After recently announcing plans to create a $10,000 endowed scholarship at Langston University honoring E. Melvin Porter, Oklahoma’s first black member of the state Senate, the chair of the Legislative Black Caucus announced Tuesday that Langston University is now accepting donations.

OKLAHOMA CITY Sen. Kevin Matthews believes citizens absolutely have the right to protect themselves when their lives or their loved ones are in immediate danger. However, he does not feel that people should be able to use the law as a defense when they provoke a violent situation or had other options available to them, such as calling the police, to avoid using force.

Oklahoma’s reserve law enforcement officers would be required to complete additional CLEET certified training each year under a new bill passed in the Senate on Thursday morning, according to the bill’s author, Sen. Ralph Shortey.

Oklahoma’s first African American State Senator and civil rights leader, E. Melvin Porter, was recognized on Wednesday afternoon in the Senate chamber with a resolution authored by Sens. Anastasia Pittman, David Holt and Kevin Matthews. Senate Resolution 36 was presented on the Senate floor to Porter, who was accompanied by his family.

Sen. Kevin Matthews released the following statement Monday afternoon following the resignation of Tulsa County Undersheriff Tim Albin. A 2009 internal review found that Albin had asked employees to modify reviews and training documentation for the reserve deputy, Robert Bates. Bates shot Eric Harris on April 2 saying he mistook his handgun for a stun gun. The incident took place in Senate District 11, which Sen. Matthews represents.

Statement from Sen. Kevin Matthews, Vice Chair of the Oklahoma Legislative Black Caucus, concerning the fatal shooting of Eric Harris by Tulsa County reserve deputy Robert Bates on April 2. The incident took place in Senate District 11, which Sen. Matthews represents.

The 20th Biennial A. C. Hamlin Banquet, originally scheduled to be held Tuesday, April 28, 2015 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, has been rescheduled to September 28, 2015. The reception begins at 6:00 p.m. and dinner is at 7:00 p.m. Please mark your calendars for the new date and watch for more information regarding ticket purchases.

The A. C. Hamlin Biennial Banquet is held in honor of Albert Comstock Hamlin, who was the first African American elected to the Oklahoma state Legislature (1908) and was the only black to serve until 1964.

Former state Rep. Kevin Matthews was sworn in Wednesday as the newest Senator to represent Senate District 11 in Tulsa County. He began his legislative career when he was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2012. Matthews’ Senate oath of office was administered by the honorable Supreme Court Justice Tom Colbert.

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.