Friends, family, and supporters looked on Thursday as Senator-elect J.J. Dossett was officially sworn in to represent District 34 in the Oklahoma State Senate. Dossett, D-Owasso, won the seat in a special election held January 12, becoming the first Democrat chosen to represent that district since 1990.

“I am extremely grateful for the support I received and for the faith the citizens of District 34 have placed in me,” Dossett said. “I don’t take it for granted, and I will always endeavor to be the strongest voice possible for all those I represent here in the Senate.” read more.

Sen. David Holt is proposing a $10,000 teacher pay raise, and he has introduced a package of six pieces of legislation to implement the pay raise without a tax increase, using a multi-year, multi-faceted approach that can be considered this legislative session. Oklahoma teachers have not received a pay raise since 2008 and salaries now lag behind the national average by more than $10,000.
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The chair of the Senate Education Committee has filed legislation designed to help more Oklahoma schools attract high quality teachers and enhance course offerings. Senate Bill 1384 would help schools attain these goals by giving local districts autonomy over mergers enabling the combination of administrative and support services without requiring any schools to close.
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With the 2016 legislative session quickly approaching, the Senate has completed its bill filing period. Thursday, January 21 was the deadline, resulting in the filing of 704 Senate bills and 42 Senate Joint Resolutions. A total of 636 Senate Bills and 31 Senate Joint Resolutions carried over from the 2015 session.
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Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman has announced the appointment of University of Oklahoma economist Cynthia Rogers to the Incentive Evaluation Commission. Rogers has been appointed to a term that will expire in June, 2020.

Bingman said he was confident Rogers would provide exceptional leadership as a member of the Commission. Rogers has had a long and distinguished career in academia, with extensive work on economic development, and state and local tax policy research.

The Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday approved $17.7 million in funding for the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to prevent provider rate cuts. The Senate also approved $26.5 million in additional funding for the Department of Human Services (DHS) to make up a portion of the agency’s funding struck down by the courts.
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Twelve Senate Republican freshmen issued a joint statement today calling on the House of Representatives to allow a vote on the all-inclusive revenue package that passed the Oklahoma Senate in an overwhelming fashion on Monday.
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The Oklahoma Senate Democratic Leader, Sen. John Sparks, D-Norman, issued a statement today, commenting on the failure of HB 1054x in the House today:

“Today’s failure of the ‘A+’ revenue package is undoubtedly disappointing and frustrating. However, now is not the time for us to give up and settle on cash and cuts as a short-term fix for our long-term budget problem. Now is the time for us to redouble our efforts, push forward, and find a new path to a long-term budget solution which will protect the most basic, core government functions and services.

Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz commented on the failed revenue vote in the Oklahoma House: read more.

Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz commented on the Senate’s passage of HB 1019, the revised general appropriations bill that closes the FY’18 budget shortfall:
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