Sen. Jonathan Nichols has won overwhelming approval for a measure to protect the right of victims to discuss their religious beliefs or reference the bible when giving impact statements in court. The measure, Senate Bill 2004, was approved Wednesday 43 to 2.

The full Senate has given its approval to a bill that could privatize the state’s education lottery. Sen. John Ford said the lottery has not made as much money for education as supporters had claimed. He said privatization might create a more efficient operation.

The Oklahoma State Senate approved SB 1910 Thursday, by State Senator Constance N. Johnson, D-Oklahoma County, creating a special license plate for Oklahomans wishing to demonstrate support for the Campaign for a United States Department of Peace.

Sen. Johnson said there is a national grassroots effort being led by the Peace Alliance, a nonpartisan citizen action group, which wants Congress to create a federal Department of Peace.

The Oklahoma Senate voted Thursday to send a proposal for term limits for statewide officials to a vote of the people.

Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, successfully attached an amendment to SB 1987 for a legislative referendum that would place a 12 year limit on the terms of Oklahoma’s statewide elected officials.

Brogdon’s proposal was adopted on a bipartisan 26 to 22 vote, with 2 Democrats joining all 24 Republican senators in support of the amendment. After adoption of the amendment, the Senate voted 31 to 17 for SB 1987.

Two bills authored by State Senator John Sparks (D-Norman), which would protect land owners from damages by trespassers overwhelmingly passed the Oklahoma Senate today.

Senate Bill 1735 and Senate Bill 2111 would allow property owners to protect their land from activities that destroy property, including damage from recreational use by all-terrain vehicles and hunting and fishing activities.

“This bill makes trespass violators accountable for the damages they cause to personal property. Responsible government means protecting property owners,” Sparks said.

Legislation to prevent election fraud has won the support of the full Senate. The measure, Senate Bill 1150, was approved Thursday. Sen. John Ford, principal author of the bill, said it would simply require voters to show some form of identification at the polls.

Major components of the Senate Republicans’ education reform agenda received bipartisan support in the Oklahoma Senate on Thursday.

The Senate voted in favor of a tax credit for private school scholarship programs, an expansion of charter school sponsors to include federally-recognized Native American tribes, and a pilot program that would deregulate 10 public school districts.

State Sen. Kenneth Corn is blasting an amendment that was narrowly approved by the full Senate on Thursday as devastating to public education, particularly in the state’s largest cities. The amendment would give tax credits for those donating money for scholarships to be used by families who want to remove their children from public school and enroll them in private institutions.
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Freedom of Information Oklahoma, a statewide organization actively supporting organizations and individuals working to open records or provide access to government, has honored the Directors of the state Senate Communications Division and Information Systems Department with its annual Sunshine Award.

Malia Bennett has been the Senate’s Director of Communications since 2003. The Communications Division works with all 48 members of the Senate, and assists media and the public by providing information on the business of the Senate.

The state Senate recently approved a bill that would establish a task force to study state agency roles and responsibilities to help ensure that mentally ill women who have been incarcerated are successfully reintegrated into society.

Sen. Constance N. Johnson, author of Senate Bill 1959, explained that with Oklahoma leading the nation in the incarceration of women, the state must begin treating the cause rather than the symptoms.