Given the reality of our state financial condition as certified by the State Equalization Board today, Im ready to continue the discussions weve been having with Governor Henry and Speaker Benge and our leadership teams, and make some hard but necessary decisions. At this point, no agreements have been made beyond January, so I look forward to moving forward with the framework we now have before us.

When the New Year begins at midnight, a new law takes effect that its author says will speed refunds to Oklahoma taxpayers.

Senate Bill 11, by Senator Jay Paul Gumm, was passed by lawmakers and signed by the governor during the 2009 session of the Oklahoma Legislature. The measure requires the Oklahoma Tax Commission to make speedy refunds to taxpayers, or pay the same interest to taxpayers that taxpayers would have to pay on delinquent tax payments.

Two Republican State Senators are sounding the alarm bell today regarding both versions of national healthcare reform that would devastate at least one new health care facility in Oklahoma City and cost Oklahoma County and surrounding environs over 500 jobs.

Sen. Constance N. Johnson on Monday commended Justin Jones, Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (DOC), for prudent use of taxpayer dollars following a recent announcement of targeted budget cuts within the agency. DOC recently announced that it would reduce its private prison space contracts by five percent beginning this month.

Members of the Senate Republican Rural Caucus met Tuesday and called on the Governor to allocate 5% of his discretionary stimulus funds to the Department of Human Services, specifically for the Senior Nutrition Program.

Unfunded Mandates Will ‘Blow Up’ State Budget

Saying the health care reform bill working its way through Congress would break the bank in Oklahoma state government, Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee and House Speaker Chris Benge called on Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation to vote against the bill.

Says Minority Leadership Knows Reality of DHS Cuts;
Are Disingenuous, Considering Their Past Inactions on Budget Issues

Senator Mike Johnson (R-Kingfisher), suggested Senate Democrats might have considered camping out on the Capitol grounds in 2003 to protest their own leadership’s inaction on the DHS budget cuts at that time, and offered a civics lesson on how state government works.

State Sen. Steve Russell said the recently signed federal hate crimes legislation oversteps the Constitution. He’s authored a bill that will be introduced in the State Senate in 2010 to protect Oklahomans from encroachments on speech, assembly and religious beliefs.
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State Sen. Debbe Leftwich said it was unconscionable for the Department of Human Services (DHS) to pass out nearly $200,000 in pay hikes at a time when the agency has cut $7.4 million from senior nutrition programs. Leftwich said while many employees at DHS and other state agencies are underpaid, raising salaries while cutting senior nutrition is the wrong thing to do. She applauded House member Randy Terrill, R-Moore, for bringing attention to the situation on Wednesday.
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Sen. Corn's letter to state lawmakers

State Sen. Kenneth Corn is seeking the signatures of state lawmakers on a petition that would enable the Oklahoma Legislature to call itself into an emergency special session to deal with life-threatening cuts to the states senior nutrition programs and any other problems being caused by a massive state budget shortfall.