The Senate has given its approval to legislation that will restructure membership of the State Board of Education and enhance checks and balances between the board and the superintendent. Senate Bill 435, by President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman and Sen. John Ford, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, passed Monday with the emergency clause on a party-line vote of 32 to 15.

Senator Mike Mazzei said he was encouraged by Thursdays meeting of the Senate Select Committee on Pensions, the first for the panel. Mazzei, who chairs the committee, said Oklahoma currently faces an unfunded liability of $16 billion in the states six public retirement systems.

The Senate Public Safety Committee has given approval to legislation to ban texting while driving. State Sen. Jerry Ellis is the author of Senate Bill 146 which was approved by the committee on Thursday.

“Many people I’ve talked to have seen a near miss or accident that involved someone not paying attention to the road because they were texting while driving,” said Ellis, D-Valliant. “Just since filing this bill I’ve heard from people who’ve been involved in wrecks because of texting and driving.”

A measure to make college degrees more affordable for those serving in Oklahoma’s National Guard or Oklahoma Reserves was approved in two Senate committees Wednesday. Senate Bill 251, by Sen. Steve Russell, creating the “Armed Services Tuition Fairness Act” was first heard in the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee before moving on to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety.

The Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee has given approval to help ensure veterans’ remains do not go unclaimed. Senate Bill 396, by Sen. Steve Russell, would also enable the Turnpike Authority to wave tolls for special escorts for military funerals.

The Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Committee approved legislation Wednesday to extend a portion of the sales tax exemption provided to 100% disabled veterans to their surviving spouses.

A Senate Committee on Wednesday approved legislation requiring the display of the Honor and Remember Flag at the state Capitol to recognize fallen Oklahoma soldiers. Senate Bill 395 was unanimously approved by the Senate Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs on Wednesday.

Sen. Bill Brown, author of the measure, said the flag was a unifying symbol of gratitude to fallen servicepersons.

"My caucus and I are concerned with the possible impropriety of the State Department of Education being directed by senior staff who apparently are being paid by a private foundation, rather that state appropriated dollars. Today I submitted a request to Attorney General Pruitt asking his office to look into the possible constitutional and ethics problems that may exist with privately funded personnel supervising and managing state employees, and using state resources and property.

A measure that would redefine criteria for state citizenship won approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

“We’re trying to remedy what we consider to be an incorrect interpretation of citizenship requirements by the federal government,” said Sen. Ralph Shortey, R-Oklahoma City. “We cannot change the federal government’s definition of citizenship, but we can change the criteria for state citizenship. We want to urge Congress to reconsider birthright citizenship, while discouraging illegal immigrants from coming to Oklahoma.”

Sen. Dan Newberry on Wednesday will attend a farewell ceremony for 3,200 Oklahoma National Guard troops as they depart for Afghanistan. National Guard officials expect more than 16,000 to attend the 11:30 a.m. ceremony at the Oklahoma City Arena and Cox Convention Center.

The deployment of the 45th Infantry Brigade will be the largest ever for the Oklahoma National Guard.