The I-40 and I-35 corridor makes Oklahoma a prime location for not only drug trafficking, but human trafficking. Truck stops are major targets for traffickers, which is why Sen. Frank Simpson and Rep. Steve Vaughan authored House Bill 2651 that received final approval in the Senate Wednesday and is moving on to the governor’s office.
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Sen. Frank Simpson and Rep. Pat Ownbey thanked their colleagues and Gov. Fallin Friday for their support of legislation to help diabetics get reimbursed for life-saving training and education. The legislators are authors of Senate Bill 972, which will direct the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to examine the feasibility of submitting a state plan amendment to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to enable the Oklahoma Medicaid Program to reimburse providers for diabetes self-management training (DSMT).
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It is estimated that around two million Purple Hearts have been awarded by the U.S. Military since World War I. Sen. Frank Simpson authored Senate Bill 232 to recognize Oklahoma’s 1,340 recipients by designating Oklahoma a Purple Heart State.

“So many Oklahomans have sacrificed life and limb for our country,” said Simpson, R-Springer. “We want to honor their service and sacrifice and ensure it’s never forgotten by designating Oklahoma a Purple Heart State.”
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Oklahoma’s 100% disabled veterans currently receive a sales tax exemption for the sale of tangible personal property or services. Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Ardmore, authored Senate Bill 310 to extend that exemption to those veterans’ widows as well as veterans who sustain their disability while under the care of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) and widows whose spouses are killed in the line of duty.
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Oklahoma will be designated as a Purple Heart State beginning November 1st thanks to legislation signed into law recently. Navy veteran, Sen. Frank Simpson said he authored Senate Bill 232 to give Oklahoma’s Purple Heart recipients the recognition they deserve.
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Sen. Simpson at DC conference

OKLAHOMA CITY On Tuesday, Sen. Frank Simpson attended a White House Conference to discuss issues facing todays veterans as well as honor contemporary Native American veterans. Simpson, a retired Navy veteran and Chairman of the State Senate Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, was invited by the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

OKLAHOMA CITY - State Sen. Joseph Silk, R-Broken Bow, issued the following statement in response to the letter recently published by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) stating its opposition to Senate Bill 13, or the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act. If enacted, this legislation would bring an immediate end to abortion in Oklahoma. Silk is the author of SB 13.

State Sen. Joseph Silk, R-Broken Bow, issued the following statement regarding the lack of support by Senate leadership for Senate Bill 13, also known as the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act. Silk is the author of SB 13.

An interim study focused on the high number of females incarcerated in Oklahoma and the effects on their children will meet this week at the State Capitol. Oklahoma currently leads the nation in the number of females in prison. In 2014, there were about 130 women incarcerated per 100,000 residents in the state, compared to the national average of 67 per 100,000. Shorter sentences, rehabilitation programs and alternative correctional measures have all been discussed during previous legislative years, but Oklahoma still faces an understaffed prison program that is overcrowded with offenders. read more.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday approved four criminal justice reform bills aimed at addressing the state’s prison population while still ensuring public safety. The measures were touted by Governor Mary Fallin in her State of the State speech this year, and were proposed by her Oklahoma Justice Reform Committee.

Sen. Greg Treat, R-Edmond, is Senate principal author of three measures that would hold nonviolent offenders accountable while still ensuring public safety and saving millions of dollars each year.