Using pension obligation bonds to fulfill the unfunded liability in state pension system is a risky venture that lawmakers should avoid, State Senator Kenneth Corn said Friday.

Pension obligation bonds are, at best, politically-motivated and risky short-term fixes for long-term problems. It would be like borrowing money from the bank to pay off your credit card debt, Corn said. You just trade one debt for another and in all likelihood youre going to go out and charge up your credit cards again.

Calling the measure “exceedingly harsh” and saying it goes “way too far,” the Senate author of a bill that criminalizes offering humanitarian assistance to undocumented immigrants said Monday that he will not seek a hearing on the measure in committee.

Senator Jeff Rabon, D-Hugo, sent a letter Monday afternoon to Senate Health and Human Resources Committee Chairman Bernest Cain, explaining that he would not be requesting a hearing for House Bill 3119.
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The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a measure that would reform how the state Department of Human Services and the courts handle child abuse cases in Oklahoma. The measure, House Bill 2840, is known as the Kelsey Smith-Briggs Child Protection Reform Act, named for a two-year-old victim of child abuse.
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Oklahomans needing free or reduced-cost medications got one-on-one assistance Tuesday when the “Help is Here Express” bus made a stop at the State Capitol. The bus is a traveling education center making stops throughout the country to raise awareness about how to take advantage of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance program.
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Two rural state senators called on Senate leaders to swiftly act to pass the funding plan for rural firefighters that unanimously passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Senate Bill 1190 passed the House on a 96 to 0 vote.

“With swift action by the Senate, we can put this plan on the governor’s desk by early next week and provide some much-needed help to our rural firefighters,” stated Sen. Owen Laughlin, R-Woodward, the chairman of the State Senate’s Rural Republican Caucus.

Senate and House leaders announced today an agreement on a $3.7 million supplemental appropriation which will keep the Department of Public Safety from furloughing Oklahoma Highway Patrol Troopers.

The announcement was made by State Representative John Trebilcock and Senator Kenneth Corn.
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State Sen. J. Berry Harrison (D-Fairfax) was honored by his fellow members of the Oklahoma State Senate on Tuesday. Harrison, who is completing his sixteenth year in the Senate, will be leaving the district 10 post due to term limits.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan announced today that the Senate will consider a nearly $2.4 billion public schools appropriation on Wednesday. The measure includes a record $204.3 million in new funding for common education, including a $3,000 across-the-board pay raise for state teachers and an increase in the incentive pay for teachers who achieve National Board Certification.
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Over 500 international high school and college students descended Tuesday on the State Capitol for International Student Awareness Day.

State Senator Bernest Cain (D-Oklahoma City), who serves as the co-chair of the Special Joint Committee on International Development, said 57 countries were represented at the event.

The event was sponsored by the Special Joint Committee on International Development, the Governor’s International Team and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Rep. Shane Jett, (R-Tecumseh) was the event’s House co-chair.

Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Jeff Rabon said he’s pleased that the Republican leadership of the House has decided to do something meaningful to boost funding for rural fire departments in Oklahoma, but said the funding proposals in the measure passed off the House floor Tuesday fall short of the needs of Oklahoma’s first responders.