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Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday will hold the first of a series of hearings to further review the budgets of the top appropriated state agencies.
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Oklahoma Senate Republican leaders commented on legislative accomplishments as the 2018 session wrapped up Thursday. The leaders pointed to the largest teacher pay raise in state history, increased education funding, and significant criminal justice reforms as major highlights.
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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.
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The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a bill by Majority Floor Leader Kim David that would permit Oklahomans to carry firearms without a permit.
The committee voted 18-4 for the so-called “constitutional carry” bill and sent the measure on to be considered by the entire Senate.
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The Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday sent the constitutional carry bill to the governor’s desk. House Bill 2597, authored in the Senate by Majority Floor Leader Kim David, was approved with a bipartisan vote of 40-6.
The bill:
Permits Oklahomans age 21 and older to carry a firearm without a permit.
Permits veterans, active duty, and reserve military age 18 and over to carry without a permit.
Prohibits felons and those with domestic violence convictions or who have been adjudicated as having a mental illness from carrying a firearm.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 888 late Tuesday to create the Program of All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE). Sen. Kim David said the bill will provide comprehensive health care to elderly Oklahomans and help them stay in their homes longer.
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Oklahoma is second in the nation for nursing home residents with low care needs who could be better served in home and community-based settings. The Senate gave final approval to Senate Bill 888, by Sen. Kim David, Tuesday to provide seniors and their families options that best suit the individual’s long-term healthcare needs while saving the state money.
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The full Senate has approved a bill aimed at helping law enforcement and families find answers in missing and unidentified persons cases. House Bill 2640, Francine’s Law, was approved unanimously by the full Senate on Monday. Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, is principal Senate author of Francine’s Law, which was co-authored by Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, with House principal author, Rep. Rhonda Baker, R-Yukon.
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Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treat criticized the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s use of the “special law” provision of the Oklahoma Constitution to strike down the non-economic damages cap of landmark lawsuit reform laws.
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The Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to legislation that preserves and strengthens landmark workers’ compensation reforms adopted in 2013. House Bill 2367 passed unanimously and now goes to the governor’s desk for consideration.
Senator Julie Daniels, Senate Judiciary Committee chair, is the Senate author of the bill and said HB 2367 clarifies and secures the reforms while addressing a number of issues that have arisen since passage of the original bill.
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