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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Repeat DUI offenders may lose more than their licenses the next time they drive drunk. They could also lose their car if legislation approved by the Oklahoma State Senate today ultimately becomes law.

"I don¹t think seizing a repeat DUI offender's car is too much of a punishment to exact, especially when you consider the thousands of Oklahomans whose lives have been shattered by drunk drivers. We need to send the message that if you drink and drive in Oklahoma, you'll not only lose your license, you might lose your car as well," said Senator Kevin Easley, author of SB 423.

School districts which are designated to participate in a pilot project spawned by a Republican education proposal will have to put 90 percent of their funding directly into the classroom, spending it only on teachers, teachers aides and classroom supplies.

Cutting government waste and eliminating bureaucratic red tape will be just two of the goals of a new joint oversight committee created by legislative leaders today.

House Speaker Loyd Benson and Senate President Pro Tempore Stratton Taylor announced the creation of the Joint Committee on Accountability in Government, saying the new panel would serve as a watchdog over the state's hundreds of agencies, boards and commissions.

County officials who voted themselves major pay hikes will have to return the money if a Tulsa area legislator gets his way. State Senator Kevin Easley formally filed legislation today which would rescind the pay raise granted to county officials in Tulsa and Oklahoma County.

"Clearly, some county officers took advantage of the situation and handed themselves exorbitant pay raises. I think we need to go back to square one and do something that's more in keeping with the public's wishes," said Senator Easley.

If a new proposal requested by the State Senate GOP Caucus becomes law, Senate Republicans will be given the freedom to implement one of their education reform ideas in their home school districts.

The chairman and vice-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education are considering a series of pilot projects which will require selected school districts to spend at least 90 percent of their education funding on the classroom, leaving no more than 10 percent for administration.