Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson and Appropriations Chairman Mike Morgan named chairpersons Friday for the seven Appropriations Subcommittees that will write the Fiscal Years 2006 and 2007 state budgets in the 50th Oklahoma Legislature.

“In my opinion we’ve assembled an extremely talented team who will make sure that state government is providing critical services to the people of Oklahoma in an efficient and effective manner,” said Hobson, D-Lexington.
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Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson announced the assignment of e chairpersons and vice chairpersons for standing committees for the 50th Oklahoma Legislature Friday.

With 15 new members, more incoming Senators will be called on to serve in committee leadership roles than ever before, Hobson said, and the role of senior members will be more important over the next two years than at any time in history.

All total 21 Senate committees and subcommittees will have new chairpersons when the Legislature convenes again in February.
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While voters were agreeing last week to raise $150 million to invest in health care services in Oklahoma, the federal government was quietly slashing matching funds, which jeopardizes healthcare coverage for more than 100,000 Oklahomans, State Senator-elect Tom Adelson said Friday.

Adelson called on the state’s congressional delegation to intervene by demanding that the Department of Health and Human Services restore the state’s federal matching funds for Medicaid.

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“I honestly believe that Speaker Draper was the most intelligent legislator that I ever had the pleasure to serve with in the Oklahoma Legislature. He understood the statutes better than anyone who has served in the House or the Senate in the 26 years that I’ve been here.

“He was a brilliant man and a very effective leader.

“When Dan Draper was Speaker there was no question who was running the House. At the same time I always found him to be extremely fair, informed and compassionate.”

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Churches, schools, fire departments, senior citizens groups and other non-profit organizations can once again use raffles for fundraising without fear of breaking the law according to Senator Frank Shurden, a Democrat from Henryetta.

“I’ve been working for years so that non-profit groups could use raffles for fundraising. The only way we could make raffles legal again was to tie the legislation to State Question 705, The Oklahoma Educational Lottery Act,” he said.
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Roughly one-third of Oklahoma respondents described themselves as slightly or very overweight (25.3% of males & 36.6% of females).

14.2% of Oklahoma high-school age adolescents are at risk of becoming overweight (12.5% for males & 16% for females). National average is 15.4%.

11.1% of Oklahoma students are currently overweight (15.9% of males & 6.1 of females). National average is 13.5%.

64.3% of Oklahoma adolescents participate in vigorous physical activity compared to 62.6% nationally.

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The Task Force for the Promotion of Children’s Health has released its recommendations for the establishment of Healthy and Fit School Advisory Councils in Oklahoma schools. The list of recommendations includes suggestions about physical education and physical activity, nutritional education and services, as well as health education and health services.

Senate Bill 1627, also known as the Healthy and Fit Kids Act of 2004, authored by Sen. Bernest Cain and Rep. Darrell Gilbert, requires the establishment of the advisory councils in every school.
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State Senator Jeff Rabon today called on Oklahomans for Lawsuit Reform founders John Brock and Mike Cantrell to follow the lead of the Republican leader of the Texas House of Representatives and return all corporate contributions to its organization.
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The Oklahoma Nurses Association (ONA) is honoring two state lawmakers for their efforts to ensure all Oklahoma women have access to breast and cervical cancer treatment. State Sen. Debbe Leftwich, D-OKC, and Rep. Danny Hilliard, D-Sulphur, were authors of House Bill 2552 and will each receive the 2004 Friend of Nursing Award.
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(Oklahoma City) A pair of state senators charged Thursday that an organization claiming to be independently seeking reform of the state’s civil justice system has stepped over the line into partisan politics and its solicitation and use of secret corporate donations could be in violation of the Oklahoma Constitution and state campaign laws.

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