The Senate gave unanimous final approval to legislation Tuesday which authorizes the use of one standardized sexual assault evidence kit by all law enforcement agencies statewide. Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, said she authored Senate Bill 975 to address the state’s backlog of untested rape kits and to get victims justice faster.

In 2017, the Oklahoma Task Force on Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) conducted an audit and found that there were more than 7,200 untested rape kits throughout the state. Floyd was a member of the taskforce.
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Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, released the following statement after Attorney General Mike Hunter announced Monday the state will receive a $2.4 million federal grant to help address Oklahoma’s rape kit backlog.

“This is an issue many of us at the Capitol and throughout the state have been working hard to address for the past several sessions. This grant means more Oklahoma women will have an opportunity to seek the justice they deserve. Just as importantly, by being able to identify and prosecute sexual predators, we can prevent future assaults.

Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, released the following statement on the death of former Sen. Roger Ballenger, D-Okmulgee.

“Senator Ballenger was liked and respected by members on both sides of the aisle—in fact he was appointed Vice Chair of the Senate General Government Committee in 2012, the only Democrat named to a committee leadership post. He also served as Assistant Minority Floor Leader.

Oklahoma has a ban on tobacco products for public and private school buildings and vehicles. After conducting an interim study this fall, state Sen. J.J. Dossett has filed legislation for the 2019 session that would extend that ban to vaping.
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State Sen. J.J. Dossett has filed legislation to assure students, parents and educators that the results of a single high-stakes reading test won’t cause children to be held back. Dossett, a former teacher, said when the Reading Sufficiency Act (RSA) was originally approved in 2011, the idea was to use a federally-mandated reading test to determine whether kids could continue to the fourth grade.
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State Sen. J.J. Dossett has cleared the first hurdle for legislation banning vaping in school. The Senate Education Committee on Tuesday gave unanimous approval to Senate Bill 33, a measure to expand the Tobacco-Free Schools Act to ban the use of any vaping products, including noncombustible devices as well as the cartridges, whether or not they contain nicotine. The ban applies to any public or private school buildings and vehicles.
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The State Senate recognized and honored the country’s oldest federal law enforcement agency Monday. Sen. Kim David authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 7 commending the U.S. Marshals and their role in Oklahoma history.
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Rural Water Districts would no longer have to pay to use water controlled by the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) under legislation unanimously approved recently in the Senate. Sen. Kim David, author of Senate Bill 248, said the legislation has been needed for some time to even the playing field between the Rural Water Districts and local municipalities.

“Certain municipalities have already been allowed to take water from the Grand River for free so it only seems right that all municipalities and Oklahoma Rural Water Districts receive equal treatment,” said David, R-Wagoner.

The full Senate has approved two redistricting measures. House Bill 2145 will provide for new district lines for the State House of Representatives. That measure now returns to the House for further consideration. The Senate also voted on Tuesday in favor of House Bill 1527, redrawing the boundaries for Oklahoma’s five congressional districts. That measure is now headed to Gov. Mary Fallin for her approval.

State Sen. Kim David has been chosen to serve as chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. David, R-Porter, previously served as vice-chair of the committee. Sen. Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, now takes over as vice-chairman. Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman said the appointments would guarantee a continuity of leadership for the subcommittee.
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