State Sen. Scott Pruitt said he was elated after a House committee joined the full Senate in approving his legislation to lower the state income tax rate from 6.25 percent to 4.9 percent. If signed into law, Pruitt’s measure, Senate Bill 2022, would be the largest tax cut in the history of the state.

“Within just a few short years, Oklahoma families would save literally thousands of dollars on their state income taxes,” said Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow. “That’s money they can save, invest or spend, all of which is going to help Oklahomans and our economy.”
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Oklahoma Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee said that he, Speaker of the House Lance Cargill, and Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan, have approved a FY 2008 budget work program for the Criminal Justice Resource Center (CJRC) that reduces spending for the current year by $80,559, an amount equal to 12 percent of the agency’s appropriation. The Criminal Justice Resource Center is a division of the Legislative Service Bureau.
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President Kennedy said, “The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth, persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

As we fought for health insurance coverage of children with autism last session, we fought a “persistent, persuasive and unrealistic” myth. The constant refrain from those who oppose helping these families is that insurance mandates like “Nick’s Law” raise premiums and increase the number of people who are uninsured.

“Rising Up to Be the Best” is the theme of the 2008 Oklahoma Women’s Summit. The annual event provides a forum for business, community and state leaders to discuss issues impacting women in Oklahoma with a goal of stimulating changes in policy and creating initiatives to help women throughout the state. The summit is co-sponsored by Gov. Brad Henry and the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women and will be held at the State Capitol on Friday, April 25.

Legislation that would have limited the influence of special interests in Oklahoma political campaigns failed to receive a hearing prior to the February 21 deadline for approval of legislation in Senate committees.

Sen. Kenneth Corn filed three election reform measures, including the Oklahoma Clean Elections Act of 2008. All were assigned to the Rules Committee, where none were heard. Corn said he was disappointed but will use every possible avenue to advance the proposals through the legislative process.

Speaker of the House Lance Cargill and Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee today criticized Tulsa Public Schools’ lawsuit against the state’s charter schools law. The lawsuit’s goal is to get the Charter School Act, which allows charter schools to operate in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties, declared unconstitutional.

With state employees having received only two pay increases in the past seven years, Sen. Kenneth Corn on Monday said the Legislature must make state employees a priority and provide them with a pay raise this year.

Corn is the author of SB 1379, which authorizes a $2,700 pay raise for Oklahoma state employees. Corn said state employees provide valuable and indispensible work, and should be at the top of the list when state funds are dispersed.
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Following is a statement by Senator Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant, author of “Nick’s Law” relating to the enactment of Senate Bill 135:

“Sadly, this bill will do nothing to relieve the pressure on families struggling to care for children with autism. The measure was designed to relieve political pressure on legislators who refuse to even consider ‘Nick’s Law,’ which would require health insurance to cover diagnosis and treatment of autism.
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A bill waiting to be heard on the Senate floor has been stripped down by Senate Republicans to protect the insurance industry, a pattern of behavior by the majority party that began quickly after they came into power for the first time in state history.

Two measures that would have provided assistance to Oklahoma veterans have failed to receive a hearing prior to the February 19 deadline for approval of legislation in Senate committees.