Legislation to make Oklahoma’s schools and campuses safer is gaining national attention. State Sen. Todd Lamb was a featured speaker at the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) conference this month in Phoenix, Arizona.
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State Sen. Debbe Leftwich said a new law to help curtail attacks on women marks a significant change in how Oklahoma deals with domestic violence. Leftwich was present when Gov. Brad Henry conducted a ceremonial bill signing of SB 2163 at the State Capitol on Wednesday. Leftwich said the statute will take advantage of Global Positioning System Technology (GPS) to better protect domestic abuse victims.
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Hello again, everybody! The biggest battle in the Legislature last session was our fight to require health insurance to cover autism.

Now that campaign season is fully underway, that fight is being played out in campaigns across the state. Dozens of candidates for the Legislature – of both political parties – are announcing their full-throated support for “Nick’s Law,” while those who oppose it are desperately scrambling for any political cover they can find.

With a 30 percent employee vacancy rate facing Oklahoma’s correctional facilities, Sens. Kenneth Corn and Richard Lerblance plan to file legislation that will allow the state to offer retention bonuses to longtime employees of the Department of Corrections.

Corn said that while providing additional incentives to improve recruitment is necessary, the state must ensure that longtime employees are adequately compensated for their years of service.

State Senators Debbe Leftwich and Harry Coates on Thursday criticized the Construction Industries Board’s (CIB) recent hiring of an interim director. As co-chairs of the Senate Business and Labor committee, the legislators said it’s time for the CIB to quit stalling and hire a permanent director.
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OKLAHOMA CITY – Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana this week signed a bill requiring health insurance companies in that state to cover diagnosis and treatment of autism.

The measure is similar to an Oklahoma bill known as “Nick’s Law.” That measure passed the Oklahoma Senate four times on bipartisan votes. The bill was repeatedly killed by Republican House Speaker Chris Benge and his leadership team by denying the bill a hearing – either in committee or the full House of Representatives.

Oklahoma is the host state for the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC). The conference, which meets in Oklahoma City from Thursday, July 11 through Tuesday, July 15 is expected to attract more than 800 visitors, including legislative leaders and guests. The SLC region includes 16 southern states which share many of the same concerns in areas ranging from economics to education to energy use.

Oklahoma legislative leaders said they were pleased to host the SLC Annual Meeting for 2008.

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – Statement from State Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee about former Senate President Pro Tempore and former Congressman Clem McSpadden, who passed away Monday evening:

“Last night Oklahoma lost one of its finest cowboys, Clem McSpadden. He was a worthy successor to the Will Rogers mantle, and a legend in his own right. Clem McSpadden loved his country and his state and served them both with honor and dignity. We will dearly miss him.”

OKLAHOMA CITY--“Oklahoma lost a real champion last night, with the passing of Clem Mcspadden.

“His contribution to this state will be realized for years to come, and our people are better off today because he gave his heart to making Oklahoma a better place to live, work and raise a family.

“Clem embodied the true meaning of public servant, and treated every person with whom he had contact with respect and kindness.

State Senator Sean Burrage today said the passing of formerSenate President Pro Temporeand U.S. Congressman Clem McSpadden is a “sad day for all Oklahomans and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”