The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1395 Wednesday to improve the financial transparency and accountability of Oklahoma’s five public virtual charter schools. Sen. Dewayne Pemberton (R-Muskogee) and Rep. Sheila Dills (R-Tulsa) are the authors of the bill, which will subject virtual charter schools to same financial reporting requirements, financial audits, audit procedures and audit requirements as traditional public school districts.

Court-appointed special advocates will be submitted to Department of Human Services (DHS) child welfare records searches this fall under legislation recently signed into law. Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, is the author of Senate Bill 722.

The Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee in a special meeting on Thursday acted on a House bill that would provide a 2 percent cost of living adjustment for state pension retirees contingent on the outcome of an actuarial study of the pension systems.

Senator Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, is the Senate author of House Bill 2304 and filed a committee substitute to ensuring the bill followed the provisions of the Oklahoma Pension Legislation Actuarial Analysis Act (OPLAAA).

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation Tuesday to help parents better understand judges’ rulings on child custody and visitation. Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, authored Senate 65 after hearing from numerous constituents who are frustrated with their custody or visitation arrangements and have gotten no clear explanation about the court’s findings.

Efforts have been made in the legislature in recent years to improve access and make voting easier for Oklahomans. The Senate passed another bill this week that will allow employees more flexibility in voting. Senate Bill 58, by Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, will allow employees who live two or more hours from their polling place to take leave to vote on the Thursday or Friday before an election when in-person absentee voting is allowed by law.

A bill to provide economic protection to small communities by requiring economic impact studies of transportation bypass projects was vetoed Wednesday. Legislators and thousands of citizens, business and community leaders in Muskogee are outraged by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) decision to construct a bypass along US Highway 69, which could cost the community millions in lost business, tourism and tax revenue in the future.

Despite the political rhetoric of House Democrats, Senator Lonnie Paxton said Senate Republicans are following the law and protecting the pensions of state retirees by sending a cost of living adjustment (COLA) bill for further study.

Sen. Lonnie Paxton applauded Gov. Fallin for signing legislation Tuesday to help grow Oklahoma’s agriculture industry by allowing farmers to grow industrial hemp. House Bill 2913, by Sen. Paxton, Rep. Jon Echols and Rep. Mickey Dollens, creates the Oklahoma Industrial Hemp Agricultural Pilot Program.

(For digital audio, go to www.oksenate.gov and select Media)

A bill aimed at reducing the number of individuals fraudulently claiming to be disabled veteran has cleared the full Senate. Sen. Joe Newhouse is principal author of Senate Bill 456, which directs the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) to create and administer a registry of 100 percent service-disabled veterans. The agency would also be charged with verifying all information provided through the registry.