Senator Glenn Coffee of Oklahoma City has been elected by Senate Republicans to head that caucus’s new leadership team for the 50th Legislature, which will be elected by voters this November and convenes in 2005.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be elected by the Senate Republican Caucus to serve as Republican Floor Leader in the 50th Legislature. I look forward to working with our extremely talented leadership team to help move our pro-family, pro-jobs agenda through the Senate,” Coffee said.

Senate President Pro Tem Cal Hobson has announced his appointments to a task force charged with studying the issue of telecommunications deregulation.

Legislation creating the task force was approved during the 2004 legislative session in response to questions surrounding deregulation.

“I have asked Sen. Jay Paul Gumm and Sen. Richard Lerblance to serve on this panel. They both have an excellent understanding of the complexity of this issue and its importance to virtually everyone in Oklahoma,” said Hobson, D-Lexington.
read more.

With assaults on staff members of the Lloyd E. Rader Juvenile Center continuing to climb, local legislators said they were awaiting investigations at the federal, state and local level.

During the first half of fiscal year 2004, residents at the center committed 82 assaults on staff members and other residents. That is nearly twice the number as in 2003.

“Just this past weekend there was a huge brawl that left 17 people hurt, including 10 members of the staff. read more.

When the new fiscal year begins on July 1, a program to help provide nutritious meals to Oklahoma seniors will have its funding restored. Senate Bill 1017, by Senate Appropriations Chairman Mike Morgan, includes an allocation of $3 million for the Community Expansion of Nutrition Assistance (CENA) program.

“Last year, the Human Services Commission voted to cut the $2.7 million in funding for CENA. But this program is vitally important to so many older Oklahomans. Not only did we restore it, but we increased the allocation to $3 million this year,” said Morgan, D-Stillwater.

Senate Republican leaders said the announced plan by Democrat legislative leaders to delay consideration of lawsuit reform legislation until the final week of the legislative session is “terrible public policy.” Republicans also demanded that the final version of the bill be written in an open conference committee, and made available for public review at least one week before the end of the legislative session.

COMMENT BY SENATOR MIKE MORGAN, D-STILLWATER
“What part of open doesn’t the minority party leadership understand? Weeks ago, I communicated to my Republican colleagues our intentions that this final version of the bill would be written by the committee in public. I guess they’d rather put out a press release than take ‘yes’ for an answer.”

Legislative leaders today announced plans to seek a statewide vote on the State-Tribal Gaming Act by introducing a new proposal that would repeal Senate Bill 553 and put the issue on the November General Election ballot.

Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson and House Speaker Larry Adair said new language will be inserted in Senate Bill 1252. The amended bill will combine Senate Bill 553 and provisions that had been slated for a trailer bill.
read more.

State Senate Appropriations Chairman Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, has kept his word—the state’s Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP) will be fully funded in the 2004-2005 school year.

“Last November, Sen. Herb Rozell and I pledged this would be one of our top priorities for this session. The 9,000 Oklahoma students who are counting on these scholarships this fall can rest assured that promise has been kept,” Morgan said.

Rozell, D-Tahlequah, is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Education. read more.

State Sen. Harry Coates applauded Gov. Brad Henry for signing Senate Bill 1561 and said it will help Oklahoma businesses and families alike. The Seminole Republican is principal author of Senate Bill 1561, which creates the “Fair Pay for Construction Act.” The bill ensures contractors working with the state will be paid in a more timely way.
read more.

A national advertising campaign by a radical homosexual organization from Oklahoma is “outrageous,” Senate Republican Leader James A. Williamson said today.

“The advertising campaign by Cimarron Equality Oklahoma is consistent with the radical homosexual movement’s aggressive actions to promote the acceptance of homosexual ‘marriage’ in our society,” Williamson stated.