(OKLAHOMA CITY) Governor Brad Henry and Legislative leaders announced Thursday details of their plan to ask the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to increase the rates paid to nursing homes, hospitals, doctors and ambulance organizations that provide Medicaid services in Oklahoma.
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The Oklahoma State Senate has launched a new Web site designed to increase public access and understanding of the legislative process. The changes include a simplified URL or Web address, more intuitive navigational tools, better graphics and other improvements to help the public follow events in the senate.
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(OKLAHOMA CITY) The chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee said Monday that he will make fully funding the state’s scholarship program for deserving students whose parents can’t afford to send them to college among the top priorities when the second session of the 49th Oklahoma Legislature convenes in February.
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State Senator J. Berry Harrison, D-Fairfax, presented a proclamation by Governor Brad Henry to Ralston constituent Vonda Goad and many others who suffer from Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSD), which is also known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

An interim committee looking at ways to encourage oil and gas exploration while protecting the environment held its first meeting at the State Capitol today. Senator Kevin Easley, D-Broken Arrow, requested the study and is hopeful it will help the state develop a more comprehensive energy plan.
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State Senator Mike Morgan was in Guthrie Friday afternoon, October 3, to present three-time national champion fiddler Byron Berline with a Citation of Appreciation on behalf of the State Senate honoring the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival.

“Bluegrass is truly American music and our state has many, many talented bluegrass musicians. This festival brings them together along with musicians from around the world for thousands of fans to enjoy—and it helps provide college scholarships for young musicians,” said Morgan, D-Stillwater.
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“After two years of almost dreading the next report on the state’s revenue picture, the first quarter numbers are certainly welcome news.

“But we can’t lose sight of the fact that we have a long ways to go and a couple of sizeable hurdles still in our way. We utilized more than $200 million in one-time money to bridge last year’s budget gap – money we won’t have next session.

“And while our first quarter numbers are good, the growth in state revenues is based largely on increases in gross production taxes resulting from higher than anticipated energy prices. read more.

(OKLAHOMA CITY) An energy company executive and an Oklahoma City businessman have been selected to lead a new state task force that will examine the potential financial savings related to reorganizing or consolidating the administrative functions of Oklahoma’s public schools.

(OKLAHOMA CITY) Although the beginning of the next session of the Oklahoma Legislature is still more than three months away, Senate Appropriations sub-committees have already begun preliminary work on the Fiscal Year 2005 budget, the Senate’s chief budget framer said Tuesday.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Mike Morgan said the meetings, which began last week and will continue over the next six weeks, are part of the Legislature’s new zero-based budgeting initiative.
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Oklahoma's right-to-work law could be eliminated by a vote of the people under a Senate joint resolution filed today by Sen. Frank Shurden, D-Henryetta.

SJR 27, which is co-authored by Rep. M.C. Leist, D-Morris, and Rep. Jerry Ellis, D-Valliant, seeks to allow Oklahoma voters an opportunity to repeal the Constitutional right-to-work provision that was approved during the 2001 special election.

Sen. Shurden said that if his right-to-work repealer measure is approved by the legislature, it will appear as a state question on the 2004 general election ballot. read more.