Senate Education Chairman John Ford offered a second bill on Monday to restructure the State Board of Education. The measure, Senate Bill 435, was approved by the Education Committee by a vote of 9 to 5.

“Up until 1971, the Board included the State Superintendent, the Governor, the Attorney General and the Secretary of State,” Ford explained. “After that time the law was changed to make the Board of Education appointed by the Governor. Senate Bill 435 would take the Board back to its original structure.”

State Sen. Clark Jolley has won approval from the Senate Education Committee for a pair of bills aimed at improving Oklahoma’s public schools. Jolley said Senate Bill 346 would prohibit social promotion to better ensure children can actually read at grade level before moving to the next grade.
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State Sen. Josh Brecheen has won committee approval for legislation aimed at better shielding mourners of fallen soldiers from protestors. Senate Bill 406 was approved unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Current law bans protestors from picketing funerals for an hour before and after the service. They’re also prohibited from picketing any closer than 500 feet of where the funeral is being held. Brecheen’s legislation increases the moratorium on picketing to two hours before or after a service and increases the distance to 1000 feet.
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Six public hearings have been scheduled by the Senate Committee on Redistricting—the panel tasked with redrawing district boundaries utilizing the latest U.S. Census data. Senators Clark Jolley and Bryce Marlatt are co-chairs of the committee, and said the public hearings would give Oklahomans from every part of the state the opportunity to attend one of the hearings.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved legislation that would establish criminal forfeiture provisions for crimes related to illegal immigration.

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.

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.”

"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. read more.

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.

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.
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