OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Greg Treat was honored Thursday by the Innocence Project for authoring several criminal justice reforms this session.

“I’m humbled to have been recognized by the Innocence Project,” said Treat, R-Oklahoma City. “These bills will help lower incarceration rates and prison costs while still holding offenders accountable for their crimes and preserving public safety. These will also ensure that once nonviolent offenders pay their debt to society that they can go on with their lives, find employment and become productive taxpaying citizens."

Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, is calling the 2019 legislative session the most productive of his tenure in the State Senate, in terms of both budgeting priorities and public policy that was signed into law.  Lawmakers were able to conclude their work a week before the constitutional deadline of May 31. 

This coming Friday evening Norman North and Tulsa Union will battle for the state 6A-1 championship, the largest football class in Oklahoma.  The two state senators who represent those schools have made a friendly wager on which team will take the championship.  Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, will be cheering for Norman North, while Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, is betting Tulsa Union comes out on top.  The senator whose school is defeated will donate $100 to the winning school’s education foundation.

State Sen. Rob Standridge has been elected to a top leadership position for the 57th Legislature.  During the 2019 and 2020 legislative sessions, Standridge, R-Norman, will serve as Majority Whip for the Senate Republican Caucus.

Sen. Rob Standridge said a total of 13 schools in the Norman, Little Axe, Noble and Mid-Del school districts are

now participating in the Junior Senator Reading Challenge.  The program, which Standridge sponsors, is currently in its fourth year and is aimed at encouraging children to read while providing libraries with additional resources to help students participate.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two contracts were awarded recently for major I-35 improvements in Norman, Sen. Rob Standridge and Rep. Scott Martin announced.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Rob Standridge was recently named to a Senate leadership role after being elected as a Majority Whip.  This will be the Norman Republican’s second session as he was elected in November 2012.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The legislature approved much-needed pay raises for teachers and school support staff this session. Sen. Rob Standridge and other legislators are growing concerned after hearing plans by multiple districts that want to give their administrators pay raises meant for support staff. The legislators want to ensure the pay raises are dispersed correctly and want to encourage the public to hold local school boards and administrators accountable as these decisions are made in next few months. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Rob Standridge announced that four local fire departments have been awarded grants from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to help with operational expenses.

Those receiving the grants in Senate District 15 include the Cedar Country Volunteer Fire Department Association, the Noble Fire Department, the Newalla Fire Department and the Little Axe Fire Protection District Inc.  Each department will receive a grant worth nearly $4,290.  

Efforts revealed to misuse education support staff salary funds

The teacher walk out last month, I believe, taught all those involved many things. As a senator, I was very appreciative of all those that took the time to come to my office to exercise their constitutionally-given right to come to their house, the state Capitol, and express their positions with regard to education. Of all the things I learned, the two most repeated needs expressed by educators and their supporters was a desire for smaller classroom sizes and more pay for support personnel.