Senator Richard Lerblance knows all too well the devastating affects - physically, mentally and financially - that Alzheimer's can have on a family. His mother began showing symptoms of the disease in 1991 and has been totally incapacitated the past six years. For this reason, Lerblance wants to help bring awareness to this horrible disease and the fact that November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month.
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Saying it’s time to put the contentious partisan politics of the election season in the past, Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan announced Monday plans for a series of meetings with other state leaders to begin anew the work of moving Oklahoma forward.

“To govern effectively, we have to find common ground. The last two years have been marked by a bitter partisan divide and a number of hard fought campaigns only widened that gap,” Morgan said. “Our job now is to build bridges and come together to form a consensus to move Oklahoma forward.”

With groundbreaking for a permanent memorial for the USS Oklahoma slated for next month in Hawaii, the fundraising effort is now in full swing. As he pledged last May, Gov. Brad Henry presented a check from the Centennial Commission for $100,000 for the memorial at a State Capitol ceremony on Tuesday. The USS Oklahoma had the second-highest casualty rate of any American ship in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
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“I have served my entire legislative tenure with Representative Piatt and I have seen first hand his capable leadership skills and bi-partisan nature.

“Representative Piatt being named as Floor Leader is a victory for not only the people he represents in the Ardmore area, but for all Oklahomans.

“I truly believe Rep. Piatt will display his statesmanlike demeanor as he serves as Floor Leader, just as he has throughout his career.

Twenty-four members of the Oklahoma State Senate, including nine freshmen, will be officially sworn in at noon on Thursday, November 16, 2006, in the Senate chamber of the State Capitol. The Honorable Joseph M. Watt, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, will administer the oath of office on the 99th anniversary of Oklahoma’s statehood.
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Senator Andrew Rice and former Senator Bernest Cain announce with deep regret that Keith Smith passed away last night at Integris Hospital about 11:30 p.m. Final arrangements have not been made, but the funeral and a memorial service will be held here in Oklahoma City sometime in the next two weeks.
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The 2008 General Election Ballot will get a new look if a bill requested by State Senator Kenneth Corn (D-Poteau) and State Representative Neil Brannon (D-Arkoma) makes its way through the legislative process in the coming session. The southeast Oklahoma lawmakers will file legislation that will end a 100-year tradition of straight party voting in Oklahoma.

The Senate Task Force on Illegal Immigration Issues held a second meeting Wednesday, hearing presentations from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center.

Sen. Daisy Lawler, Chair of the Task Force, said information presented by the agencies further illustrated the scope of the illegal immigration problem and gave task force members a better understanding of how state corrections and law enforcement agencies deal with illegal immigrants under current laws.

Sen. Jeff Rabon on Friday said Oklahoma ranchers can now apply for Livestock Assistance Grants to offset grazing loss suffered through one of the worst periods of drought in state history, but more must be done to remedy the problems currently facing livestock producers in the state.
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State Sen. Kenneth Corn said with current Department of Corrections (DOC) projections indicating Oklahoma will soon run out of room, he supports the construction of new prison space. Corn, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary, called the situation critical.