The Senate has approved legislation designed to curb the widespread abuse of prescription drugs in Oklahoma. House Bill 1419 is a bipartisan effort to address fraud and the practice of “doctor shopping” by strengthening the state’s prescription monitoring program.

Sen. Rob Standridge, Senate author of HB 1419, said the proposal represents a strong step in the right direction, but that the state must address more broadly the epidemic of prescription drug abuse in its overall public health strategy.
read more.

The full Senate has given unanimous approval to House Bill 2228, creating the “Protect Against Pedophiles Act.” The measure, by Senator Kyle Loveless and Rep. Joe Dorman, gives schools a greater ability to protect Oklahoma children from predators by conducting background checks for adults volunteers. The measure was approved on Monday, 44 to 0.
read more.

The full Senate voted to improve and reform Oklahoma’s A-F grades for public schools. Sen. Clark Jolley, the original author of the A-F legislation, said the idea was to help parents more easily understand how their children’s schools were doing.

Jolley and Rep. Lee Denney, along with other lawmakers and representatives from the governor’s office, formed a working group to examine concerns raised by superintendents, educators and others and determine what modifications should be made. The results are contained in House Bill 1658, co-authored by Jolley and Denney.
read more.

Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman issued the following statement Wednesday following Senate passage of a responsible income tax cut. read more.

Under legislation passed by the Oklahoma state Senate on Wednesday, the future maintenance and management of state-owned assets would be prioritized and made more efficient through a central Long-Range Capital Planning Commission.
read more.

Sen. Dan Newberry today issued the following statement after the Senate’s passage of House 2032. The bill would cut the top income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 5.0 percent on January 1, 2015, and to 4.85 percent, on January 1, 2016, contingent on state revenues.

Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman issued the following statement Wednesday following passage of Senate Bill 1062, the Administrative Workers’ Compensation Act, in the House of Representatives. Bingman’s workers’ compensation overhaul, authored in the House by Speaker T.W. Shannon, passed the House by a vote of 74-24. The bill now returns to the Senate for final approval before being sent to the Governor.
read more.

Senator Susan Paddack, D- Ada, issued the following statement on the amendment and passage of her bill, Senate Bill 408, today by the Oklahoma House of Representatives:

“I was surprised today to see that my bill, Senate Bill 408, was amended to include language which would allow school personnel to carry guns in our schools.

That language came from a House bill that was not heard in the Senate this session.

The state Senate moved Tuesday to abolish Oklahoma’s judicial workers’ compensation system. Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman’s Senate Bill 1062, the Administrative Workers’ Compensation Act, replaces Oklahoma’s adversarial court process with an administrative system. Oklahoma and Tennessee are the only two states left in the nation currently employing a judicial process for the resolution of workers’ compensation claims.
read more.

Gov. Mary Fallin’s desk is the next stop for legislation meant to encourage underage drinkers to call for help if one of their friends becomes unresponsive. Senate Bill 1, by Sen. Cliff Branan and Rep. Mike Jackson, was given final passage with a unanimous Senate vote on Tuesday. Branan said the measure would protect an individual from being charged for underage drinking if they call for help for a friend who may have consumed lethal amounts of alcohol.
read more.