Sen. Julia Kirt will be holding a community forum next month to discuss legislative issues with citizens in Senate District 30. The public event will take place Tuesday, November 5 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at The Children’s Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany. Kirt will be sharing information about interim studies, the upcoming bill request deadline, legislative issues from the 2019 session as well as what issues will be tackled next session.

The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold an interim study this Thursday, September 19, to examine how the state manages its buildings and properties and how to innovate these processes, staffing and resources. The study, which will meet in room 535 at 9 a.m., was requested by Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City and Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton.

Legislation allowing Oklahoma companies to register as “benefit corporations” is now headed to the governor’s desk. The designation would give greater legal protection for companies pursuing business models that are for profit, while placing a high priority on having a positive impact on society.

Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, is the Senate principal author of House Bill 2423. It was the freshman member’s first bill to pass out of the Senate, and was approved unanimously on Monday. The House authors are Rep. Lewis Moore, R-Arcadia, and Rep Ben Loring, D-Miami.

State Sen. James Leewright, R-Bristow, has been appointed to serve on the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission, a 21-member panel that will help plan the state’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of the highway known as “The Mother Road.”

State Sen. James Leewright, Rep. Kyle Hilbert and Mayor Rick Pinson of Bristow are joining together to urge members of the public to attend a public forum on current Oklahoma drug threats, hosted by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN) to be held at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 24th at the City of Bristow Courthouse, 110 West 7th.

Interim Director Bob Cook and other experts with OBN will take part in the forum which is aimed at keeping citizens better informed about current and emerging drug issues that directly impact families, schools, businesses and communities.

The Senate unanimously approved a measure Tuesday to protect victims from sexual predators. Sen. James Leewright and Rep. Kyle Hilbert are the authors of House Bill 1124, also known as the Justice for Danyelle Act of 2018, to prohibit sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of their victims.

Oklahoma has long protected schools, day care centers and parks with “zones of safety” aimed at keeping convicted sex offenders away from potential victims. But a case in Bristow brought attention to a loophole in the law—a loophole Sen. James Leewright, R- Bristow, and Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Depew, are working to close this legislative session. Senate Bill 1221 was approved unanimously by the full Senate on Monday.

Senator Allison Ikley-Freeman, D-Tulsa, released the following statement addressing the recent flooding in Tulsa:

“Today we received an update from the Army Corps of Engineers indicating releases from the Keystone Dam are falling and the level of the Arkansas River is dropping. While this is welcome news, it is important for residents to be aware the situation is still very serious, and health and safety risks remain. As floodwaters recede, neighborhoods will be inspected for safety before evacuated residents are able to return.

Senator Allison Ikley-Freeman (D-Tulsa) released the following statement on committee votes regarding the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure:

Allison Ikley-Freeman is now officially on the job as State Senator for District 37. The West Tulsa Democrat was sworn in during a ceremony at the Capitol on Thursday morning as friends, family and other supporters looked on from the Senate gallery.