(Oklahoma City) Governor Brad Henry turned his back on rural Oklahoma late Wednesday by vetoing a section of the Department of Commerce appropriation bill that directed $3.1 million to sub-state planning districts to fund local projects.

Senator Jay Paul Gumm today praised Governor Brad Henry for signing into a law a measure that strengthens the rights of gun owners and protects employers from lawsuits.

Among the dozens of bills signed by Henry late Wednesday was House Bill 1243 by Gumm and Rep. Greg Piatt.

The legislation, Gumm said, is supported by the National Rifle Association.

Two state senators are working together to ensure a Department of Transportation plan to reconstruct the I-240 and I-35 interchanges in two years doesn’t result in eliminating access to a road taken by nearly half of Crossroads Mall’s customers. Sen. Debbe Leftwich, D-OKC, and Sen. Jim Reynolds, R-OKC, said the proposal could take a terrible toll on businesses and their employees.
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Senator Judy Eason McIntyre along with the a group of Buffalo Soldiers were in attendance with Governor Brad Henry for a ceremonial bill signing today that honors African American soldiers that served in the Civil War. Senate Bill 659 was signed into law on Wednesday, May 18, 2005.

A pair of Republican state senators from the Tulsa area called on Gov. Brad Henry Tuesday to add tobacco tax parity legislation to the agenda for the Legislature’s special session.

News reports last weekend quoted State Treasurer Scott Meacham – the architect of Henry’s poorly-designed tobacco tax program – as saying the governor is “surveying” members of the legislature to determine whether there is support for parity legislation.

Senator Kenneth Corn, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety, said today that comments made by Speaker of the House of Representatives Todd Hiett, after Monday’s meeting of the State Board of Equalization show a lack of commitment to keep the citizens of Oklahoma safe.

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan announced Wednesday that he has asked the Appropriations Sub-Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary to develop a Senate plan to increasing funding for the Department of Corrections.

Morgan said he contacted Sub-Committee Chairman Kenneth Corn by telephone Tuesday and asked the Poteau Democrat to have the plan prepared by Thursday, July 14.
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Two Republican state senators have written Attorney General Drew Edmondson seeking an official opinion regarding the elimination of Certificates of Non-Coverage (CNC) by the recently passed workers’ compensation reform bill – a provision that is placing an undue burden on thousands of small businesses.

Senator Kenneth Corn, Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary, questioned today what exactly it was going to take to make Republican Speaker of the House Todd Hiett understand there is a crisis in prisons across Oklahoma.

“Just this weekend, a private prison in Holdenville had to be locked down to prevent a riot among prisoners, and the Speaker is still saying we should wait until next year to address the problem.” Corn said. “This is a slap in the face to the thousands of correctional officers who put their lives on the line every day.”

Saying he was alarmed by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanding the use of eminent domain, Sen. Clark Jolley plans to introduce a legislation giving greater protection to private property owners in Oklahoma.

The court decision expands the right of local governments to seize private property not only for public projects, such as the construction of roads or schools, but also for private economic development.