Press Releases

TULSA – State Sen. Kevin Matthews and Rep. Regina Goodwin are disappointed in Tulsa County officials whose questionable transparency and lack of communication with local residents about recent public spending is once again raising concern within the community. 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Three local organizations working to combat illiteracy in the state were recently awarded over $24,000 in Literacy Grants from the Oklahoma Department of Libraries (ODL).  Sen. Ron Sharp said the grants will help in significantly improving the lives of local citizens.

Sen. Kyle D. Loveless (R-Oklahoma City) joined with the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, the Oklahoma Policy Institute, and the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma at the state Capitol on Thursday to release the results of a recent poll commissioned by OCPA and OKPolicy.
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OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Rob Standridge announced that four local fire departments have been awarded grants from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to help with operational expenses.

Those receiving the grants in Senate District 15 include the Cedar Country Volunteer Fire Department Association, the Noble Fire Department, the Newalla Fire Department and the Little Axe Fire Protection District Inc.  Each department will receive a grant worth nearly $4,290.  

An interim study focused on the high number of females incarcerated in Oklahoma and the effects on their children will meet this week at the State Capitol. Oklahoma currently leads the nation in the number of females in prison. In 2014, there were about 130 women incarcerated per 100,000 residents in the state, compared to the national average of 67 per 100,000. Shorter sentences, rehabilitation programs and alternative correctional measures have all been discussed during previous legislative years, but Oklahoma still faces an understaffed prison program that is overcrowded with offenders. read more.

Sen. Roger Thompson announced Friday that some 40 area fire departments had been chosen to receive $171,598 in grants from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.  The funds, provided to rural fire departments annually, are authorized by the Oklahoma Legislature and are administered by the Forestry Division’s Community Fire Preparedness Program.