Cities that want to ban smoking in municipal parks would have the legal authority to do so under a measure approved by the State Senate on Wednesday. Members voted 44 to 1 in favor of Senate Bill 501 authored by Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer. The legislation would give local governments the authority to ban smoking on any property they own or operate, including municipal parks and sports complexes.

The Senate unanimously approved legislation Wednesday to protect the rights of veterans who are deployed. Senate Bill 466, by Sen. Frank Simpson, would not allow a soldier’s deployment time to be used against them in legal actions.

Members of the Oklahoma Veterans Council, a coalition of Oklahoma veterans’ organizations, met at the State Capitol with Sen. Frank Simpson Monday to discuss Senate Bill 467. The measure would abolish the War Veterans Commission, which is the governing body of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs.

A trio of bills were unanimously approved Thursday by the full Senate in an effort to improve services at the state’s seven veterans centers. Sen. Frank Simpson, the measures’ author and chairman of the Senate Veterans Committee, said the bills are in response to issues brought forth during the Senate Veterans Committee interim study of ODVA this fall.

The Senate General Government Committee has given unanimous approval to a measure allowing cities and counties to ban smoking on government property. Senator Frank Simpson, R-Springer is the author of Senate Bill 501, which was approved on Monday—just a week after that same committee voted overwhelmingly against a bill which would have given local government the authority to ban smoking in private businesses as well as government owned properties.

Oklahoma currently has over 100 one-hundred-percent disabled veterans who have been injured while serving in the line of duty and over 100 veterans who have been killed-in-action since September 11, 2001. In order to provide some financial assistance to these brave individuals and their families as well as to those surviving spouses and children of those killed-in-action, Sen. Frank Simpson filed Senate Bill 486 this year creating the 9/11 G.I. Bill.

In order to ensure Oklahoma’s veterans are receiving the best possible care at state veterans centers, Sen. Frank Simpson filed Senate Bill 228 this year. The bill, which creates the Quality Workforce for Oklahoma’s Heroes Act, received unanimous approval from the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday. SB 228 authorizes the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) to establish education and training programs for positions critical to the quality care of veterans residing within Department institutions.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has given unanimous approval to a bill restoring Oklahoma State Department of Health inspections at state-run veterans’ centers. Sen. Frank Simpson is principal author of Senate Bill 629, which was approved Wednesday on a vote of 18-0.

A measure to protect deployed soldiers from certain legal actions was approved unanimously Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Under Senate Bill 466, by Sen. Frank Simpson, a soldier’s deployment time could not be counted under the statute of limitations if legal action is brought against that individual.

“This bill is about protecting the rights of deployed soldiers. They can’t protect or represent themselves in legal cases when they’re fighting overseas. It’s ludicrous to expect them to and it’s even worse to punish them for doing their job,” said Simpson, R-Springer.

On Thursday, the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) was among seven state agencies to testify before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services during the committee’s second budget and performance hearing. Sen. Frank Simpson said he was greatly disappointed by the changes made by ODVA to address problems discovered within the agency and at the state’s seven veteran centers during last year’s interim study.