State Capitol, Oklahoma City – Senate Republicans have requested that Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin continue to preside over the Oklahoma State Senate on Monday in an effort to secure an up-or-down vote on a real workers’ compensation reform bill – a request Fallin says she will honor.

“This battle is about whether we’re going to save and create Oklahoma jobs with real workers’ comp reform, or whether the Democrats will succeed in protecting trial lawyers,” stated Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

Senator Jeff Rabon, Assistant Majority Leader and Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services, stated today that rural Oklahoma is not getting its fair share of the pie in the latest budget agreement announced by both Senate and House leaders.

Vital programs that benefit rural Oklahoma were removed from the budget agreement that was announced last week in a press conference. Services that already took a deep cut two years ago during the fiscal downturn.

Thursday afternoon Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin and Senate Republicans resumed their attempt to bring a workers’ comp reform bill to a vote in the Senate as a call for senators to come into session was continued.

Yesterday, Senate Democrats said “we’ll find out tomorrow if (Republicans) are really interested in passing a workers’ compensation bill this year.” But Thursday Senate Democrats went into in hiding to avoid an up-or-down vote on workers comp reform. All 22 GOP senators reported to the Senate floor, but 25 senators are needed to achieve a quorum.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Charlie Laster said Wednesday he’s concerned the decision by Senate Republicans not to go forward with a floor vote on House Bill 2046 could make reaching a workers compensation reform agreement difficult before the constitutionally-mandated May 27 Sine Die adjournment date.

“First Speaker Hiett wouldn’t participate in negotiations and now the Senate Republicans appear to be walking away. It’s going to be tough to negotiate compromise when there’s nobody to negotiate with,” Laster said.

Senate Democrats voted along party lines Wednesday to block a meaningful workers’ compensation reform bill from advancing on the Senate floor.

“Senate Democrats had a meaningful workers’ comp reform bill on their desks, and they chose to play politics instead of choosing to make history. Their vote today was a vote against meaningful workers’ comp reform,” stated Sen. Scott Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow, the Senate author of House Bill 2046.

Senate Democrats are not serious about passing meaningful lawsuit reform, Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, said Wednesday.

Senate Democrats passed Gov. Brad Henry’s watered-down lawsuit bill on a party-line vote Wednesday as part of House Bill 1554. Republicans, who support real lawsuit reform, opposed the Democrats’ watered-down version.

After years of blocking pro-life legislation, Senate Democrat leaders – who hold only a razor-thin majority in the Legislature’s upper chamber – finally allowed a significant pro-life bill to be heard on the Senate floor Wednesday.

House Bill 1686 passed the State Senate Wednesday 44 to 4.

Passage Wednesday of meaningful pro-life legislation is a victory for all Oklahomans, said Senator Daisy Lawler, author of the measure and a founding member of Democrats for Life.

House Bill 1686 will ensure “informed consent” by Oklahoma women seeking abortions and “parental notification” before a minor can receive an abortion, the Comanche Democrat said.
The measure passed on a 44-4 vote.