State Senator Harry Coates has won unanimous approval for legislation calling on Congress to pass meaningful immigration reform. Senate Joint Resolution 6 was approved on Tuesday. Coates said citizens across the nation are frustrated with the lack of congressional action on the issue of immigration reform.

The Senate unanimously approved legislation Monday that could help the spouses and children of military personnel killed or injured in combat pursue a higher education. Senate Bill 721, by Sen. Don Barrington, would allow Oklahomans to donate part or all of their income tax refund to the Folds of Honor Scholarship Program.

Senate Bill 723 authored by Senator Don Barrington received passage by the full Senate today with a 42-3 vote. Barrington’s bill expands his successful Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday to include school supplies and reference materials.

The State Senate approved Senate Bill 718 Monday to make voting easier for military personnel who are not registered to vote and return from overseas service after the registration deadline. The House is the next stop for the measure by Sen. Don Barrington.

The Senate approved legislation Wednesday that will help trucking companies save time and money - cost savings that can be passed on to customers. SB 1184, by Sen. Bryce Marlatt, would create an oversize and/or overweight annual permit to replace the current permits which have to be requested with each delivery.

Democrats in the State Senate spend a great deal of time and energy debating against one of their own legislative agenda items on the floor of the Senate, causing Majority Floor Leader Todd Lamb to scratch his head in dismay.

Responding to a study reported Wednesday by the Associated Press, Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee and Senator Anthony Sykes said the Pew Center’s Public Safety Performance Project uses flawed data and is affiliated with an organization that is proven soft on criminals.

Legislation that would prohibit convicted sex offenders from operating ice cream vending trucks has been approved by the Oklahoma Senate.

Senate Bill 1147 by Sen. Jay Paul Gumm would criminalize the operation of ice cream trucks by registered sex offenders. The bill was suggested by a constituent concerned about how close the vendors get to children in communities across the state.

The Oklahoma State Senate passed SB 738, a bill which would significantly restructure the office of the Chief Medical Examiner, bringing long overdue professional management to the office, and providing for greater accountability from the office.

“This office has been floundering in a dysfunctional morass for some time,” said Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, author of SB 738. “This legislation will bring this vital office back to the highly performing operation we need it to be, serving the needs of the citizens of Oklahoma.”

The State Senate has approved a measure to cut the growth of annual property tax increases. Senate Joint Resolution 5, by Sen. Jim Reynolds, was passed on Wednesday. The legislation would let Oklahomans vote to lower the current property tax cap of five percent to three percent.

“Thousands of Oklahoma citizens are begging for relief,” said Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City. “This tax is especially difficult for many low-income and elderly people on fixed incomes.”