OKLAHOMA CITY –Senate Appropriations Chair Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, gave an update on Wednesday about key areas of the budget as negotiations between the Senate and House continue for Fiscal Year 2022.  Thompson touched on some of the items under discussion and his priorities for the budget.

EDUCATION FUNDING

OKLAHOMA CITY – The full Senate has given its approval to a bill aimed at ensuring long-term care facilities have a visitation plan in place in the event of future emergencies.  Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, chair of Health and Human Services, is the Senate principal author of House Bill 2566, by Rep. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid.  The measure was approved on Wednesday.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate leaders on Wednesday made public the new district maps and the chair of the redistricting committee says the open and transparent process this time produced better maps.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Each year, thousands of military families are transferred to Oklahoma’s four military bases. Navy veteran and Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee chair Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, authored a pair of bills this session to help these families speed up the process of getting their children back in the classroom. Senate Bills 68 and 69 were signed into law Tuesday.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legislation creating the State Broadband Deployment Grant Program is one step closer to becoming law. On Wednesday, the full Senate voted in favor of House Bill 1124, by Sen. James Leewright, R-Bristow, and Rep. Logan Phillips, R-Mounds.

OKLAHOMA CITY –The pay of school support staff will be protected during future epidemics and state emergencies thanks to legislation signed into law Tuesday. Senate Bill 807, by Sen. Chris Kidd, R-Waurika, will ensure support staff have the same pay protections during such events as teachers and administrators.

Bernardo’s Law – a measure designating Oklahoma’s wrecker safety statute in honor of Bernardo Martinez, who lost his life while on the job, was approved by the Senate on Wednesday. Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City, and Rep.

Intrastate crowdfunding is now legal in Oklahoma after Governor Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 568 on Monday.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The full Senate has approved legislation to better protect bicyclists in Oklahoma.  Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, and Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, are the principal authors of House Bill 1770, which would allow people on bicycles to treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs.

OKLAHOMA CITY – A measure passed through the Senate Tuesday to better protect the religious freedoms of Oklahomans. Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, carried the bill in the Senate protecting churches.