President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman issued the following statement after Tuesday’s Board of Equalization meeting, which increased its estimated shortfall for fiscal year 2015 from $171 million to $188 million.

“We already knew from the December certification that our budget would be down next year. We are obviously disappointed to see it move further in the wrong direction, but agencies have known about the downturn for several months now and have been planning accordingly.

The Senate Finance Committee has passed legislation that will help match Oklahomans with jobs identified by the state Department of Commerce as critical occupations.

Senate Bill 1639 would create the Quality Workforce Act, which would incentivize Oklahoma companies to pay for employees to gain a degree or industry certificate in high-need job areas.

The Oklahoma State Senate dedicated artwork Tuesday depicting two of Oklahoma’s most beautiful landscapes, the Wichita Mountains and the Arkansas River
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A bill to lower the state’s top income tax rate by .25 percent beginning in 2015 has cleared its first hurdle in the Senate. Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City, is the principal author of Senate Bill 1246. The measure was approved on a bipartisan vote by the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday.
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Time is running out for Oklahomans who want a say in whether or not a horse slaughter plant should be built in their community. Sen. Randy Bass is the author of Senate Joint Resolution 66, which has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Agriculture. So far the measure has not been given a hearing, and if the bill isn’t heard in committee by next Monday, the issue will likely be dead for the session.

The Senate Appropriations Committee today approved a proposal to complete the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum with one-time monies from the state’s Unclaimed Property Fund.

The fund, which is comprised of lost and unclaimed monies and no tax or fee revenue, will allow the project to be completed without further obligating the taxpayers and without taking any federal funds. Senate Bill 1651 will take $40 million out of the fund, which will be matched by $40 million in private donations, to help pay for completion of the project.
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The Democrats of the Oklahoma State Senate have chosen Sen. John Sparks as leader-elect of the Caucus. Sparks, of Norman, was elected during a meeting of the Senate Democratic Caucus on Monday. He will succeed Sen. Sean Burrage of Claremore, who is not seeking re-election to his seat. Sparks will take over from Burrage at the close of the current legislative session.

New state employees would be able to utilize a portable 401(k)-style retirement plan under legislation passed in the state Senate on Wednesday. Senate Bill 2120 will move state employees hired after Nov. 1, 2015 away from the traditional defined benefit to a defined contribution plan, similar to the private sector.

A portrait of the late Pearl Carter Scott, one of the country’s youngest pilots and a former Chickasaw legislator, will now grace the walls of the Oklahoma State Capitol following the unveiling ceremony Wednesday in the House of Representatives. The portrait, painted by Oklahoma artist Christopher Nick, was a gift of the Chickasaw Nation, Governor Bill Anoatubby and Rep. Ray McCarter, Ed.D.
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The Senate Public Safety Committee passed legislation Thursday barring cell phone use in Oklahoma school zones.

Senate Bill 1601 makes it illegal for anyone operating a motor vehicle to use a wireless communications device in a school zone. The bill does not apply to cars that are stopped, drivers who are using hands free devices or specifically-listed emergency calls.