The Senate Public Safety Committee has given approval to Senate Bill 560, which would provide criminal and civil protections for drivers who feel threatened by riots or crowds of people circling a vehicle.

The State Senate Public Safety committee approved Senate Bill 312 on Monday, which would create harsher penalties for identity theft of a victim less than 18 years old.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The full Senate has approved two bills aimed at better assisting victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.  Sen. Kay Floyd is the principal author of Senate Bill 16, a request from the state’s Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) task force, and Senate Bill 17, dealing with Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) used by law enforcement investigating domestic violence crimes.  Both measures were approved unanimously on Monday.

OKLAHOMA CITY – A bill to protect the leave of state employees following an emergency declaration was approved by the General Government Committee Thursday.  Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, is the author of Senate Bill 282, and said the change is necessary in order to not punish full time state employees required to work overtime and unable to take off during state emergencies.

The Senate General Government Committee gave approval to a measure that would prevent any political subdivision or agency of the state from establishing a formal or informal plan to evaluate, promote, compensate or discipline an officer bas

The Veterans and Military Affairs Committee approved unanimously a bill to establish the Oklahoma Homeland Security Revolving Fund to provide assistance for the funeral expenses of state military or law enforcement personnel who die in the line of duty.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved legislation renewing exemptions to the Open Meeting Act put in place last year during the coronavirus pandemic.

Senate Bill 1031 by Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat reinstates the same exemptions to the Open Meeting Act that were signed into law in 2020 with some minor changes.

Among the changes from the 2020 exemptions are:

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed several measures Wednesday that Republican leaders say advance the cause of life and will help save unborn lives.

The measures approved by the committee were: