Oklahoma citizens will be able to pre-register to vote when they turn 17.5 years old thanks to a new law going into effect on November 1. Sen. Jason Smalley, R-Stroud, and Rep. Zack Taylor, R-Seminole, authored Senate Bill 496 this past session to make it easier for young voters to remember to get registered to vote before they turn 18.
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In March, Sen. Ron Sharp, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, requested financial information from the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) regarding funding to one of the state’s largest public brick and mortar charter schools. The agency told the senator they were working on his Open Records request but after nearly three months of receiving no answers, the senator’s request was placed on hold. In June, OSDE’s legal counsel responded that there would be an $850 fee for the labor required to provide the financial information.
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Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, issued the following statement on the passing of former Sen. Jonathan Nichols, R-Norman. Standridge succeeded Nichols in representing Senate District 15 after Nichols was term-limited in 2012.

Oklahoma Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat on Thursday named two appointments to the board of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

Treat, R-Oklahoma City, said Kari Stomprud of Yukon and Dr. Carisa Wilsie of Yukon will serve as his appointments on the ODMHSAS board in accordance with government accountability reforms enacted earlier this year.
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Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat on Thursday announced his appointment of Randy Curry of Weatherford to the board of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.

Curry currently serves as rural health coordinator for the Southwestern Oklahoma State University School of Pharmacy. Before that, he spent more than 30 years in retail pharmacy. Curry holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from SWOSU.
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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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