Governor Mary Fallin, Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman and House Speaker Jeff Hickman today announced an agreement to use about $78.5 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to partially offset budget cuts to common education and corrections for the remainder of this fiscal year.

Under the agreement, the Department of Education is to receive $51 million and the Department of Corrections (DOC) is to receive $27.5 million.

A proposal to combine multiple state law enforcement agencies into one single agency received the stamp of approval today in the Senate. Senate Bill 1561, by Sen. Ralph Shortey and Rep. Mike Christian, would create the Oklahoma Department of Law Enforcement (ODLE), and bring three separate law enforcement agencies under one umbrella, merging them into four divisions reporting to a single superintendent who will have supervisory authority over the agency. The proposed legacy divisions are:

Sen. Mike Schulz, R-Altus, has won approval for a proposed constitutional amendment allowing most statewide office holders to remain in office 12 years, the amount legislators can serve, before being term limited. The measure was approved by the full Senate Wednesday on a vote of 32 to 12.

Oklahomans will be able to fly commercially with an Oklahoma driver license under legislation passed by the Senate today and authored by Sen. David Holt. Senate Bill 1362 passed the Senate 35-8. In a carefully crafted compromise, the legislation allows Oklahomans to voluntarily choose to retain a license that is not compliant with the federal REAL ID Act or choose to obtain one that is.

The full Senate has given unanimous support to legislation to better protect victims of domestic violence. Senate Bill 1491, also known as Kristen’s Law, was authored by Sen. Bryce Marlatt and changes the legal definition of pattern of physical abuse. The bill was approved Wednesday 44 to 0.

Two bills reforming parts of Oklahoma’s juvenile justice system won approval by the full Senate on Wednesday. Sen. AJ Griffin is the author of Senate Bills 1200 and 1233. She said the measures are part of a comprehensive juvenile justice reform effort based on the findings and recommendations of a two-year task force.

The state Senate Wednesday approved Senate Bill 1113, which allows a citizen to recover attorney’s fees and associated costs if they successfully challenge a civil forfeiture.

“I am glad the Senate took a small step toward reform this morning,” said Sen. Kyle D. Loveless (R-Oklahoma City). “I have worked for nearly a year on this issue and believe there is still work to be done to correct this flawed law.”

The full Senate has approved Sen. David Holt’s legislation to make “revenge porn” against the law in Oklahoma. Approved Wednesday on a vote of 42 to 2, Senate Bill 1257 criminalizes the dissemination of non-consensual pornography, sometimes called “revenge porn.”

“Non-consensual pornography is a purely destructive act,” said Holt, R-Oklahoma City. “It targets women and it should be a crime. Prosecutors have told me that our current laws are inadequate, and I hope we can get this legislation through to change that.”

The Senate has passed Senate Joint Resolution 44, authored by Sen. David Holt, by a vote of 46-1. The legislation, approved Monday, would give the people of Oklahoma the opportunity to measure the current 15 percent cap on the state’s Rainy Day Fund against the total state budget of approximately $24 billion.

Senate Democratic Leader John Sparks announced Monday he’s submitted a formal request to Superintendent of Public Education Joy Hofmeister for a fiscal impact statement on bills currently before the Oklahoma legislature regarding vouchers, or the inaccurately named Education Savings Accounts.

“This request specifically asks for the direct fiscal impact these voucher bills will have on Oklahoma’s public schools once they are fully implemented,” said Sparks, D-Norman, “not the fiscal impact they will have on the state budget.”