Press Releases

The Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation Thursday to provide better protection to Oklahoma's children. Sen. Mary Easley authored Senate Bill 1138 amending the definition of children endangerment to include parents or guardians who knowingly let their children ride in vehicles operated by people who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
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Oklahoma is the only state in the nation to improve two grade levels in two years in mental health services. State Sen. Brian Crain chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services and said a newly issued report card shows how far Oklahoma has come.

Legislation that would lower the legal blood alcohol concentration limit for the offense of boating under the influence from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent was approved by the state Senate on Thursday. The measure would also prohibit children under the age of 12 from operating personal watercraft.

Sen. Bill Brown, author of Senate Bill 902, said the Legislature needed to add teeth to the state’s boating laws in order to reduce watercraft-related accidents and deaths.

The state Senate on Thursday unanimously approved legislation that would exempt an adoptive grandparent from any court costs associated with adoption.

Sen. Kenneth Corn, author of Senate Bill 254, said the measure would help provide healthy environments for children by removing another impediment for grandparents seeking to care for their grandchildren.

Senate Bill 609 by Senator Todd Lamb, passed out of the Senate Tuesday.

The provisions in Senate Bill 609 reduce the number of judges on the Workers’ Compensation Court from ten to seven. Four of the judges will be permanently assigned to the Oklahoma City Workers' Compensation Court, and three permanently assigned to the Tulsa Workers' Compensation Court.

Senate Bill 609 also brings reform to the judicial nominating process by requiring Senate confirmation of appointments to the Workers Compensation Court and appellate courts.

A bill that could help Oklahoma law enforcement solve numerous cold cases, including homicides and sexual assaults, is one step closer to becoming law. Senate Bill 1102 would add a number of misdemeanor crimes to the felony crimes already on the books which can result in the harvesting of DNA samples. The bill, by Sen. Jonathan Nichols, R-Norman, was approved by the full Senate on Wednesday.

Sen. Don Barrington believes Oklahoma's prisons would be safer without cell phones, and the Senate agreed Wednesday approving Senate Bill 1064 banning them and other electronic devices capable of sending or receiving electronic communications from correctional facilities.
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Despite having ending his professional sports career over 20 years ago, state Sen. Randy Bass remains a celebrity in Japan. When a Colonel Sanders statue meant to represent his likeness emerged from the Dotonburi River in Osaka this week, positive memories were sparked for fans of the Hanshin Tigers, and Bass was once again in the news in Japan and around the world.

A measure to provide greater accountability and transparency in public education passed the State Senate with bipartisan support on Tuesday. Senator Clark Jolley is principal author of Senate Bill 1111, the “Educational Accountability Reform Act.”

The measure would restructure Oklahoma’s education system to create better transparency and accountability on data and testing. The current Office of Accountability would be restructured into the Educational Quality and Accountability Office.

Senate Bill 1103 by President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee unanimously passed the Senate today, providing protections for pregnant women subject to domestic violence abuse.

State Senator Harry Coates has won unanimous approval for legislation calling on Congress to pass meaningful immigration reform. Senate Joint Resolution 6 was approved on Tuesday. Coates said citizens across the nation are frustrated with the lack of congressional action on the issue of immigration reform.
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The State Senate today unanimously passed SB 899 by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, which would revoke state retirement benefits from state or county officers convicted of felonies.

The House of Representatives is the next stop for a measure to help clamp down on underage drinking. On Monday, the full Senate approved an amendment by Sen. Debbe Leftwich which adds graduated penalties to the Oklahoma's social host law.

The current statute only holds adults accountable if a minor is injured or dies. Similar legislation was approved by the Senate in 2008, but was not heard in the House. Senator Leftwich thanked members on both sides of the aisle for supporting her proposal.

The State Senate passed SB646, the State Office of Accountability and Innovation, the second step toward greater efficiency in state government as proposed by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee.

The State Senate approved Senator John Ford’s Senate Bill 834, a bill designed to give greater local control to Oklahoma public school districts. Senate Bill 834, the School District Empowerment Program, would remove many of the unfunded state mandates currently restricting the ability of local school districts to best decide how to use resources to benefit their students.

The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a bill that would ban a dangerous new fad—eyeball tattooing. Senator Cliff Branan is the author of Senate Bill 844, which prohibits scleral tattooing.

“Scleral tattooing involves using a needle to inject colored ink into the whites of an individual’s eyes. The problem is it can cause infection, scarring and hemorrhaging and can even lead to blindness,” explained Branan, R-Oklahoma City. “My legislation would ban this practice in Oklahoma.”

President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee applauded the passage of Senate Bill 894 that brings sufficient protection to rape victims.

Legislation using targeted incentives to attract top-paying jobs to Oklahoma has won approval in the State Senate. Senator Mike Mazzei, R-Tulsa, is the author of Senate Bill 938 which creates the “21st Century Quality Jobs” program. The measure was approved unanimously on Tuesday.
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The State Senate approved Voter ID legislation on Tuesday that will ensure clean and fair elections for generations to come.

Senate Bill 4 requires any individual that votes in person to show “proof of identity,” which can be a document that includes the voter’s name, a picture of the voter, and is issued by the United States, the State of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized Indian Tribe or Nation. In instances where an individual does not have any of these methods of identification, the voter may show their county issued Voter ID card.