The Senate has given its approval to a measure modifying Oklahoma’s Reading Sufficiency Act. Those changes are contained in House Bill 2625, by Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, and Rep. Katie Henke, R-Tulsa. The measure was approved 43 to1 by the full Senate on Wednesday.
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Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, is Vice-Chair of the Senate Education Committee, and is the Senate author of a measure modifying Oklahoma’s Reading Sufficiency Act. He issued the following statement following Gov. Fallin’s announcement that she had vetoed House Bill 2625 on Tuesday.

Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, is Vice-Chair of the Senate Education Committee, and is the Senate author of a measure modifying Oklahoma’s Reading Sufficiency Act. He issued the following statement following Wednesday’s override of Gov. Fallin’s veto of House Bill 2625.

The Joint Committee on Federal Health Care Law delivered its final report to legislative leadership today after spending the legislative interim studying the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the effect it will have on Oklahoma.
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The Legislature will wait until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the federal health care law before proceeding with Senate Bill 1629, legislators announced Thursday.

The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer, perhaps as early as June, on a legal challenge brought by several states alleging the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.

Oklahoma’s concurrent enrollment tuition waiver program allows qualifying high school juniors and seniors to enroll in college classes before they actually graduate. Eligible seniors can actually get tuition waivers for up to six credit hours a semester. The idea is to encourage high school students to jump start their college education while saving their families money.

The Senate Republican Rural Caucus announced their legislative agenda today along with explaining their vision for improving the quality of life in rural Oklahoma. The Caucus reassured Oklahomans of their commitment to the Senate Republican agenda released prior to session, but with a special focus on issues critical to rural Oklahoma, making public safety, education and transportation top priorities.

Both military veterans and the citizens of Oklahoma would benefit financially from legislation passed unanimously Thursday by the state Senate. Senate Bill 132, by Sen. Ron Justice, would increase the income tax exemption for military retirement benefits.

The Senate Republican Rural Caucus met with members of the Forestry Division from the Department of Agriculture today to discuss pressing issues regarding wildfires. Oklahoma has already seen a large amount of wildfires this year, and will only increase with the lack of rainfall expected in the western half of the state.