Press Releases

The Oklahoma Senate today said every family should be able to bank potentially life-saving umbilical cord blood from newborns through a publicly funded cord blood bank.

Senators approved Senate Bill 139 by Senator Jay Paul Gumm. The measure would create the Oklahoma Public Cord Blood Bank at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
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“Leaders in both the Senate and the House are mindful of the urgent needs of several state agencies and are working diligently to reach a consensus on how to best address them. Negotiations on a package of supplemental appropriations are continuing and I am confident that we are close to reaching an agreement.”

State Sen. Randy Bass has won approval from the full Senate on a bill to help growing military communities meet infrastructure needs. Senate Bill 751 would also extend the deadline originally approved in a 2002 bill designed to help two of the state’s largest tire manufacturing facilities, Goodyear and Michelin. Bass, D-Lawton, said both provisions were important to Oklahoma’s economy.
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The full State Senate gave approval Thursday to legislation that will provide access to quality health care for more of Oklahoma’s uninsured children.

Senate Bill 424 is a major part of the Senate Democrats’ 2007 Legislative Agenda, but the measure was presented on the floor by Republican Senator Brian Crain. Crain co-chairs of the Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Health and Social Services with Democrat Tom Adelson, author of the measure.

The bill passed on a 28-14 vote with six Republicans joining 22 Democrats in favor of the measure.

Legislation to ensure that Oklahoma will keep its promise to pay the college tuition for thousands of deserving scholarship recipients was approved by the full State Senate Wednesday.
Senate Bill 820 creates a permanent dedicated funding source for the Oklahoma’s Promise Scholarship Program.
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Legislation to make human trafficking a felony in Oklahoma has won unanimous approval from the State Senate. Senate Bill 7, by Sen. Debbe Leftwich, would set a mandatory minimum of five years for engaging in human trafficking, and a minimum of 10 years in prison if the crime involved trafficking children 14 years of age or younger.
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The full Senate has approved a bill that would ban the sale of cough medicine containing dextromethorphan (DXM) as well as spray paint to anyone under the age of 18. State Sen. Charlie Laster is author of Senate Bill 951.
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Classifying animal waste as nonhazardous is critical for the State of Oklahoma and its livestock industry. That's according to Sen. Ron Justice, R-Chickasha, author of Senate Bill 709 which declares manure as a nonhazardous material.

"This bill is critical to the State of Oklahoma because we have such a large livestock industry. It’s approximately a $5 billion industry,” said Justice, R-Chickasha. “If this were to be classified as a hazardous material then it would not only affect all of the livestock producers but it would affect people all across the state.”
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A measure that would prohibit state employees from being discriminated against on the basis of their religion was passed by the full Senate on Wednesday.

Senate Clark Jolley said Senate Bill 793 was intended to correct a problem that emerged last year when employees at a state agency were notified they could be discharged for referencing prayer or saying “Merry Christmas” during the holiday season.

Senator Jay Paul Gumm’s effort to end forever the concept of forced school consolidation is two small steps away from a vote of the people with an overwhelming bipartisan vote on the Senate floor this morning.

Senate Joint Resolution 1 would give Oklahoma voters a chance to amend the Oklahoma Constitution to prohibit any school from consolidating unless approved by a majority of voters in each of the affected school districts. In short, Gumm explained, the measure would prevent “politicians, judges or bureaucrats” from forcing any school district to consolidate.
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The Senate has voted to approve legislation that would ban smoking at zoos in Oklahoma. Sen. Cliff Branan is the author of Senate Bill 473, which was approved on Wednesday.

“We already have laws on the books banning smoking in public places, but those places are defined as being indoors only,” said Branan, R-Oklahoma City. “SB 473 will address that loophole by specifically extending that ban to zoos, including both indoor and outdoor exhibit spaces. No other outdoor venues would be impacted by this legislation.”
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Members of the Oklahoma Senate unanimously voted to strengthen the “Oklahoma Funeral Picketing Act” originally passed last year.

That law was passed as a response to a group from a church in Topeka, Kans. that travels the nation to protest at military funerals. Under the 2006 law, picketing is illegal beginning one hour before the funeral until one our after it, and the picketers have to be at least 500 feet away from the ceremony or cemetery.
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A measure designed to strengthen the Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma (TRS) has won full approval from the State Senate. Sen. Mike Mazzei is the author of the bill which would substantially improve the funded liability ratio of the system over the next 20 years.

SB 1119 was approved unanimously on Tuesday. That measure would raise the dedicated stream of revenue from income and sales tax collections to pour additional money into TRS.
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A bill that would increase penalties for hunting or fishing without permission on land primarily devoted to farming, ranching or forestry was approved by the Senate on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 95, authored by Senator Kenneth Corn, would remove the requirement for the landowner to post warning signs and would require the forfeiture of hunting or fishing licenses for individuals caught violating the law.

Corn said the legislation would amend existing statutes which discouraged trespassing, but offered little punishment.
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A bill to give greater protection to victims of identity theft has won passage in the State Senate. The measure, Senate Bill 567, was authored by Sen. Randy Bass as a result of an incident in his district.
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A bill to clarify county election questions that would result in a tax increase was approved Tuesday by the full State Senate. Sen. Anthony Sykes is the author of Senate Bill 1019. Sykes said confusion over a ballot title in a Stephens County election in 2004 had prompted him to file the legislation.
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The full Senate has given its approval to a bill that would identify registered sex offenders on their state driver license. Sen. Brian Crain is the author of Senate Bill 35, which would give convicted sex offenders 180 days after being notified by the Department of Corrections to get a new license reflecting their status as a sex offender.
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A delegation from Muskogee was at the State Capitol Monday to help raise awareness of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and museum. Sen. Earl Garrison welcomed the entourage from the floor of the Senate and praised their efforts to promote Oklahoma musicians.
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The full Senate has given approval to a measure that would allow an income tax deduction for taxpayers who support a relative over the age of 70.

Sen. Andrew Rice, author of Senate Bill 725, said the measure was authored to ease the burden on middle class families who care for both their children and their elderly parents.

The State Senate on Monday approved a measure intended to curb the growing problem of copper theft in Oklahoma. Senate Bill 472, authored by Sen. Cliff Branan, would require additional regulations for junk dealers, making it easier to establish a paper trail to track down copper thieves.
Branan said the legislature has to take action to curb a dramatically increasing problem throughout the state.
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