On Tuesday, Sen. Harry Coates (R-Seminole) joined Rep. Emily Virgin (D-Norman) and the Professional Firefighters of Oklahoma in filing a challenge against the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1062, the workers’ compensation reform bill passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Fallin during the 2013 legislative session.

Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman comments on today’s filing of a lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 1062, the workers’ compensation overhaul bill passed this year:

“The workers’ compensation legislation passed this year is landmark reform that has been needed for quite some time. Our state’s workers’ compensation rates are out of control, and it is impacting economic development and job creation in our state.

Senator Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, released the following statement in response to Tuesday’s Supreme Court ruling allowing plans to build a new state Medical Examiner’s Office on the University of Central Oklahoma’s campus to proceed. A loss of the office’s accreditation in 2009 was in part attributed to an outdated building that is too small and antiquated.

Senate Democratic Leader Sean Burrage issued the following comments in response to Governor Mary Fallin’s call for a special legislative session to revisit tort reform in Oklahoma.

“The Democrats in the State Senate believe that a special session to revisit this issue is a waste of both time and taxpayer dollars,” said Burrage, D-Claremore. “At a cost of $30,000 per day, we are looking at spending close to $250,000 to fix a problem created by the Republican majority. It is clearly an issue that can wait and be addressed in the next legislative session.”

On Thursday, US District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange issued a permanent injunction against the State Election Board from certifying the results of State Question 755. State Question 755 was approved by 70% of Oklahoma voters in the November 2010 elections and would have banned the use of Sharia law and International law in Oklahoma courts.
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Recently, Sen. Mike Mazzei (R-Tulsa), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and author of State Question 766, wrote a letter to all Oklahoma state Senators discussing the impact of the property tax exemption created by State Question 766 on our counties, schools and Career Tech system.

Today, Sen. Roger Ballenger issued the following comments in response to the “good news” Sen. Mazzei shared in that letter about the impact of the elimination of intangible property taxes by State Question 766 on Oklahoma schools:

Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman announced Tuesday the hiring of Jennifer Monies as his new press secretary and senior advisor.

Monies is the Senior Vice President of Communications & Marketing for the State Chamber of Oklahoma. She replaces Nathan Atkins, who stepped down from the Pro Tem’s staff this summer to attend law school.

After seeing recent media coverage of the discovery of long-lost light fixtures from the Senate chamber, a Norman man finally understood the significance of the large floor lamp he had been storing in his barn.

Coy Green said he purchased the lamp at an Oklahoma City swap meet approximately 40 years ago for about $25. When Green saw a picture of the Senate chamber in 1918, along with a story about the discovery, he knew he had something special. On Tuesday, Green delivered the lamp to the state Senate.
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Sen. Patrick Anderson, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Select Agencies, today announced the release of a report on the committee’s activities in the 2013 legislative session. Senate leadership this year reinstituted the committee, which had been dormant for many sessions.

“Our committee spent three months meeting with the 42 non-appropriated state agencies that Senate leadership asked us to review. I appreciate the time the agency employees, committee members and committee staff put into this project. It was certainly worth the time spent.