The debate over automatic teller machine fees will apparently continue after the Legislature adjourns in May, according to the state lawmaker who has fought to put a limit on ATM charges.

Senator Angela Monson, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, has decided to put her bill on hold temporarily to give lawmakers more time to gather facts on the subject. The Oklahoma City lawmaker hopes an interim study will answer some of the questions that have arisen during discussion of her legislation.

Senator Dave Herbert is considering an alternative funding mechanism to bankroll the return of passenger rail service in Oklahoma, one that won't bite state farmers.

The Midwest City legislator originally proposed a two-cent increase in the state diesel tax and a one-half cent hike in the gas tax, but he's now rethinking the proposal in light of Oklahoma farmers' heavy reliance on diesel fuel. SJR 12 has already received Senate approval and is awaiting House action.

Oklahoma has dropped another rung on the education funding ladder, falling to 50th lowest in the country, according to a new national report on per pupil expenditures. The latest funding estimates from the National Education Association indicate only Utah spends less on its public school students than Oklahoma.

Senator Frank Shurden, author of legislation to legalize charity raffles, is questioning the viability of an alternative solution suggested today by the State Attorney General and a House committee chairman who is currently stalling action on the bill.

SB 671 has already passed the State Senate and is awaiting action in the House Rules Committee, but committee chairman Rep. Russ Roach has refused to hear the bill.

Saying he disagrees with Governor Keating's gloomy assessment of Oklahoma's public school system, a Senate education leader urged the state chief executive to take a closer look at the evidence before he condemns a decade of work by teachers, students and parents statewide.

The leader of the Oklahoma Senate wants an all-day kindergarten proposal and a teacher pay raise program to be considered in the ongoing school reform debate at the State Capitol, saying Oklahoma can't afford to neglect its youngest students or the people who teach them.

"I hope this isn't Governor Keating's subtle way of saying he doesn't support additional funding for our public schools, but I'm afraid that might be the case."

"When someone goes to the lengths that the Governor does to try to show that we're already spending enough on education, even when it's obvious we aren't, it tells me that he really isn't very interested in giving our school children the resources they need to succeed. That's disappointing, especially coming from a Governor who's spent so much time claiming that he's fighting the good fight for education."

The Oklahoma Legislature's Joint Electricity Task Force met today to receive a progress report of activities and to hear a presentation on possible suggestions which have been from the United Kingdom's experience with electric restructuring.

Senator Kevin Easley, Task Force Chairman, said he is impressed by the continuing level of interest in restructuring Oklahoma's electric business.

Saying Oklahomans deserve greater access to college degrees and better accountability in the public schools, members of the Senate Education Committee unveiled an improvement plan for Oklahoma's education system today. The proposed legislation would use a number of incentives to encourage better performance in public education.

Oklahoma City - Since 16-year old drivers are twice as likely to die in auto accidents, getting that laminated ticket to driving freedom may be a learning process rather than a one-day event for Oklahoma teenagers, according to Senators Keith Leftwich and Robert Milacek.

The two Senators, along with State Representatives Wallace Collins, Betty Boyd and Curt Roggow, have introduced a bill that would provide Oklahoma with a Graduated Driver Licensing program.