Press Releases

State Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, said he was confident a measure giving tax exemptions to organizations that help feed Oklahoma’s needy citizens will make it all the way to Gov. Brad Henry. Jolley said the measure is extremely important to organizations like Edmond’s Hope Center. Jolley is Senate principal author of the measure, while Rep. Ken Miller, R-Edmond is principal author in the House.
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Republicans in the House are turning their heads to the problems that come with credit card debt and bankruptcy by killing a bill being backed by the State Chamber of Commerce. Senate Bill 378 would have required students who graduate from an Oklahoma school to take one semester of Personal Financial Economics but was killed when House leaders refused to hear the bill in committee.

Leaders of both chambers of the state Legislature today announced a bipartisan agreement that outlines a framework for the state’s budget for the next fiscal year. The agreement now allows subcommittees of the General Conference Committee on Appropriations to move forward in working out the details of a final budget.

Senator Debbe Leftwich announced today that House Bill 1653, the Graduated Drivers License Act, cleared the full Senate. The measure will provide teenage drivers with more time to develop their driving skills and learn in a low risk setting.

The Democrat from South Oklahoma City co-authored the legislation with Representative Danny Morgan, a Prague Democrat. Senator Leftwich stated that the measure follows in the footsteps of her late husband, Keith Leftwich, who brought the issue of a graduated driver’s license to the forefront.

Senator Judy Eason McIntyre was pleased when the Senate passed House Bill 1524, a measure aimed at protecting service animals owned by people with disabilities. The House of Representatives author is Al Lindley, a Democrat from South Oklahoma City.
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Republicans are recklessly misleading Oklahomans when they claim the House Republicans’ road maintenance scheme won’t dramatically slash funding for education and other vital state services, State Senator Kenneth Corn said Thursday.

The Poteau Democrat said the House plan would rob $1.4 billion from education over the next 15 years

The measure, House Bill 1218, won approval in the Senate Thursday and is likely headed for a Senate-House Conference Committee.

State Senator Randy Brogdon, a Republican Whip in the Oklahoma State Senate, said Thursday that a bipartisan budget agreement between House Republicans and Senate Democrats seemed to fall quickly into place once Gov. Brad Henry’s representative stopped participating in the negotiations.

“I think it is obvious that Gov. Henry’s my-way-or-the-highway approach is getting in the way of bipartisanship at the Capitol. It is amazing how quickly an agreement was reached on the budget once the governor’s representative was out of the room,” said Brogdon, R-Owasso.

A transportation measure that will provide millions in much-needed funding for Oklahoma's roadways and bridges passed the Senate today. House Bill 1218, authored by Rep. Jim Newport, R-Ponca City, and Sen. David Myers, R-Ponca City, will increase funding for the State Highway and Construction Maintenance Fund to $170 million over a five-year period beginning July 1, 2005. The monies will come from growth in car license tag fees.
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Senator Jeff Rabon, an assistant majority leader in the Oklahoma State Senate, said he is completely baffled by a decision from House leadership and their Republican committee chairmen who refuse to hear two bills aimed at making tomorrow better for Oklahoma children. Rabon said he has recently learned State Rep. Kris Steele is refusing to hear Senate Bill 666, aimed at curbing the epidemic of binge drinking in the state. He also said Rep. Sue Tibbs is refusing to hear Senate Bill 702, known as the Truth in Campaigning Act, aimed at increasing accountability for candidates seeking office. read more.

A bill to encourage the processing, market development and research of alternative fuels derived from agriculture products such as grain was signed into law Tuesday. SB 363, authored by Sen. Robert Kerr, D-Altus, and Rep. Dale DeWitt, R-Braman, creates the Oklahoma Biofuels Development Act.
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The full State Senate has approved a bill to give Oklahoma consumers greater protection when they purchase gift cards from retailers. HB 1986, by Rep. Terry Ingmire, R-Stillwater and Sen. Richard Lerblance, D-Hartshorne, would ensure that gift cards could be redeemed for their full value for up to five years after the time of purchase.
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Senator Jeff Rabon and Representative Paul Roan are questioning whether their Senate Concurrent Resolution naming the official state dinosaur will receive a House Committee hearing. The bill was assigned to the House Rules Committee and will more than likely not make it on the agenda. The deadline to give bills a committee hearing from the opposite house of origin is quickly approaching – bills must be heard before 5:00pm Thursday, April 21st, 2005.

A bill to provide tax credits for producers of ethanol in the State of Oklahoma passed the Senate Monday afternoon. House Bill 1556, authored by Sen. David Myers and Rep. Mike Jackson, will encourage companies to build ethanol facilities in the state.

Under provisions of the bill, an ethanol plant could not be eligible for tax credits until the plant had been operating for six months at 25-percent of capacity.
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A bill to encourage people to enter physician assistant education programs and to practice in Oklahoma's rural and medically underserved areas won unanimous approval in the State Senate today.

House Bill 1411 establishes the Physician Assistant Scholarship Program, which will be supported through a revolving fund created for and administered by the Physician Manpower Training Commission. The measure was authored by Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, and Sen. Susan Paddack, D-Ada.
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A portrait of Mrs. Lamar Looney, the first woman ever elected to serve in the Oklahoma State Senate, was unveiled during a ceremony in the State Senate Chamber on Tuesday.

The painting is the latest in a series of historical paintings, a project by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. The portrait is sponsored by the 2005 Senate Women’s Caucus, Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin, the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women, the Rural Women’s Business Center and the Family of Mrs. Lamar Looney. The painting was done by Norman, Oklahoma artist Mike Wimmer. read more.

The State Senate has unanimously approved a measure to increase the statute of limitations for filing charges against suspected child molesters. House Bill 1013, by Rep. Larry Glenn, D-Miami, and Sen. Debbe Leftwich, D-OKC, would increase the statute of limitations from seven years after discovery of the crime to 12 years.
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A measure supported by the National Rifle Association that strengthens the rights of gun owners and protects employers from lawsuits has cleared another legislative hurdle according to Senate author of the measure, Senator Jay Paul Gumm. Gumm, (D-Durant) said House Bill 1243 passed off the Senate Floor with a bi-partisan majority vote.

The State Senate has approved a bill to give more protection to victims of rape and domestic violence. House Bill 1698, the “Victims of Violent Crimes Privacy Act,” would stop court clerks and district attorneys from posting information about those victims on the Internet. The bill is authored by Rep. Rebecca Hamilton, D-OKC and Sen. Frank Shurden, D-Henryetta.
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Saying Oklahoma’s public schools deserve recognition for making the most out of limited resources, Senator Tom Adelson won approval Monday of a resolution thanking state educators for the classroom successes of state students.

“We often hear criticism of our education system, criticism that isn’t supported by the statistics. I think recognition that Oklahoma educators are doing an outstanding job and that our students are achieving academic excellence that exceeds the regional and national averages is well overdue,” said Adelson, D-Tulsa.
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The vice chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Education said today that House leaders need to fulfill their promise to help the thousands of Oklahoma high school students who have dreams of going to college.

Senator Daisy Lawler, D-Comanche, said the House Republican budget is holding the hopes and dreams of these high schools students hostage by failing to fully fund the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP).