OKLAHOMA CITY – Two measures to provide protections against wage discrimination passed out of the Senate Tuesday.  Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd is the author of the bills, which will now move to the House.

OKLAHOMA CITY –   State Senator Micheal Bergstrom was appointed this week to serve on the Joint Legislative Task Force on The Grand River Dam Authority by Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat. The Republican legislator from Adair replaces former state Senator Eddie Fields.

OKLAHOMA CITY – A measure to prohibit the use of state funds for recruitment bonuses for teachers failed narrowly in the Senate 22-20 Tuesday.  Retired educator Sen. Ron Sharp said he authored Senate Bill 57 to stop the unfair practice of virtual charter schools rewarding teachers financially with state appropriated dollars for successfully recruiting other teachers and students to their schools in the middle of the school year.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Sen. Micheal Bergstrom, R-Adair, visited Will Rogers Elementary School in Vinita on Friday, March 1 in celebration of Read Across America Day. 

“Reading is crucial to student learning and is proven to be tied to future success for children, so this event is always a fun one to celebrate,” said Bergstrom.  “I enjoyed visiting with all the great students at Will Rogers Elementary and want to thank them for their invitation to join them on Friday to read “Great Day for Up” by Dr. Seuss while I was visiting their classroom.” 

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Sen. Micheal Bergstrom visited Wilson Elementary School in Miami on Friday, March 1 in celebration of Read Across America Day.  Wilson Elementary was one of several stops the Adair legislator made in recognition of the day designated to motivate children to read.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Court-appointed special advocates would be submitted to a child welfare records search under legislation approved unanimously by the Senate Monday.  Sen. Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee, is the author of Senate Bill 722.

Sen. Paul Scott (R-Duncan) released the following statement regarding his decision to not pursue Senate Bill 40 dealing with the Soon-to-be-Sooners Program.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the country.  The preventable disease costs the state billions of dollars annually in medical treatment, hospital stays and lost productivity in the workforce. 

To address the growing rate of the disease through legislation, Senate and House members founded the Legislative Diabetes Caucus in 2018.

Sen. Scott and other members are seeking input from local citizens as to how to better address the preventable disease.  The monthly meetings are open to the public. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Durant natives, Sen. David Bullard and Rep. Dustin Roberts were thrilled Tuesday to learn that their community was named a Top 5 Finalist nationwide in the Small Business Revolution – Main Street competition.  Citizens will have from February 12-19, 2019, to vote online for their favorite community and the finalist will win a $500,000 Main Street revitalization.

            The legislators encouraged their fellow Oklahomans to help spread the word and vote as much as possible during the week.