Many parents know the feeling of having to stretch their budget just to buy new school clothes and shoes for their children at the beginning of each school year.

One state senator is encouraging Oklahomans to not give up hope. Senator Jeff Rabon has introduced a bill for the past three years to give Oklahomans a tax break for their children's back-to-school items. The Hugo Democrat states the bill is still alive and will be up for reconsideration next session.

(Oklahoma City) The Oklahoma Legislature will return for special session on September 7th, but it does not plan to take up the issue of tax reform then, according to House Speaker Larry Adair and Senate President Pro Tempore Stratton Taylor.

The two legislative leaders announced today that they want to address several pressing issues during the session, but will delay any action on a proposed tax reform package until a later date.

After successfully completing chemotherapy treatments and a rigorous rehabilitation program, State Senator Larry Dickerson is scheduled to undergo surgery Thursday morning in Houston to remove some final "suspicious nodes" related to his cancer treatment.

The local legislator made the announcement on Wednesday, saying he wanted to keep his constituents updated on his condition.

"The people of my district mean a lot to me and I wanted them to know what's going on. It's just like letting your boss know that you're going to be out sick for a few days," he said.

New York, NY - The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) announced the appointment of Oklahoma Senator Jim Dunlap as its National Chairman for 2002 at an August 3rd session of their annual meeting. Dunlap will be installed this December at the organization's States' and Nation Policy Summit in Washington, DC.

"Senator Dunlap is an exemplary leader, both in his home state of Oklahoma and as a leader in ALEC," said outgoing 2001 National Chairman Steve McDaniel. "It is truly an honor to have him as our National Chairman in 2002."

Support from the Oklahoma Congressional delegation has brought the planned Native American Cultural Center and Museum a giant step closer to reality. That's according to State Senator Kelly Haney, who has been working on funding for the center since 1994.

If Oklahoma's economy continues to produce growth revenue next fiscal year, the bulk of new funds should be set aside to meet needs in the state's public school system, according to two key state lawmakers who oversee public school legislation.

Senator Penny Williams and Senator Cal Hobson said they want to stake an early claim for education funding so that there is no confusion about fiscal priorities when initial budget estimates are made later this year.

Some Oklahoma classroom budgets may be a little smaller in the coming school year thanks to an action taken by Governor Keating this month. The governor ensured that more money would be drained out of public school classrooms when he vetoed SB 496 - legislation that would have required schools to pay state-imposed fines for paperwork violations out of their administrative budgets.

Senator Jeff Rabon, author of SB 496, said that Governor Keating's veto is more likely to punish school children than it is the people who made the paperwork error.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahomans will soon be using an identification number other than their social security number for their driver's license. That's after the Governor signed legislation aimed at reducing fraudulent use of social security numbers. Senator Carol Martin became concerned after increased reports of identify theft began surfacing both in her district and around the state.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Although most doctors recommend yearly mammograms for women starting at age 40, Medicaid and many private insurance companies in Oklahoma don't offer it until age 50. But that will soon be changing thanks to the passage and final approval of Senate Bill 711, authored by Senator Larry Dickerson, D-Poteau and Representative Jari Askins, D-Duncan.

(Oklahoma City) Legislative leaders and Governor Frank Keating announced today that they plan to continue discussions on the reform of Oklahoma's tax code, but the state leaders made it clear that they would not be pursuing a proposal that involved a property tax increase.