Businesses A Step Closer to $54 Million Savings

A Senate initiative to reduce Oklahoma's unemployment tax by $54 million has cleared its first legislative hurdle, passing out of the Senate Finance Committee today.

"This is the first step to giving Oklahoma businesses a huge tax break," said Senator Fisher, chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee and author of SB 40.

Senate Budget Leader Lauds Revenue Growth

The latest revenue report from the Office of State Finance confirms what legislative leaders have suspected for years: the state's economic policies are stimulating strong and steady growth across Oklahoma.

"Just when we thought the revenue figures couldn't get any better, they have." said Senator Kelly Haney, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

With the Oklahoma Senate prepared to vote on the bill that will ultimately carry the appropriation for higher education, a Senate budget leader is urging Governor Keating to increase his support for colleges and universities to at least match the investment program outlined by the Oklahoma Senate.

Senate leaders have proposed a $75 million increase for higher education. The funding will ultimately be added into the budget shell bill that will be approved by the Senate today.

Saying good news is often overlooked by state leaders and others, a Senate leader has unveiled a new publication designed to tell the success stories of Oklahoma. Oklahoma Pride will be distributed by Senator Keith Leftwich every week during the legislative session.

"It seems all too often when you turn on the T.V. or pick up a newspaper, you see someone saying something bad about Oklahoma," said Senator Leftwich, the Majority Whip of the Oklahoma Senate.

OKLAHOMA CITY - An interim study on a school consolidation measure has been requested by the bill's author. Senator Bill Gustafson said he wants Senate Bill 751 held over until next year so the issue can receive more study.

"The issue of who's paying and who's not paying for high school funding is central to this bill," said Gustafson, R-El Reno. "I think it's worth holding it over until next year so all the facts can be heard."

SB 751 calls for the consolidation of dependent school districts with independent districts.

OKLAHOMA CITY - A bill to make sure that the decision of whether to videotape the birth of a child remains between doctor and patient has cleared the State Senate.

Senator Lewis Long of Glenpool is author of Senate Bill 85. He penned the legislation after a major insurance company threatened to raise the rates of hospitals that allow patients to videotape medical procedures such as childbirth.

"This is a once in a lifetime experience for new parents. Its wrong for an insurance company to try and ban videotapes or pictures of a child's first moments," said Senator Long.

"I don't know all the details yet, but it sounds like the board made a good decision. If Attorney General Edmondson felt the most responsible course of action was to increase the budget certification, I trust his judgment and the judgment of those who voted in favor of the motion. I'm sure they take their responsibility as board members very seriously, and would only act in the most fiscally prudent manner.

The latest revenue estimate certified today is further evidence that Governor Keating's budget advisers drastically missed the mark on their revenue projections last year, causing the Governor to issue a number of unnecessary vetoes that he is now trying to correct.

The State Equalization Board certified a budget estimate with approximately $284 million in additional growth revenue today, a much different picture than the $100 million budget shortfall predicted by Governor Keating and Finance Director Tom Daxon last year.

OKLAHOMA CITY - A program that would double the state's highway construction budget and create more than 21,000 jobs has cleared its first two hurdles. That's according to Senator Larry Dickerson, author of Senate Bill 393 and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government and Transportation.

The bill received unanimous approval in the Senate Transportation Committee Tuesday, and won overwhelming support when the bill was voted on by the full Senate.

"I'm a little surprised by the protests from Governor Keating's staff and Public Safety Commissioner Bob Ricks. This inquiry was initiated by members of the legislative branch. The Legislature requested the audit and hired Susan Loving to act as special counsel, making it entirely appropriate for her to participate in witness interviews in conjunction with the auditor's staff. It's my understanding that such joint interviews are fairly common in state audits because they reduce duplicative efforts. read more.