The State Senate approved Senator John Ford’s Senate Bill 834, a bill designed to give greater local control to Oklahoma public school districts. Senate Bill 834, the School District Empowerment Program, would remove many of the unfunded state mandates currently restricting the ability of local school districts to best decide how to use resources to benefit their students.

The House of Representatives is the next stop for a measure to help clamp down on underage drinking. On Monday, the full Senate approved an amendment by Sen. Debbe Leftwich which adds graduated penalties to the Oklahoma's social host law.

The current statute only holds adults accountable if a minor is injured or dies. Similar legislation was approved by the Senate in 2008, but was not heard in the House. Senator Leftwich thanked members on both sides of the aisle for supporting her proposal.

Senate Bill 1103 by President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee unanimously passed the Senate today, providing protections for pregnant women subject to domestic violence abuse.

The State Senate passed SB646, the State Office of Accountability and Innovation, the second step toward greater efficiency in state government as proposed by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee.

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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