National and state business and education leaders briefed members of the Senate and House Education Committees Tuesday on Oklahoma’s poor showing in a recent education study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The report, called “Leaders and Laggards,” gave Oklahoma an overall grade of “D”. Burns Hargis, Vice Chairman of Bank of Oklahoma, called the report “disturbing.”
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On Wednesday the evenly divided Oklahoma Senate again fell one short of the 32 votes needed to override Gov. Brad Henrys veto of SB 714, a pro-life bill that would prohibit state funds, facilities, and employees from being used to perform abortions except to save the life of the mother.

But Senate Bill 714s author, Sen. James A. Williamson of Tulsa, said he will continue the effort to ban state funding for abortions.
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The governor will soon decide the fate of legislation to ensure judges can protect themselves and others in courthouses by allowing them to carry weapons. That legislation won final passage in the Senate on Tuesday and is now awaiting consideration by Gov. Brad Henry.

State Sen. Cliff Branan, principal author of Senate Bill 507, said Oklahoma has received another black eye in the national media because of Gov. Brad Henry’s veto of the comprehensive lawsuit reform legislation. The May 10, 2007 Wall Street Journal article said “Oklahoma loses to Texas—again.”
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State Sen. Susan Paddack said she was extremely pleased that Gov. Brad Henry signed Senate Bill 930 into law. The tort reform bill would protect health care providers who do charity work. Paddack, D-Ada, was principal author of SB 930.

“There are doctors throughout this state who want to help fill that need for volunteer services, but may hesitate to do so because of the fear of becoming the target of a frivolous lawsuit,” Paddack said. “SB 930 will give them the protection they need.”
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“At my request, Senate Bill 139 had been placed on the agenda today for a vote. However, Sen. Charlie Laster, the Democrat Floor Leader, refused to hear the bill today. Senator Owen Laughlin, the Republican Floor Leader, has agreed to bring the bill up tomorrow. I suspect Laster’s refusal was for the purpose of rallying opposition among his colleagues.

One day after the enactment of a bipartisan tax relief package, legislative leaders and the governor on Tuesday announced the outlines of a $7.1 billion state budget agreement that speeds up tax cuts for working Oklahomans, boosts teacher pay and includes important funds for critical state services such as public safety and state prisons.
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On a bipartisan vote, the Oklahoma Senate sent Gov. Brad Henry a revised version of a pro-life measure to prohibit taxpayer dollars, state-run hospitals, or state employees from being used to perform abortions.

“Senate Bill 139 is ‘Round 2’ of the Legislature’s effort to get the State of Oklahoma out of the abortion business. Passage of this legislation is a great victory for the unborn, and I strongly encourage the governor to sign it this time,” stated Williamson, R-Tulsa, the bill’s author.

In honor of Oklahoma's coal and railroad industry, a painting depicting the relationship between McAlester's first coal production and the KATY railroad was unveiled Wednesday in the Senate. The painting, by world-renown artist Wayne Cooper, was sponsored by the Puterbaugh Foundation and commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund.
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The Senate has given final approval to a bill increasing the punishment for reporting a false Amber Alert. Sen. Cliff Aldridge is the principal author of SB 371 which makes the crime a felony offense.

“We’ve had 13 Amber Alerts in Oklahoma since the system was created—four of those have been false Amber Alerts,” said Aldridge, R-Midwest City. “That’s almost 25 percent. Just like the boy who cried wolf, too many of these false reports could cause citizens not to take these reports seriously.”