More than half of the members of the Oklahoma State Senate represent communities impacted by this week’s storms, which included tornadoes and severe flooding across the state. On Wednesday those members issued the following statement:

“Although we are at the Capitol completing work on the 2019 session, we are all monitoring the weather situations in our districts, staying in contact with state and local emergency management officials, first responders and other officials as situations continue to unfold.

Sen. Jason Smalley announced Monday that he will be supporting amended legislation to raise the cap on the Equal Opportunity Education Program when it comes back to the Senate. The Stroud Republican voted against the measure when it came through the Senate in light of his opposition to school vouchers but said the amended bill will help Oklahoma’s schools and students.
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The Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday advanced a measure to modernize the Oklahoma Supreme Court district boundaries in order to increase the pool of qualified applicants eligible to fill judicial vacancies in the future.
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State Senator and Legislative Black Caucus Chair George E. Young, Sr. released the following statement in opposition of the legislative push to give the governor the ability to hire and fire agency heads in the state’s largest agencies.

The Senate Rules Committee on Thursday sent through three bills granting the governor the ability to hire and fire the heads of three of the largest state agencies.
The bills are a part of a larger agreement announced this week by the governor, Senate and House leadership that would bring more accountability to state government by giving the governor the ability to hire leaders at five of the largest state agencies.
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A program that began as a way to encourage private/public partnerships to divert women from prison is being expanded to all state agencies. The full Senate voted in favor of Senate Bill 210 on Monday, creating the Pay for Success Act. State Sen. Roger Thompson is the principal author of the measure, which he describes as a way to create new programs to solve wide-ranging challenges in government without risking public dollars.
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President Pro Tempore Greg Treat on Monday announced appointments the senate leader has made to various boards and commissions.
“Public service to the great state of Oklahoma comes in many forms, and I appreciate these women and men for agreeing to step in and serve their fellow citizens,” said Treat, R-Oklahoma City.
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A measure to prohibit the use of state funds for recruitment bonuses for teachers failed narrowly in the Senate 22-20 Tuesday. Retired educator Sen. Ron Sharp said he authored Senate Bill 57 to stop the unfair practice of virtual charter schools rewarding teachers financially with state appropriated dollars for successfully recruiting other teachers and students to their schools in the middle of the school year.
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The full Senate has given approval to a bill aimed at ensuring more state contracts are awarded to Oklahoma businesses. Sen. Rob Standridge is the principal author of Senate Bill 376, the Oklahoma First Act.

Standridge said the exact mechanisms are still being honed as the bill moves through the legislative process, but noted the concept is a simple one.
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Sen. Julie Daniels and Rep. Mark Lepak will attend a White House event on Thursday to hear President Trump speak about protecting First Amendment rights on college campuses. He is expected to sign an executive order tying the receipt of federal research funding to universities’ actions to ensure freedom of expression on campus. The two legislators received the invitation because of their work on a bill to protect freedom of expression on Oklahoma campuses.