OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, released the following statement about the tragic accident in Tishomingo Tuesday that resulted in the deaths of six high school students.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat on Tuesday named a new chair and vice chair of the Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The full Senate has given approval to a bill to modernize state statutes on motorized scooters.  Sen.

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill to strengthen the right of Oklahomans to use the pharmacy of their choice has been approved by the full Senate.  Senate Bill 1860,

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate and House members representing southwestern Oklahoma released the following statement, mourning the death of Edgewater Park Firefighter April Partridge on Sunday and commending the hundreds of firefighters in the region who have responded to wildfires in recent days. The delegation includes Sen. Chris Kidd, R-Waurika; Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton; Sen. Brent Howard, R-Altus; Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan; Rep. Rande Worthen, R-Lawton; Rep.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate unanimously approved legislation Monday to ensure Oklahoma students are educated about the largest act of genocide in world history. Authored by Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, Senate Bill 1671 would direct the State Department of Education (SDE) to develop and provide public schools with an age-appropriate Holocaust curriculum for 6^th through 12^th grade students beginning with the 2022-2023 school year.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation passed the Senate Tuesday to make a higher education more attainable for members of the Oklahoma National Guard. Senate Bill 1418, also known as the Oklahoma National Guard Educational Assistance Act, by Sen. Kim David, would cover resident tuition and fees at Oklahoma colleges and universities for qualifying members.

The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a measure that would further protect stalking victims.

Under current state law, if a victim is stalked by a stranger, they must first file a complaint with a law enforcement agency before they can file a protective order. Authored by Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, Senate Bill 1674 would remove this requirement and allow any stalking victim – whether they know their perpetrator or not – to file a protective order without prior documentation of stalking behavior.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate approved legislation Monday by Sen. Jessica Garvin, R-Duncan, to give schools more flexibility in how and when they spend general carryover funds. SB 1126 would remove the carryover caps for such funds, allowing schools to better plan and save for future needs.

Equalization certified that the Legislature would have more than $10.4 billion available to appropriate for Fiscal Year 2023, which begins this July 1.  A lot of people are very excited about that figure, including me.   But when we start drilling down into those numbers, what we’ve learned from past budget years and how we prepare for those to come, it’s clear we need to take a thoughtful, conservative approach.