Pointing to the need to maintain the integrity of Oklahoma’s election process, the State Senate has filed a motion to intervene in Sen. Jim Wilson’s lawsuit challenging the bipartisan Senate Redistricting Act of 2011. Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman said the motion was filed late Thursday afternoon in Oklahoma County District Court.

Sen. Ralph Shortey is lending his support to backers of Oklahoma City pharmacist Jerome Ersland in their effort to petition the Governor for a pardon. Ersland in July was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in the shooting death of an unconscious robber.

“State Labor Commissioner Mark Costello’s comments this week comparing state workers to feral hogs was atrocious and completely unprofessional. I think the Commissioner has forgotten that his job is to protect state workers not undermine them, which seems to be the purpose of his newly created nonprofit.

State Sen. David Holt responded Wednesday to a recent study ranking all 50 states based on government union power versus taxpayer rights. The nonpartisan, data-based ranking, called the “Big Labor vs. Taxpayer Index,” ranked Oklahoma dead last in the entire Southern United States for taxpayer rights. Oklahoma was ranked 24th overall, meaning that 23 other states are more favorable to taxpayers.

The chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Pensions said he was extremely encouraged that the solvency of the state’s largest retirement system has dramatically improved in recent months. Dr. James Wilbanks, Executive Director of the Teachers’ Retirement System, announced the decrease in unfunded liability in the pension fund on Thursday.
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In order to allow the Governor to focus on the state's budget and other official business, Sen. Harry Coates has filed legislation to remove her completely from the parole process. Senate Joint Resolution 46 would send the issue to a vote of the people in November 2012.

Legislative leaders today announced full membership of the Joint Legislative Water Committee, which will work on long-range water policy recommendations for Oklahoma.

The Water Committee will begin meeting Aug. 17, when it will start studying the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan and collecting input from a wide variety of other sources and stakeholders as it explores what Oklahoma needs to do to meet its water needs in the next 50 years.

Recent news accounts of local bounty hunters terrorizing an innocent Midwest City family underscore the need for common sense legislation. State Sen. Ralph Shortey was the principal author of Senate Bill 805 that would close a loophole allowing bounty hunters to carry guns in Oklahoma.
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State Sen. Constance N. Johnson praised President Obama’s administration this week for transforming women’s health care in America by classifying birth control as preventative care – an issue the Oklahoma County democrat has been advocating since getting into office.

The Institute of Medicine medical advisory panel recommended the changes to the Health and Human Services Department last month. The panel said contraceptives should qualify as preventive care, which insurers must fully cover under Obama’s federal health care reform plan.
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Sen. Constance N. Johnson believes Oklahoma's sentencing guidelines regarding life without parole for nonviolent drug crimes are unfair, costly and, in the case of Larry Yarbrough, a waste of tax payer dollars.
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