Earlier this week, the Senate Appropriations Committee gave unanimous approval to a measure seeking to lower Oklahoma’s high female incarceration rate. Senate Bill 1278, by Sen. Kim David, would authorize the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) to enter into a Pay-for-Success (PFS) contract pilot program for those criminal justice programs that have had proven outcomes with reducing public sector costs associated with female incarceration.

On Thursday, the State Senate approved Senate Resolution 41 declaring Friday, February 7th as Wear Red Day in Oklahoma. The resolution, by Sen. Kim David, is an effort to support the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Go Red for Women program to help bring awareness to one of the state’s top killers, heart disease.

State Sen. Kim David said Friday that legislation to make Insure Oklahoma 100 percent state-funded will prevent 9,000 hard-working Oklahomans from losing their health insurance. David, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, said the plan is expected to be signed out of a Senate conference committee on Monday. However, before the language can be heard by the full Senate, House conferees must also approve the legislation.

On Thursday, the Oklahoma State Senate honored the 2013-2014 National Youth Ambassador for the American Indian Health Research and Education Alliance (AIHREA). Cierra Fields, a Cherokee native and 8th grader from Fort Gibson, was diagnosed with Melanoma at the age of 4 and spent her fifth birthday on the operating table. Her 14th birthday was different, however, as Cierra had the opportunity to share a special message with members of the Senate both in Cherokee and English.

A measure to help better address suicide in the state will soon be law. Gov. Fallin signed Senate Bill 181 last week. The measure, by Sen. Kim David, will extend the Oklahoma Suicide Prevention Council until 2020 as well as increase the number of members to represent the special needs of more citizens in the state.

The Senate has voted unanimously to expand Oklahoma’s Child Abuse Response Team (CART) program. First launched in 2005, the program uses investigators who are highly trained in investigating child abuse, including forensic interviews of children and case development for prosecution, to oversee and coordinate the investigation of such cases.

Sen. Kim David is principal author of Senate Bill 639 which would expand the number of CART investigators at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).

State Sen. Kim David has won committee approval for a measure to expand Oklahoma’s Child Abuse Response Team (CART) program. First launched in 2005, the concept was to utilize investigators who were highly trained in investigating child abuse, including forensic interviews of children and case development for prosecution, to oversee and coordinate the investigation of such cases.

According to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children, congenital heart disease affects approximately seven to nine of every one thousand births in the nation. Current methods for detecting congenital heart defects find less than half of all cases which is why Sen. Kim David has filed Senate Bill 851 requiring pulse oximetry screening for newborns. The measure was approved unanimously Monday by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

The Senate gave unanimous approval to House Bill 2396, by Sen. Kim David and Rep. Wade Rousselot, to better protect victims of domestic violence by increasing protective orders from three to five years. The measure would also allow lifetime protective orders in certain cases.

Legislation was approved Monday to regulate the private ownership of exotic cats not used for display. Senate Bill 1799, by Sen. Kim David, creates the Oklahoma Responsible Exotic Cat Ownership Act to regulate and require a permit to possess, exhibit, and/or breed any nonnative exotic feline in captivity.

“Currently, there are no state regulations on owning exotic cats like tigers, cheetahs and leopards,” said David, R-Porter. “For the safety of the owners, the animals and the general public, it’s imperative that we get these regulations passed into law as soon as possible.”