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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While many have expressed concern over DHS’s budget-induced reductions in senior feeding programs, Senator Dan Newberry (R-Tulsa) has been working with local pastors in his district to step up and fill the need for their local community.

Legislation to reduce recidivism and help more Oklahomans pursue better paying jobs has been approved by the full Senate. Senator Harry Coates, author of Senate Bill 2070, said the bill would simply enable individuals who have been convicted of a felony crime and have completed their sentence to later apply for a professional license as long as it is in a field unrelated to their crime.

The full Senate has given approval to a measure ensuring greater consumer protection for renters through passage of the Clandestine Drug Laboratories Remediation Act. Senate Bill 2241, by Sen. Roger Ballenger, D-Okmulgee, and Rep. Wade Rousselot, D-Wagoner, would require property owners to remediate an apartment, hotel room or residence used to make meth before it could be rented to anyone.
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