Sen. Kenneth Corn on Monday issued the following statement regarding funding for Oklahoma’s senior nutrition centers.

“The failure of Republican legislative leadership to provide less than $2.5 million needed to restore full funding to senior citizen meal programs statewide for the rest of the fiscal year is the main reason I voted against emergency clause legislation today that was designed to solve the state’s budget crisis.

In a partisan move, Senate Democrats put political posturing over jobs for employees in the Departments of Corrections, Highway Patrol, and common education today, as well as other vital state services today, in direct opposition to Governor Henry, who negotiated the bipartisan budget agreement which they opposed today.

The Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would save the state millions of dollars each year. Senate Bill 1658, by Sen. David Myers, would make the State Insurance Department a non-appropriated agency.

State Sens. Anthony Sykes and Randy Brogdon on Tuesday criticized the approval of a proposal to give the Oklahoma Insurance Department the ability to raise fees without accountability to the legislature or citizens.

Sen. Constance N. Johnson (D-Oklahoma County) on Wednesday issued the following statement regarding the controversy that unfolded in the Legislature this week over whether to restore funding to Oklahoma’s senior nutrition system, after funding was cut by the Human Services Commission last summer:

An agreement on the fate of Oklahoma’s senior meals programs means the critical initiatives that feed more than 60,000 elderly Oklahomans will continue to be funded next year, Sen. Kenneth Corn said Wednesday.

The state Senate on Wednesday approved legislation allowing Oklahoma law enforcement officials to electronically monitor the state’s most dangerous sex offenders.

Authored by Sen. Dan Newberry, Senate Bill 2301 would make electronic monitoring devices mandatory for all Level Two and Three sex offenders who have been released from custody. Newberry explained that Level Two and Three offenders are considered the state’s most dangerous.

The state Senate on Wednesday approved legislation increasing penalties for individuals who assault an employee of the Department of Corrections (DOC) or the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA). Senate Bill 2242, by Sen. Dan Newberry, would add a six-month sentence for assault and battery against a DOC or OJA employee in the performance of their duties.

State Sen. Randy Brogdon has won Senate approval for the Oklahoma Firearms Freedom Act. The measure passed with overwhelming bipartisan support—a vote Brogdon says mirrors the values of most Oklahomans. The Senate approved Senate Bill 1685 on Wednesday on a vote of 39 to 3.

“As a private citizen and as a state senator, I believe it is important that we guard against the continued erosion of the Bill of Rights, including the right to protect ourselves and our families,” said Brogdon, R-Owasso. “This legislation reaffirms our Second Amendment rights.”
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A bill now moving to the House of Representatives contains legislation that will put Oklahoma in a better position to attract high-paying manufacturing jobs—that’s according to Sen. Jay Paul Gumm. The Democrat from Durant said his legislation, which the full Senate approved on Wednesday, shores up his long-term efforts to attract a firearm manufacturer to the state.
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