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Oklahoma Senate
Press Releases
A measure to prohibit the use of state funds for recruitment bonuses for teachers failed narrowly in the Senate 22-20 Tuesday. Retired educator Sen. Ron Sharp said he authored Senate Bill 57 to stop the unfair practice of virtual charter schools rewarding teachers financially with state appropriated dollars for successfully recruiting other teachers and students to their schools in the middle of the school year.
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A bill honoring an Oklahoma Highway Patrol officer who was killed in the line of duty has cleared the State Senate and will next be considered in the House of Representatives. Sen. Rob Standridge is the principal author of Senate Bill 338, creating the Lt. Heath Meyer #64 Memorial Highway. The measure was approved unanimously on Monday—the same day the man responsible for the high speed chase that resulted in Meyer’s death was convicted of murder.
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Oklahoma’s 100% disabled veterans currently receive a sales tax exemption for the sale of tangible personal property or services. Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Ardmore, authored Senate Bill 310 to extend that exemption to those veterans’ widows as well as veterans who sustain their disability while under the care of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) and widows whose spouses are killed in the line of duty.
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With 8,000 children in state custody as of March 1, the Department of Human Services (DHS) is always in need of more foster homes to meet the needs of the children in their care. Sen. Paul Scott realizes the important role foster parents play in protecting children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect. He authored Senate Bill 893 to assist foster parents, as well as incentivize more individuals to volunteer to help Oklahoma’s children and their biological families.
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A bill limiting how much land the Wildlife Conservation Commission can purchase is awaiting a vote by the full Senate. State Sen. Casey Murdock, R-Felt, is the principal author of the measure, which would prevent the Commission from buying more land than they sell each year.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 888 late Tuesday to create the Program of All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE). Sen. Kim David said the bill will provide comprehensive health care to elderly Oklahomans and help them stay in their homes longer.
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A program that began as a way to encourage private/public partnerships to divert women from prison is being expanded to all state agencies. The full Senate voted in favor of Senate Bill 210 on Monday, creating the Pay for Success Act. State Sen. Roger Thompson is the principal author of the measure, which he describes as a way to create new programs to solve wide-ranging challenges in government without risking public dollars.
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The Oklahoma Senate on Monday overwhelmingly approved a bill from President Pro Tempore Greg Treat that creates a legislative watchdog office to provide both lawmakers and the general public independent data on agency budgets and performance.
Senate Bill 1 creates the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency (LOFT) and advanced on a 38-10 vote. The bill is a key component of the Senate Republicans’ agenda for the 2019 session.
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Three bills passed out of the Senate late Monday to better assist victims of sexual assault and address the backlog of untested rape kits in Oklahoma. The bills, which were recommendations from the 2017 Oklahoma Task Force on Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE), are authored by Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd who is a task force member.
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State Senator and Legislative Black Caucus Chair George E. Young, Sr. released the following statement in opposition of the legislative push to give the governor the ability to hire and fire agency heads in the state’s largest agencies.
read more.The Senate Rules Committee on Thursday sent through three bills granting the governor the ability to hire and fire the heads of three of the largest state agencies.
The bills are a part of a larger agreement announced this week by the governor, Senate and House leadership that would bring more accountability to state government by giving the governor the ability to hire leaders at five of the largest state agencies.
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The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a bill to give court reporters throughout the state a $2,000 pay increase. State Sen. Roger Thompson is the author of SB 349 which was approved by the Senate Wednesday. Thompson, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said because court reporters’ salaries are specified in Oklahoma statute, last year’s state employee pay increase didn’t apply to them. He said it was a technicality that needed to be corrected.
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The Oklahoma Senate overwhelmingly passed two government accountability measures that are a part of a larger deal to give the governor the ability to hire the heads of five of the largest state agencies.
Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat’s bills would give the governor the ability to hire and fire the head of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (SB 456) and the director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (SB 457) with Senate confirmation.
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Oklahoma is home to thousands of disabled veterans, many without family or friends to help them with their finances, healthcare and other personal matters. Senate Bill 931, by Sen. Paul Rosino, creates the Veterans Volunteer Guardianship Act to provide Oklahoma’s heroes with guardians to look out for their financial and physical well-being.
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The full Senate has given unanimous approval to Senate Bill 841, the Prescription Access and Affordability Act, by Sen. Greg McCortney. The Ada Republican said the legislation will give better consumer protections for Oklahomans and protections for local pharmacies who want to help customers save money on prescriptions.
SB 841 would expand consumer access to pharmacies and make it easier to understand how much they’re going to pay for prescriptions and additional information that would be helpful for them when purchasing prescription medication.
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Sen. David Bullard authored Senate Bill 609 to provide clarification to local and county law enforcement regarding the transporting of mentally ill patients. The Senate unanimously approved the measure Tuesday.
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State Sen. Mary Boren said she’s disappointed with passage of a bill preempting the ability of cities and towns to pass ordinances addressing plastic bags, cups and containers that litter public property and roadways. Senate Bill 1001 was approved by the full Senate on Wednesday. Boren, D-Norman, said the bill takes away the rights of local communities and their citizens to protect their environment and national resources.
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Governor Kevin Stitt, Speaker Charles McCall, and President Pro Tempore Greg Treat announced today five agency accountability bills that would give the executive branch the authority to hire and fire agency leaders for the Oklahoma Healthcare Authority (SB 456), Oklahoma Department of Transportation (SB 457), Oklahoma Department of Corrections (HB 2480), Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (HB 2479), and Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (HB 2483).
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The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a bill giving former military police credit for their training and service toward required training with the Council of Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) certification required to become a member of law enforcement in Oklahoma. Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, is the principal author of Senate Bill 171.
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