On Friday, State Senate Democrats killed a Republican amendment to speed up the elimination of the death tax.

“This vote is a clear indication of where senators stand on eliminating the death tax,” stated Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee, the amendment’s author. “Senate Republicans want to provide family farms and small businesses with relief from the death tax more quickly, while Senate Democrats want to make them wait until the year 2010 for this unfair tax to be eliminated.”

The Oklahoma Senate on Friday approved historic legislation to completely eliminate the state’s estate tax over a three-year period. House Bill 1172 was amended to contain language originally authored by Senators Mike Mazzei and Glenn Coffee in Senate Bill 334. In addition to eliminating the tax over a three-year period, the amendment provides immediate estate tax relief to non-lineal heirs such as nephews and nieces, treating them the same as lineal heirs such as children and grandchildren.

Mazzei said the approval of the legislation is a victory for Oklahoma taxpayers.

A state senator said he was very surprised when he first heard Senate Democrat leaders taking credit for an increase in the state’s standard deduction, because for years Senate Democrats have blocked Republican efforts to raise the standard deduction for Oklahoma taxpayers.

“Senate Democrats killed my bill to increase the standard deduction during the 2006 regular legislative session, so I was surprised to hear them take credit for this issue in the historic tax cut agreement,” stated Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond.

State Sen. Kathleen Wilcoxson called a recently released report on high school graduation rates alarming. She said she is disappointed that State Superintendent Sandy Garrett has failed to explain to the public how high the drop-out rates in Oklahoma actually are and how this impacts the entire state.

The newly released report by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center showed that Oklahoma does slightly better, with 71 percent of students graduating in 2002-2003, compared to a national rate of 69.6 percent.

The Oklahoma State Senate Wednesday approved a $6.6 billion general appropriations bill that included historic investments in public schools and state colleges and universities.

Senate Bill 80XX passed on a 31-15 vote.

The measure, which includes a $3,000 across-the-board pay raise for public school teachers and a $130 million funding increase for higher education, is part of a budget and tax cut agreement reached between Senate and House leaders last week.

As legislative subcommittees put the final touches on the 2007 state budget, Sen. Debbe Leftwich wants to ensure retirees get a much needed cost-of-living increase. Leftwich is calling on fellow lawmakers to make sure retired state employees, teachers, police, firefighters and state law enforcement officers such as highway patrol troopers all get a cost-of-living increase.

Having emerged as a leading advocate for the oil and gas production industry in the legislature, Sen. Cliff Branan has been honored by the Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association as Legislator of the Year.

OIPA Vice President of Governmental Affairs Bruce Stallsworth praised Branan for his efforts to support the oil and gas industry in the legislature.

Nearly six years in the making, the recent licensing approval of the nation’s first inland spaceport at Burns Flat is representative of the sort of forward-thinking approach necessary to move the Oklahoma economy forward, Sen. Cal Hobson said on Friday.

Hobson said years of hard work by Sen. Gilmer Capps, former state Rep. Jack Bonny and other legislative leaders has laid the foundation for the rapid expansion of the Oklahoma aerospace industry.

“(Senate Democrat leader Mike) Morgan said legislators will have to be cautious about tax cuts the next four years. ‘We can't get tax-cut crazy. And when we come back next year, we need to think about what we've done this year’.” – Reported in The Oklahoman, June 16, 2006.

Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee said that comments made Thursday by the Senate’s Democrat leader make him concerned that Senate Democrats may try to block parts of a historic tax cut agreement next year.

State Sen. Harry Coates says the new Disney and Pixar film “Cars” could be a real boon for tourism in Oklahoma. That’s because one of the main characters in the film is based on a constituent in his district and her Route 66 Rock Café in Stroud.

“I’ve known Dawn Welch for many years and she’s a huge promoter for Stroud, Route 66 and our entire state,” said Coates, R-Seminole. “It’s a windfall for all of Oklahoma that Disney and Pixar decided to make a movie about Route 66.”