Legislation to help families get assisted outpatient treatment for adult relatives with mental illness before a situation reaches a crisis has been approved by the full Senate. House Bill 1697, by Sen. AJ Griffin and Rep. Lee Denney, was approved unanimously by the full Senate on Tuesday. The legislation is named the Labor Commissioner Mark Costello Act. Costello’s adult son, Christian, who struggled with mental illness for years, is charged in his father’s 2015 death.

The Senate unveiled a portrait Tuesday of the nation’s first African American Deputy Marshal, Bass Reeves.
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“Both the Senate and the House have passed legislation approving the new English Language Arts and Mathematics standards. Additionally both resolutions included suggested improvements and instructions intended to assure that the State Department of Education provides assistance to educators in developing their curriculum, and review clarifications and comments.
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“The budget situation we face this year gives us the opportunity to prove our commitment to the fiscally sound management of taxpayer dollars. I am pleased the governor today expressed a willingness to work together on bold reforms to address our current challenge and reduce the likelihood of future shortfalls.

Senate Democratic Leader John Sparks comments on the governor's
State of the State address alongside his colleagues Sen. Kay Floyd and
Sen. J.J. Dossett along wtih House Democratic Leader Scott Inman.

During the first week of the legislative session, civil asset forfeiture reform efforts continued to gain steam. The Oklahoma members of the National Federation of Independent Business released their annual legislative priorities Monday. Of all the topics, civil asset forfeiture reform garnered the most support.

“Civil asset forfeiture is not just a private property or liberty issue—it’s a business issue,” said Loveless, R-Oklahoma City. “I am pleased 93 percent of small-business owners polled support legislation to reform civil asset forfeiture.”
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A portrait of Oklahoma-native Lt. Col. Ernest Childers, the only Native American Guardsman to earn the nation’s highest award for valor, was dedicated Wednesday by the Senate. The piece, by artist Mike Wimmer, is sponsored by Sen. Bill and Linda Brown along with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
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“Several bills dealing with school district mergers, annexations, and consolidations have been introduced this session in the Senate. These measures take a thoughtful and pragmatic approach to streamline administrative costs to save money and improve the quality of education offered to students. At the heart of it, the members who have worked on these bills share the goal of ensuring we’re doing the best we can to focus resources in the classroom, where they most directly benefit Oklahoma children.

Sen. David Holt, the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau, Gov. Mary Fallin, Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, and House Speaker Jeff Hickman announced today that “American Ninja Warrior” is coming to Oklahoma for the first time and will shoot on the south plaza of the Oklahoma State Capitol.
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The Senate Education Committee has given unanimous, bipartisan support to legislation to eliminate state-mandated End of Instruction exams (EOIs). Under current law, high school students must pass four of seven EOIs in order to graduate from high school, even if they received passing grades in all required classes. read more.