The Senate Republican caucus has voted unanimously to re-elect Pro Tem Brian Bingman to another term. Monday’s caucus vote means Bingman will be the first Republican in state history to serve three terms as Pro Tempore of the Senate.

On Monday, the Senate honored the work and dedication of the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry’s (ODAFF) Investigative Services Division and their Chief Agent, Jerry Flowers. Sen. Ron Justice was joined by Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb in presenting Senate Resolution 69.
read more.

Senate Democratic Leader Sean Burrage issued the following statement Tuesday regarding the selection of Senator Brian Bingman to serve as Pro Tempore-elect for the 55th Legislature.

“I want to offer my sincere congratulations to President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman. It has been a pleasure serving with Senator Bingman and it’s also been my privilege to co-author several pieces of legislation with him. He’s a man of intelligence, integrity and humor. I feel fortunate to count Brian as a friend and I wish him the best in his third term as President Pro Tempore.”

The Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would help the children of public servants killed in the line of duty attend any Oklahoma career technology center tuition free. House Bill 3350 pertains to the children of any Oklahoma firefighter or emergency medical technician, both volunteer and salaried, peace officer or member of the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Retirement System who has been killed in the line of duty.

The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a bill prohibiting employers from requesting or requiring current or prospective employees to give them access to their personal social media accounts. Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. John Trebilcock, R-Broken Arrow, are the authors of House Bill 2372. The Senate approved the bill on Wednesday with a vote of 41 to 0.
read more.

“For the second year in a row, mandatory testing for thousands of Oklahoma students has come to a complete halt because of ‘computer glitches.’ You’d think after going through this last year, the Superintendent would have made certain we didn’t see a repeat. To have this happen two years in a row is inexcusable.

“This is a failure of leadership. Oklahoma students, teachers and schools are under a lot of pressure with these high stakes tests. Once again, those in charge have failed them.” --Sen. Tom Ivester, D-Sayre

Sen. Cliff Aldridge today applauded statements by House Speaker Jeff Hickman regarding Senate Bill 1651, which would allocate $40 million from the state’s Unclaimed Property Fund to the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum. Aldridge said the House Speaker has remained consistent in his requirement that 51 members of the House Republican Caucus support the proposal before it is given a hearing in the House chamber.
read more.

The full Senate has given its approval to legislation that would reduce Oklahoma’s top income tax rate by .25 and the corporate income tax rate by 1 full percentage point. House Bill 2508, by Sen. Mike Mazzei, was approved Tuesday. A Senate bill aimed at reducing income taxes is awaiting action by the full House.

Senate authors of a plan to increase public school funding by $600 million annually expect the bill to come up for a floor vote on Wednesday, one day before the deadline for consideration of House Bills. Sen. Jim Halligan, R-Stillwater, and Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville, have been working on changes to House Bill 2642, the Securing Educational Excellence Fund (SEEF).

Halligan, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, said concerns over slowing a program to address aging state roads and bridges resulted in the development of a new funding plan.

The state Senate has unanimously approved House Bill 2526, legislation intended to address Oklahoma’s domestic violence crisis. Authored by Sen. David Holt and Rep. Kay Floyd, the proposal creates a series of research-based questions that will be asked to domestic violence victims by responding law enforcement officers.
read more.