Charles R. Ford announced the unveiling of a painting of the historic Santa Fe Trail, as part of a series of paintings commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. The painting is by nationally- renowned artist Wayne Cooper of Depew, Oklahoma, and was unveiled during a ceremony in the Senate Chamber this afternoon.

President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan and Senate Democratic leaders are moving forward with a progressive "education" budget – after weeks of stone-walling by state House Republican leaders.
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Senate Republicans announced Tuesday they would try to force an agreement on funding for public schools by blocking efforts by Senate Democrats to move other budget bills through the Senate until an agreement is reached on education funding.

“Senate Republicans are opposed to moving other budget bills through the Senate until there is a bipartisan agreement on a budget for public schools,” stated Senate GOP Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

A joint House/Senate committee is the next stop for a bill to make sure the law against threatening, harassing or obscene phone calls is extended to include cell phones, text messaging, email and other forms of telecommunications. Sen. Ted Fisher, D-Sapulpa, is Senate author of House Bill 1804 which was approved unanimously Tuesday afternoon. The measure had previously won unanimous approval by the House as well.
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A bill to require an alphanumeric sequence rather than computer-generated numbers for Oklahoma driver licenses or identification cards has been signed by Gov. Brad Henry. Sen. Clark Jolley is principal author of the measure.

“We’ve approved legislation in recent years to help deal with the problem of criminal identity theft. This measure addresses the accidental problems that may occur when a person or business confuses a driver’s license number and social security number,” explained Jolley, R-Edmond
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A measure to ensure that the state’s Federally Qualified Health Centers adhere to the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act was signed into law by Governor Brad Henry Tuesday.

Senate Bill 708, authored by Senator Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah, was written as a safeguard against Federally Qualified Health Centers acting outside the bylaws that govern them as well as state and federal laws.

Oklahoma currently has seven Federally Qualified Health Centers. Four new centers were authorized earlier this week and that number is expected to increase to thirty in the future.
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The vice chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Education said today that House leaders need to fulfill their promise to help the thousands of Oklahoma high school students who have dreams of going to college.

Senator Daisy Lawler, D-Comanche, said the House Republican budget is holding the hopes and dreams of these high schools students hostage by failing to fully fund the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP).

A bill to make sure Oklahoma kids aren’t filling up on junk food while at school has been signed into law. Senate Bill 265, signed by Gov. Brad Henry on Thursday, will prohibit elementary schools, junior high or middle schools from allowing “low-nutritional” foods except for special occasions such as class parties.
High schools would be required to provide healthy food options. The measure also directs school districts to provide incentives to encourage healthy food choices for high school students such as reduced prices. read more.

Saying Oklahoma’s public schools deserve recognition for making the most out of limited resources, Senator Tom Adelson won approval Monday of a resolution thanking state educators for the classroom successes of state students.

“We often hear criticism of our education system, criticism that isn’t supported by the statistics. I think recognition that Oklahoma educators are doing an outstanding job and that our students are achieving academic excellence that exceeds the regional and national averages is well overdue,” said Adelson, D-Tulsa.
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The State Senate has approved a bill to give more protection to victims of rape and domestic violence. House Bill 1698, the “Victims of Violent Crimes Privacy Act,” would stop court clerks and district attorneys from posting information about those victims on the Internet. The bill is authored by Rep. Rebecca Hamilton, D-OKC and Sen. Frank Shurden, D-Henryetta.
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