OKLAHOMA CITY – A luncheon and ceremony commemorating the newly named J. Cooper West Memorial Highway was recently held in Elk City at the Portobello Grille.   State Senator Darcy Jech and Representative Todd Russ were both in attendance at the event.

Senator Larry Boggs welcomed the news that the Department of Corrections (DOC) will give one-time stipends of $1,750 to agency employees, saying the move builds upon the success of a 2014 bill that provided recurring pay raises to correctional officers and other state employees.

Sen. Larry Boggs has officially begun his second term after being officially sworn in during a special oath of office ceremony at the Capitol on Wednesday. 

“I am honored to be able to continue my service in the Senate on behalf the citizens of District 7,” Boggs said.  “While we have many challenges ahead, we also have the opportunity to strengthen our public policies so that when our economy does rebound, Oklahoma will be able to build on that growth, creating jobs and building a better future for citizens.”

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Senate Republicans elected their leadership members earlier this week, and Sen. Nathan Dahm will continue his role as a Majority Whip.  The Broken Arrow Republican was first elected to serve in the position in 2014. read more.

OKLAHOMA CITY –  On Monday, educators, lawmakers, business and community leaders gathered at the State Capitol for the designation ceremony of the most recent STEM Regional Consortium.  The Central Oklahoma STEM Alliance (COSTEMA) was formed in spring 2015 to help train students in the Oklahoma City metro for STEM jobs available in the area. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Sheriff’s Association (OSA) recently honored Sen. Ron Sharp with its 2016 Legislative Award for his support of law enforcement.  This session, Sharp was the principal Senate author of Senate Bill 1070, an OSA request bill that limits liability for sheriff’s offices when their deputies work second jobs for mental health transport companies.  read more.

OKLAHOMA CITY –  Sen. Kevin Matthews is inviting citizens to an All Live Matter “Not in our Town” meeting tonight at 7:00PM at Morning Star Baptist Church, 1014 E. Pine Street, to discuss the recent tragic shootings of both African American citizens and police officers around the country in recent weeks.

OKLAHOMA CITY – On Monday, the governor signed Senate Bill 1070 into law.  The bill, by Sen. Ron Sharp and Rep. Scott Biggs, will help keep law enforcement working on the streets rather than transporting mental health patients to hospitals and other facilities. 

            “This new law will allow police and deputies to focus on enforcing the law and protecting public safety rather than being a transport service,” said Sharp, R-Shawnee.  “They should not be pulled away from keeping our communities safe to drive mentally ill patients to various facilities.” 

State Sen. Kevin Matthews is encouraging North Tulsa young people to take advantage of a program to help them learn more about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and other skills and how they can tap into those to become entrepreneurs.  As part of that, he’s inviting boys and girls between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in a field trip to Tulsa’s Hardesty Center Fab Lab this Saturday, March 7, at 9 a.m.   

A long-term plan to modernize Rogers County’s transportation infrastructure and ease growing congestion in Claremore was announced on Friday by Sen. Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, and Rep. Mark Lepak, R-Claremore.  For the past several months, the two lawmakers have been working with Transportation Sec. Gary Ridley to secure support for a project to complete a new transportation corridor south of Claremore connecting State Highway 20 to the Will Rogers Turnpike.