Sen. Randy Brogdon and Rep. Eric Proctor have filed legislation to end Oklahoma’s state sales tax on groceries by July 1, 2009. Brogdon, R-Owasso, is the principal author of Senate Bill 600, which would end the 4.5 percent state sales tax on groceries. The tax exemption would not apply to alcohol or tobacco products since they are taxed at the wholesale level.
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Senator Jim Reynolds (R-OKC), will sponsor legislation offering property tax relief to Oklahoma homeowners in the 2009 legislative session. Reynolds’ bill will cap the annual increase in property taxes at 2.5% or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, effective January, 2010.

Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee introduced his Uniform Anatomical Gift Act that will aid in making 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.

State Sen. Dan Newberry has filed legislation to strengthen the state’s laws on business data protection. SB 1013 adds copying customer lists and business records without authorization to the state’s criminal statutes concerning larceny of trade secrets.
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Senator John Ford, R-Bartlesville, has introduced legislation that will help protect the integrity of the election system in Oklahoma.

Members of the Oklahoma State Senate’s Republican Rural Caucus released today their policy agenda for the 2009 legislative session, entitled their “Vision for Improving the Quality of Life in Rural Oklahoma.”

The Senate Republican Rural Caucus’ agenda calls for protecting agricultural tax exemptions, improving access to healthcare professionals and facilities in rural Oklahoma, opposing forced school consolidation, and providing more funding for county roads and bridges.

Senator Don Barrington, R-Lawton, announced he is authoring Senate Bill 723 that will expand his successful Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday to include school supplies and reference materials.

The Republican majority looks forward to working with Senator Laster and his leadership team to move Oklahoma forward, even in this challenging fiscal environment in which will operate this session.

As I experienced in the minority, good ideas are not the sole domain of the majority. As I pledged on Senate organizational day, we will give a fair hearing to those ideas and proposals that will help grow our state, keep it safe and educated, build a stronger business climate, protect our families, and empower Oklahomans to prosper.

Sen. Randy Brogdon has authored a measure to block any efforts to relocate prisoners from the terrorist prison at Guantanamo Bay to Oklahoma. Thats after President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the prison within a year. Brogdon said previous locations considered for inmates have included Fort Sill in southwestern Oklahoma. He said it is critical for the State Legislature to back efforts by Oklahomas Congressional delegation to stop that from happening.