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OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, has filed legislation to increase Oklahoman’s minimum wage requirement.

Senate Bill 1165 would require employers to pay their employees a minimum wage of $10.50 per hour, or match the federal minimum wage rate, whichever is greater. Oklahoma’s current minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, which is equal to the federal minimum wage.

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OKLAHOMA CITY – When state legislators eliminated the refundability of the state earned income tax credit (EITC) in 2016, more than 200,000 low-to-moderate income families lost an important tool to make ends meet. Sen. read more.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, filed four bills Monday aimed to tighten sentences for domestic violence offenders, increase accountability for their actions and further protect their victims.

Headlining the domestic violence bill package is Senate Bill 1103, which cracks down on offenders of assault and battery with intent to cause great bodily harm by strangulation or attempted strangulation. According to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, strangulation victims are 750 percent more likely to be killed than victims who have never been strangled.

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Sen. Ron Sharp, a member of the Senate Appropriation Subcommittee on Education, said Monday his recent correspondence with the Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board (OSVCSB) verifies his concerns of further illegal enrollment practices by Epic Charter Schools in order to receive additional state funding. The state’s largest virtual charter school is currently under investigation for fraud and embezzlement.

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Following back-to-back historic pay raises and education budget increases, Oklahoma has seen a significant increase in classroom teachers. Today, Oklahoma schools employ more than 43,000 teachers, and Sen. Ron Sharp wants to see those numbers continue to grow. The retired teacher recently filed Senate Bill 1115 to allow school districts to extend emergency teaching certificates indefinitely to help boost their teacher numbers as well as keep those already employed.

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Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, filed two bills this week to help address the state’s teacher shortage by recognizing the skills and service of out-of-state teachers.

“Even with the historic pay raises and budget increases, we’re still facing a teacher shortage. We’ve got to figure out a way to increase the potential pool of teacher applicants, and attracting out-of-state teachers is one way we can do that,” Pugh said. “However, we need to get rid of some of the roadblocks that are keeping out-of-state teachers from continuing their careers in our classrooms. read more.

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, has filed legislation to give a tax deduction to individuals and families contributing to an Oklahoma STABLE account, which is made possible by the federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program.

Oklahoma STABLE accounts are tax-advantaged savings accounts for eligible individuals with disabilities. They have similar features to normal banking accounts but allow disabled individuals to save and invest money without losing eligibility for public benefits programs like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income.

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The Oklahoma State School Boards Association (OSSBA) recognized Sen. Dewayne Pemberton for his dedication to Oklahoma schools this session by naming him Legislator of the Year. The Muskogee legislator was presented with the award at the annual OSSBA/CCOSA Conference last Friday at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City.

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