The Oklahoma Senate has honored a man who devoted four decades of his life to strengthening one of the state’s largest pension systems. Tommy C. Beavers officially retired as Executive Secretary of the Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma last month. State Sen. Kenneth Corn is the principal author of Senate Resolution 4, which was approved by the full Senate on Monday. Corn said Beavers, who is fighting inoperable lung cancer, has been a remarkable steward of the pension system.
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2008 Jim Thorpe Award winner Malcolm Jenkins was honored on the floor of the state Senate on Monday. The Senate unanimously approved Senate Resolution 3, recognizing and commending the standout defensive back from Ohio State University.

As a junior, Jenkins was selected first-team Pro Football Weekly All-American, first team All-Big Ten, second team Walter Camp All-American, and a Thorpe semi-finalist. He recorded 47 tackles during the season. He was selected as defensive player of the week and won the Arnie Chonko Award for Outstanding Defensive Back.

Being a breast cancer survivor, State Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre is all too aware of the confusion that faces many cancer patients when trying to learn about their illness or find help. For this reason, she has authored Senate Bill 434 to authorize the State Department of Health (OSDH) to create a cancer patient navigation program.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a measure aimed to break cycles of violence that can lead to the children of inmates eventually becoming inmates themselves. Senator Debbe Leftwich is the principal author of Senate Bill 448. This bill would require the judge to have written findings related to the placement of the children of inmates who are single custodial parents, most of whom are women.
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The State Senate honored the country’s first female Rock and Roll singer Tuesday. Senate Resolution 6 congratulated Wanda Jackson on her lifetime of success in the music industry as well as being the first Oklahoma woman to be inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame.
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The Senate General Government Committee on Tuesday approved legislation that would require contractors to have general liability and workers’ compensation insurance before they can be issued residential building permits.

The Oklahoma City Democrat said the measure would provide protection for homeowners.

State Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, D-Ardmore, said he will do everything he can to coordinate assistance at the state and federal level after a deadly February storm system left more than two dozen injured or dead in his district. As of 10 a.m., the official death toll stood at 8, but Crutchfield said 30 people were unaccounted for. Multiple homes and buildings were destroyed with the community of Lone Grove hardest hit by the deadly storm.
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The full Senate is the next stop for legislation to ensure disabled vets get a sales tax exemption guaranteed by state law.

Senator Jay Paul Gumm introduced legislation that would put even more teeth in a current state law that entitles Oklahoma veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability to a sales tax exemption on purchases of up to $25,000 a year. The lawmaker said some retailers have been refusing to honor the exemption.
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Being an Army veteran and living in a military city, Sen. Don Barrington knows all too well the sacrifices made by Oklahoma's military personnel and their families. For this reason, he authored SB 489 to expand the sales tax exemption for 100% disabled veterans to include sales to the surviving spouses of deceased qualified veterans.
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Senate Bill 452 by Senator Mike Schulz, R-Altus, passed out of the Agriculture and Rural Development Committee on Monday, calling for adequate protection of livestock throughout Oklahoma.

The provisions in Senate Bill 452 limit the power of political subdivisions in Oklahoma when dealing with the care and handling of livestock. Local legislation in violation of this bill is void and unenforceable. However, Schulz says the intent of the legislation is not to preempt a city’s ability to zone.