The Oklahoma State Senate has unveiled its next phase in the ongoing effort to create more openness in government through greater public access. Just weeks after unveiling its new webcast of the Senate Chamber, Senate President Pro Tem Mike Morgan announced that starting Monday, the media and the public would be able to watch and listen to Senate committee action via an additional webcam.
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Senate Appropriations Chairman Johnnie Crutchfield (D-Ardmore) said today, Speaker Hiett needs to take his own party’s advice and “Fund Education First” rather than point his finger at the State Senate.

“We passed an historic education appropriations bill more than two weeks ago, two days before the ‘Fund Education First’ deadline, while the Speaker played politics and refused to sign on to an agreement that passed unanimously by both parties in the Senate,” Crutchfield said.
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Democrat Leaders Suspected of Trying to Engineer Government Shutdown With ‘Unrealistic’ Budget Proposal

Senate Republican leaders Tuesday unveiled a compromise budget proposal in an effort to head off what appears to be an effort by Democrat leaders to engineer a shutdown of state government. Senate Republicans hope to repeat their efforts in 2003, when they helped broker a bipartisan budget agreement during the budget shortfall after proposing their own compromise budget.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Johnnie Crutchfield said Tuesday that he’s fearful that the unwillingness of the House Republican leadership to compromise on any budget issue could be a signal of a potential GOP-led shutdown of state government.

“It could just be a sign of House leadership’s inexperience in writing a state budget, but I’m fearful that Representative Hiett plans to follow the example set a decade ago by the first Republican speaker of the U.S. House in a generation,” Crutchfield said.
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Charles R. Ford announced the unveiling of a portrait of Sam Walton, as part of a series of paintings commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. The portrait of Walton is by nationally- renowned artist Mike Wimmer of Norman, and was unveiled during a ceremony in the Senate Chamber this afternoon.

Statement by Senate Appropriations Chairman Johnnie Crutchfield

“The budget outline released by Senate Republicans today is just that – a very sketchy outline with no details. Senator Coffee couldn’t be more wrong than when he says that Senate Democrats are trying to engineer a shutdown of state government.

“Senate Republicans are the ones who voted as a block against funding for a multitude of state agencies two weeks ago.
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Senator Cal Hobson said today that college students throughout Oklahoma will soon see the results of a $500 million dollar investment in their future when construction begins on projects included in the Higher Education Bond Issue that passed the Senate with bi-partisan support. Hobson, Senate author of the bill, said passage of House Bill 1191, marks the end of months of work on an issue that will go down in history as an important victory for higher education and a victory for all Oklahomans.
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If Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company doesn’t sign a new long-term contract to buy electricity from the AES Shady Point co-generation plant in Le Flore County soon, more than 2,000 Oklahoma coal miners and truck drivers could be forced into the ranks of the unemployed, State Senator Kenneth Corn said Wednesday morning

“We’re talking about real people with mortgages to pay and children to clothe and feed. We’re talking about wiping out an entire industry in our state,” said Corn, D-Poteau.
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Senate Judiciary Chairman Has Already Killed Henry’s Tort Bill This Session

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee has written Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Laster to formally request a committee hearing for House Bill 2047, the landmark comprehensive lawsuit reform bill authored by Coffee and House Speaker Todd Hiett.

HB 2047 passed the House of Representatives three weeks ago on a bipartisan 62 to 38 vote, and is still awaiting action in the Senate.

Charles R. Ford announced the unveiling of a portrait of Amelia Elizabeth “Bessie” McColgin, as part of a series of paintings commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. The portrait of Oklahoma’s first female representative is by nationally- renowned artist Mike Wimmer of Norman, and was unveiled during a ceremony in the House Chamber this afternoon.
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