Legislation that will help law enforcement solve cold cases, including murder, rape and child molestation, has been approved by the Senate. Senate Bill 1102, by Sen. Jonathan Nichols, R-Norman, would add new misdemeanor crimes to those that can result in the harvesting of DNA. The DNA would only be collected upon conviction of those crimes.

Nichols authored legislation that first expanded the state’s DNA database, which directly led to the arrest and conviction of the man who murdered OU Ballet student Julie Buskin.

A bill to require full disclosure of adoption fees is one step closer to the governor’s desk. Senate Bill 1029, by Sen. Steve Russell, was given final approval by the State Senate on Wednesday.

“I want to thank my fellow members for their support. Each time this bill has been considered by the Senate it has gotten unanimous approval,” said Russell, R-Oklahoma City. “I believe all of us want to do what we can to improve the adoption process in our state and help more children find loving, adoptive parents.”

The Water Resources Board should not have sole authority in determining whether Oklahoma water should be sold to Texas. That’s according state lawmakers concerned about a proposal expected to come before the legislature in the final days of the session.

The President Pro Tempore thanked the Governor for signing legislation that would aid in streamlining government.

Senator Coffee’s House Bill 1676 moves the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center (CJRC) out of the Legislative Service Bureau, reassigning its functions and staff to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) and the Attorney General, in an effort to improve efficiency and accountability at the CJRC.

A bill strengthening penalties against parents caught driving drunk with their children in the vehicle has become law. Sen. Mary Easley is the Senate principal author of SB 1138 which amends the definition of child endangerment to include parents or guardians knowingly letting their children ride in vehicles operated by people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The Governor recently signed two environmental bills that could help make Oklahoma a national leader on such issues. Sen. David Myers is the author of SB 679 which re-creating the Oklahoma Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide Task Force. He also authored SB 953 which creates the Oklahoma Clean Energy Independence Commission.

Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee praised the passage of Senate Bill 932, which creates the Victims Rights to Protection Task Force.

The purpose of the task force is to study the needs and ability of victims to lawfully defend against harmful conduct and the right to self protection. One main objective during the study will be to determine the merit of allowing those who have sought protection from an emergency Victim’s Protective Order (VPO) to obtain an emergency concealed carry license for their protection.

State Sen. Randy Brogdon said he was extremely concerned about this week’s take over of Tulsa-based Williams Cos. Gas compression facilities by a Venezuelan government-controlled company. He also said there are direct parallels between that action and U.S. government bailouts and takeovers of American companies.

“Venezuela’s leader, Hugo Chavez, is a despotic dictator and an avowed enemy of America, and now he’s seized assets here in Oklahoma,” said Brogdon, R-Owasso. “People should be alarmed about what’s happening in our own state.”

A concurrent resolution asking the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture to name their complex the “Clem Rogers McSpadden Agricultural Complex” was approved by the House of Representatives after winning unanimous approval in the Senate on Monday.

McSpadden was a former President Pro Tempore of the Senate, but had also won international acclaim as a professional rodeo announcer. He was a fifth generation rancher and the great-nephew of Oklahoma humorist Will Rogers. McSpadden, who was also a U.S. Congressman, died in 2008 at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee said he is encouraged by the signing of Senate Bill 622 that will make the process of organ donation more efficient and more accessible.

The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, Senate Bill 622, mirrors similar laws in various states that help families throughout the nation receive vital organs for their loved ones. Families are often put through unnecessary waiting periods and paperwork from state to state in order to obtain an organ donation for a family member.