The state Senate this week approved legislation designed to combat the sale of dangerous synthetic drugs. House Bill 2666, by Rep. David Derby and Sen. Rob Standridge, would bring a number of synthetic drugs under the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act.

Standridge explained that the sale of such drugs, particularly synthetic marijuana, has emerged as a health and public safety problem for which there is little regulation.
read more.

After advancing through both houses of the Legislature today, a proposal that will enable water districts and municipalities to more efficiently undertake water reuse projects will move to the desk of the governor. Sen. Rob Standridge, author of Senate Bill 1187, said reuse should be an important part of the state’s long term vision for water.

The bill establishes policy to facilitate reuse projects, including permitting requirements.

Legislation that will encourage water districts and municipalities to expand the state’s supply of water through reuse and conservation has been signed by the governor.

Sen. Rob Standridge, author of Senate Bill 1187, said his proposal establishes state policy to facilitate reuse efforts, and specifies permitting requirements for projects.
read more.

Three state legislators are working with a conservative think tank to ensure that welfare is used as the temporary safety net that it was designed to be rather than a long term crutch. Last week, Sen. Rob Standridge worked with the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) in hosting a forum on welfare reform in Oklahoma along with Rep. Jason Nelson and Rep. Tom Newell. The featured speaker was conservative political activist Star Parker who discussed her visionary ideas on empowering those trapped in the welfare system.
read more.

Oklahoma State Sen. Rob Standridge was appointed this week by President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman to represent the majority party of the Oklahoma State Senate at The Assembly of State Legislature’s meeting in Washington, D.C. next week.

The Assembly of State Legislatures is a bipartisan group of state legislators from across the country who recognize that the states have a responsibility under federalism to work together to solve problems of national concern.

The House is the next stop for a measure approved Monday by the Senate to protect patient-doctor relationships and make health services more affordable in the state. Sen. Rob Standridge is the author of Senate Bill 560, which will keep direct care arrangements from being subject to state insurance regulation.
read more.

A recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) of their 4,000 Oklahoma members showed overwhelming support in favor of Oklahoma joining the call for an Article V Constitutional Convention to vote on a balanced budget amendment. The survey showed that nearly 77 percent of those surveyed support the idea of having a Convention of the States, while just over five percent were against the idea and nearly 18 percent were undecided. read more.

Sen. Rob Standridge is the Senate author of Senate Joint Resolution 4, which is an application to Congress calling for a convention of the states to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office of its officials and for members of Congress. The Senate approved the measure Wednesday 26-20 and it will now go to the House for further consideration.
read more.

The governor will soon be considering a measure that could give terminally ill patients one last chance of survival by giving them control over their terminal treatment options. House Bill 1074, also known as the Right-to-Try Act, would allow such patients, who have received approval from their physician, access to investigational medications, biological products or devices that have completed Food and Drug Administration phase one safety testing and remain under an approved investigation. The bill, which was approved by the Senate earlier this week, is authored by Rep. read more.

The Oklahoma State Legislature approved a resolution on the last day of the 2015 session calling on Congress to adopt a block grant proposal that would allow states more oversight of public assistance programs. The proposal was introduced in a June 2014 report entitled “Expanding Opportunity in America” by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget.

Sen. Rob Standridge, primary author of Senate Concurrent Resolution 31, said the federal proposal would make the delivery of public assistance more efficient for agencies and recipients.
read more.