her role as secretary and accepted a position with the State Election Board in their Support Services Division, effective October 23. Sen. Chuck Hall shared his appreciation for McBride and congratulated Landes and McBride on their new roles.
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One in every 30 children in the U.S. are homeless, and Sen. Kay Floyd wants to ensure that Oklahoma’s children don’t fall through the cracks of society but have all the services they need to grow up healthy and independent. Senate Bill 511 instructs the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth, which is the agency that serves at-risk youth, to include recommendations for the development and improvement of services for homeless children and youth in their annual report.
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According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, more than 1,900 rapes were reported in the state in 2015 alone. Sexual assault forensic evidence kits help collect and preserve evidence following an assault, but there is no law in Oklahoma requiring these kits to be tracked or tested, and national data suggests some kits may never be tested. It’s an issue Sen. Kay Floyd has been working to address this session.

State Sen. Kay Floyd has been awarded the 2017 Guardian Award by the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women (OCSW). The presentation took place Wednesday at the state Capitol. The award is given each year to an elected official who has made significant governmental contributions to guarding, protecting and preserving the rights of women and families.
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The Senate Democratic Caucus announced today they have elected Sen. Kay Floyd (D-Oklahoma City) to serve as Senate Democratic Leader for the 57th Oklahoma Legislature.

Floyd, who currently serves as Senate Democratic Caucus Chair, will succeed Sen. John Sparks (D-Norman) in January of 2019. Sen. Floyd will be the first woman to lead a caucus in the Oklahoma Senate.