Press Releases

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – The State Senate Appropriations Committee voted today to advance two bills out of committee that would improve funding for roads and bridges.

Senate Bill 1870 by Senator Mike Johnson, R-Kingfisher, removes the 3% growth trigger on the funding for roads and bridges. This would guarantee $50 million in new funding for roads and bridges each year.

Legislation cracking down on unlicensed drivers who hurt or kill someone while behind the wheel is one step closer to becoming law. State Sen. Debbe Leftwich is the author of Senate Bill 1599, which increases the penalty for a person who causes the injury or death of a person while driving with a license that has been suspended, revoked, canceled or denied.

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – Lawton State Senator Don Barrington’s bill to expand Oklahoma’s back-to-school sales tax holiday to include school supplies was approved by the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday.

Under current law, the sales tax holiday on the first weekend in August exempts clothing and shoes from sales tax.

Barrington’s Senate Bill 1149 expands the list of tax-exempt items to include school supplies beginning in August 2009. The bill was drafted so it would not impact the upcoming budget year.

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – State Sen. Mike Johnson, R-Kingfisher, the Republican co-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, commented on the revenue certification approved by the state Board of Equalization.

“This is a bump in the road, that will require some belt tightening, but it is certainly not a crisis. We’ll roll up our sleeves and work together to pass a budget that puts critical state functions first,” said Johnson. “The Legislature should proceed very cautiously and must avoid digging budget holes that will negatively impact future budget years.”

Having been law enforcement’s most outspoken supporter in the state Senate since his election in 2000, Sen. Jonathan Nichols was recently honored by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) with the Director’s Award for Exemplary Service.

Nichols has been the author of numerous measures that have given the agency the tools necessary to fight crime more effectively and provide a more rapid response to crimes against Oklahoma’s most vulnerable citizens.

OKLAHOMA CITY- A bill proposing the use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) to protect domestic abuse victims passed out of the Judiciary Committee today. Senator Debbe Leftwich, author of Senate Bill 2163, said the bill makes smart use of available technology.

Leftwich, a Democrat from Oklahoma City, said it is a responsible to employ all available technology to protect Oklahoma citizens.

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – The State Senate Finance Committee voted 6-5 today to advance Senate Bill 1383 out of committee and to the Senate floor for debate. SB 1383 is a bill to speed up the elimination of the death tax in Oklahoma that will have no impact on the upcoming budget year.

State Senator Mike Johnson, R-Kingfisher and Senator Ron Justice, R-Chickasha, praised the passage of SB 1383 by the Senate Finance Committee.

An aggressive marketing ploy by tobacco companies is putting private information and public health of Oklahoma young adults at risk. That’s according to State Sen. Randy Bass who has authored legislation aimed at the use of driver license scanning.

State Sen. David Myers said he was extremely pleased to win the support of the Business and Labor Committee on Monday. His legislation, Senate Bill 1875, would lift exemptions included in the 2003 law banning smoking in public places.

“I know this is just one step, and we have a long way to go, but this is a good start,” said Myers, R-Ponca City. “Too many Oklahomans are facing unnecessary health risks because of secondhand smoke. It kills hundreds of our citizens every year. They need our help.”

“These Symbols of Pride Should be Made in America”

OKLAHOMA CITY- State Senator John Sparks, a Democrat from Norman, said today a bill he filed will require state agencies and public school districts to purchase American and Oklahoma flags manufactured solely in the United States. Senate Bill 2070 passed the General Government Committee and will go to the full Senate for a vote.

The Senate Education Committee on Monday unanimously approved a measure designed to make Oklahoma schools among the safest in the nation.

Authored by Sen. Todd Lamb, the Oklahoma School Security Act is a comprehensive proposal to combat bullying, reduce school violence and involve school administrators in the process of making their facilities safe for Oklahoma children.

A bill that would establish the Oklahoma Health Care Workers and Educators Assistance program passed out of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Education this week.

Senator Susan Paddack (D-Ada), author of Senate Bill 1687, said the proposed law is designed to encourage Oklahomans to enter the nursing and healthcare profession and help those prospective students through financial assistance. Paddack said the bill would give more Oklahomans an opportunity to follow a career path in the healthcare industry as well as represent a smart investment for the future.

A House bill protecting insurance companies from legislative mandates is a “sellout” to a special interest and a “stake in the heart” of Oklahomans who are often victims to arbitrary insurance policy rules that deny them access to quality health care, Oklahoma State Senator Andrew Rice, D-OKC, said today.

With the Oklahoma Restaurant Association and the American Cancer Society supporting a proposal to lift exemptions on public smoking bans, State Sen. David Myers is hopeful Senate Bill 1875 will receive a favorable hearing when it is considered by the Business and Labor Committee on Monday.

“The facts are simple. Tobacco is Oklahoma’s leading cause of preventable death,” said Myers, R-Ponca City. “Every year, 5,800 Oklahomans die because of tobacco, and secondhand smoke exposure kills another 700 of our citizens. Too many people are dying because of smoke and secondhand smoke.”

The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee unanimously approved legislation Thursday that would create a 13-member task force to examine the HIV/AIDS problem in Oklahoma’s minority communities and make recommendations for action.

Senate Bill 1829, was authored by State Senator Judy Eason-McIntyre, D-Tulsa, and will now go to the full Senate for consideration.

State Senator Mike Johnson, R-Kingfisher and co-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said fully funding the Department of Corrections will remain a top budget priority in the 2008 legislative session despite a new Tax Commission estimate that revenues will be lower than originally estimated.

“The MGT performance audit was very clear that the Legislature must end the budget practice created by former Democrat Senator Cal Hobson that deliberately under-funded prisons every year and made DOC come begging for supplemental funding,” Johnson said.

Motivated by potential energy cost savings and reduced hydrocarbon emissions, State Senator Andrew Rice (D-Oklahoma City) today urged the Oklahoma legislature to adopt his bipartisan bills to encourage public institutions in the state to adopt energy saving policies.

In a meeting with the media on Wednesday, Rice unveiled two bills: the first to convert large state-owned vehicle fleets to compressed natural gas (CNG) or any other alternative fuel, and a second bill requiring Oklahoma public schools to establish annual energy savings goals beginning next year.
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With Monday’s announcement that Legislators will actually have $195 million less to spend for the coming budget, employees with the State Department of Corrections worry their officers will be placed in even greater danger as a result. Sen. Jim Wilson said Tuesday the problem has been ignored far too long.

The Senate Finance Committee has given unanimous support to legislation creating special license plates for Oklahomans who have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. State Sen. Todd Lamb, R-Edmond, is author of Senate Bill 1138.

“Approximately 70 Oklahoma soldiers have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom. 5,500 Oklahoma Air and Army Guard have served two to three tours of duty…and approximately 21,182 active duty or reserve soldiers have served in Operation Iraqi Freedom,” Lamb said.

Oklahomans would have the option to purchase a license plate displaying the national motto of “In God We Trust” if a bill approved by the Senate Finance committee becomes law.

Senate Bill 1146, written by Senator Jay Paul Gumm of Durant, was okayed by the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday; the measure now moves to the full Senate.

Under the proposal, Oklahomans could purchase license tags for their vehicles that include a patriotic display and the national motto of “In God We Trust.”