Legislation establishing a special savings account for Oklahoma's tobacco settlement funds has been approved by the full State Senate. SB 1404 by Senator Stratton Taylor passed on a 45-1 vote Monday.

OKLAHOMA CITY - An international health organization has given Oklahoma the only "A" in the nation for the state's efforts to stop the spread of Hepatitis A. That's according to State Senator Kelly Haney, author of a 1997 bill requiring the vaccination for Oklahoma children.

When it comes to putting teachers into the classroom, Oklahoma is doing a better job than almost every other state in the country, according to national statistics highlighted in a new Senate report.

"I think it's a very encouraging sign. It indicates that we're doing a great job of getting personnel into the classroom where they can do the most good," said Senator Cal Hobson, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.

Twenty state lawmakers are urging Governor Keating to retract his inaccurate criticism of Oklahoma college graduates and apologize for suggesting that a majority of them aren't competent enough to enter the working world.

Governor Keating's story about a mystery CEO allegedly criticizing Oklahoma college graduates is more fiction than fact, according to a state lawmaker who first questioned the authenticity of the Governor's story last month.

Senator Kevin Easley said that a letter written by a state college president indicates that the CEO story is false and the Governor knows it.

Senator Stratton Taylor's proposal for a state tobacco trust fund will soon be heard by the Oklahoma State Senate. The bill cleared its first legislative hurdle at the end of last week, earning a do-pass recommendation from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"I think there's a lot of support for the idea of setting up a special trust fund to hold a substantial share of the state's tobacco settlement money. I still view this legislation as a work in progress, but the positive reaction it has received thus far is encouraging," said Senator Taylor, Senate President Pro Tempore.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Two state Senators are asking questions about the funding priorities at the State Department of Mental Health. That's after the board created a new position for their former commissioner, while laying off more than 100 state employees at Eastern State Hospital.

The downsizing was part of a plan to contain costs at Eastern State Hospital. Seventy state workers will be forced to leave their jobs March 1, while 43 others will follow in July.

For the second time in as many months, Governor Keating is being called on the carpet for making inappropriate comments about the state of Oklahoma.

According to a State Senate leader, the chief executive stepped over the line again yesterday when he referred to current day Oklahoma as "stupid and backward" because it had not yet enacted a right to work law.

"There he goes again," said Senate Majority Whip Keith Leftwich, borrowing a phrase popularized by former President Ronald Reagan.

Statement by Senator Lewis Long,
Chairman of the Senate Business and Labor Committee

"I think the right to work supporters failed to make a compelling case that this kind of change would really help Oklahoma's economic development efforts. If anything, the testimony and presentations reinforced the belief that right to work is just a bumper sticker slogan that is more of a political football than it is a legitimate economic development tool."

With veterans groups set to rally at the State Capitol Tuesday, State Senator Sam Helton renewed his call for Governor Keating to rescind his proposed cut to veterans programs, saying the Governor's office hasn't been able to justify its recommended 8 percent reduction in state funding.