State Sen. Jim Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, said that a Democrat state senator who on Monday accused Oklahoma police departments and law enforcement officers of extorting money from Hispanic illegal aliens should provide evidence of the alleged wrongdoing.

Sen. Kenneth Corn and Rep. John Trebilcock on Tuesday announced that an agreement to provide some of the most significant public safety funding increases in state history, including funding for additional drug interdiction agents and pay increases for state troopers, has been reached.
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A measure designed to better protect children from child abuse will advance to the Governor’s office after being passed unanimously by the Senate Tuesday. House Bill 2840, the Kelsey Smith-Briggs Child Protection Reform Act, is named in memorial of a two-year-old victim of child abuse from Meeker.

Senator Harry Coates, Senate author of the bill, said the measure will provide greater protection for children and reform how courts and social workers handle child abuse cases.

- Obstruction by Senate Democrats will mean fewer new jobs, higher health care costs for Oklahomans

State Senate Democrats have killed a meaningful lawsuit reform bill, once again proving their loyalty to their trial lawyer allies. Tuesday, Senate Democrats defeated the most meaningful lawsuit reform bill in state history during a meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Following is a statement by Senator Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant, author of SB 1747, the original bill authorizing the death penalty for repeat child molesters. That bill was not granted a hearing in the House Corrections and Public Safety Committee.

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.