Efforts have been made in the legislature in recent years to improve access and make voting easier for Oklahomans. The Senate passed another bill this week that will allow employees more flexibility in voting. Senate Bill 58, by Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, will allow employees who live two or more hours from their polling place to take leave to vote on the Thursday or Friday before an election when in-person absentee voting is allowed by law.

A bill to provide economic protection to small communities by requiring economic impact studies of transportation bypass projects was vetoed Wednesday. Legislators and thousands of citizens, business and community leaders in Muskogee are outraged by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) decision to construct a bypass along US Highway 69, which could cost the community millions in lost business, tourism and tax revenue in the future.

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.

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.

(For digital audio, go to www.oksenate.gov and select Media)

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.

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.

After the legislature’s unanimous approval for what would become State Question 800, and the subsequent failure at the ballot, Sen. John Michael Montgomery and Rep. Kyle Hilbert announced their intention to re-introduce the concept.

State Sen. Casey Murdock will hold a town hall meeting in Woodward on Thursday, Dec. 12. Citizens throughout Woodward County are welcome to attend. The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., at the High Plains Technology Center, 3921 34th Street in the main buildings general meeting room, 201 A and B.

State Sen. Casey Murdock will hold a town hall meeting in Taloga on Tuesday, Dec. 10. Citizens throughout Dewey County are invited to attend. The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Taloga School Auditorium, 500 East Ruble Ave.