One of the first Senate votes for the 2008 Legislative Session honored President Ronald Reagan and declared February 6, 2008 “Ronald Reagan Day,” in Oklahoma.
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The Oklahoma State Senate unanimously passed a concurrent resolution Tuesday denouncing the state’s racial segregationist past and called for the Senate to begin Oklahoma’s second century free from all racial bias or prejudice and declared its intention to remain so during all future operations.
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On Wednesday, Republican budget leaders outlined a number of concerns with Governor Brad Henry’s FY 2008 budget. Below is a summary of the problems described by Senate Appropriations Co-Chairman Mike Johnson, R-Kingfisher, and House Appropriations and Budget Chairman Ken Miller.

EXTENDING THE SCHOOL YEAR: The governor proposed extending the school year by 5 days in his State of the State of address, but he did not include the $90 million that Superintendent Sandy Garrett requested to extend the school year.
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A bipartisan bill that requires Oklahoma public fund managers to eliminate indirect financial investments in terrorist states can help close the spigot of U.S. cash that unwittingly supports terrorism, the bill’s Senate sponsor, Oklahoma State Senator Andrew Rice (D-OKC), said today.

The bill is sponsored in the Oklahoma House of Representatives by Representative Terry Ingmire (R-Stillwater).

Oklahoma must decide whether to hire additional driver license examiners or consolidate current testing sites. State Sen. Kenneth Corn said more and more Oklahomans are becoming frustrated by a shortage of examiners. Corn said Oklahomans who’ve taken time off from work or school to take their driving exam often find themselves waiting hours to be tested, or find no examiner is available to test them at all.
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The Senate Education unanimously approved a bill Monday that would change the name of Oklahoma State University’s Technical Branch campus in Okmulgee.

Senate Bill 1442, authored by State Senator Roger Ballenger, D-Okmulgee, would change the school’s name to Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology-Okmulgee. The bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration.

Dr. Bob Klabenes, president of the Okmulgee school, said the name change will serve as a key marketing tool for the campus.

Parents of children in failing public schools could soon have more education alternatives for their children.

Monday the Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill 1669, which would allow Native American tribes to establish charter schools in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties. Current law allows the state’s largest public school districts and public universities to establish charter schools.

Claremore Senator Calls Graduation Coaches an Innovative Idea

State Senator Sean Burrage (D-Claremore) said today Senate Bill 1694, which will pair at-risk Oklahoma students with community mentors, passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee. The bill creates a graduation coach program within the Oklahoma State Department of Education that will assist in giving Oklahoma students valuable life tools and helping them stay on track to graduate.

The Senate Education Committee passed legislation Monday that would encourage school districts to include a special emphasis on autism as part of any professional development program on special education that may be provided to teachers in the district.

Senate Bill 1686 is authored by State Senator Mary Easley, D-Tulsa, and will now go to the full Senate for consideration.

Senator Easley said she is particularly passionate about this piece of legislation because autism personally touches her life every day through interaction with a special family member.

A bill that could save taxpayers thousands of dollars annually passed out of the Senate’s General Government Committee Monday.

Senate Bill 1507 by Senator Jay Paul Gumm, D-Durant, would require the hundreds of reports submitted by state agencies to legislative leaders be transmitted electronically. In addition, the measure would require agency budget requests and the governor’s annual budget to be transmitted electronically rather than through hard copies in the mail.