The State Senate today unanimously passed SB 899 by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, which would revoke state retirement benefits from state or county officers convicted of felonies.

A measure to provide greater accountability and transparency in public education passed the State Senate with bipartisan support on Tuesday. Senator Clark Jolley is principal author of Senate Bill 1111, the “Educational Accountability Reform Act.”

The measure would restructure Oklahoma’s education system to create better transparency and accountability on data and testing. The current Office of Accountability would be restructured into the Educational Quality and Accountability Office.

The State Senate approved Voter ID legislation on Tuesday that will ensure clean and fair elections for generations to come.

Senate Bill 4 requires any individual that votes in person to show “proof of identity,” which can be a document that includes the voter’s name, a picture of the voter, and is issued by the United States, the State of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized Indian Tribe or Nation. In instances where an individual does not have any of these methods of identification, the voter may show their county issued Voter ID card.

President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee applauded the passage of Senate Bill 894 that brings sufficient protection to rape victims.

The Senate unanimously approved legislation Tuesday to create a task force to find solutions to help Oklahoma's at-risk youth become independent, productive adults. Senate Bill 283, by Sen. Harry Coates, would create the Task Force on Youth Transitioning into Adulthood.
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Legislation using targeted incentives to attract top-paying jobs to Oklahoma has won approval in the State Senate. Senator Mike Mazzei, R-Tulsa, is the author of Senate Bill 938 which creates the “21st Century Quality Jobs” program. The measure was approved unanimously on Tuesday.
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The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a bill that would ban a dangerous new fad—eyeball tattooing. Senator Cliff Branan is the author of Senate Bill 844, which prohibits scleral tattooing.

“Scleral tattooing involves using a needle to inject colored ink into the whites of an individual’s eyes. The problem is it can cause infection, scarring and hemorrhaging and can even lead to blindness,” explained Branan, R-Oklahoma City. “My legislation would ban this practice in Oklahoma.”

Sen. Don Barrington believes Oklahoma's prisons would be safer without cell phones, and the Senate agreed Wednesday approving Senate Bill 1064 banning them and other electronic devices capable of sending or receiving electronic communications from correctional facilities.
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A bill that could help Oklahoma law enforcement solve numerous cold cases, including homicides and sexual assaults, is one step closer to becoming law. Senate Bill 1102 would add a number of misdemeanor crimes to the felony crimes already on the books which can result in the harvesting of DNA samples. The bill, by Sen. Jonathan Nichols, R-Norman, was approved by the full Senate on Wednesday.

Senate Bill 609 by Senator Todd Lamb, passed out of the Senate Tuesday.

The provisions in Senate Bill 609 reduce the number of judges on the Workers’ Compensation Court from ten to seven. Four of the judges will be permanently assigned to the Oklahoma City Workers' Compensation Court, and three permanently assigned to the Tulsa Workers' Compensation Court.

Senate Bill 609 also brings reform to the judicial nominating process by requiring Senate confirmation of appointments to the Workers Compensation Court and appellate courts.