Fallin to Continue Presiding As Senate President at Request of Senate GOP

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – Senate Republicans have requested that Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin continue to preside over the Oklahoma State Senate on Monday in an effort to secure an up-or-down vote on a real workers’ compensation reform bill – a request Fallin says she will honor.

“This battle is about whether we’re going to save and create Oklahoma jobs with real workers’ comp reform, or whether the Democrats will succeed in protecting trial lawyers,” stated Senate Republican Leader Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

“We are disappointed that Democrats did not come to work Thursday. Too many jobs are at stake for the Democrats to succeed in sending workers’ comp reform to a conference committee, where they will be able to gut it like they did lawsuit reform last year,” said Sen. Scott Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow.

The Oklahoma Constitution clearly names the Lieutenant Governor as “the president of the senate,” and says that the duty of the president pro tempore is to preside over the Senate “in the absence or in place of the Lieutenant Governor.”

“The Lieutenant Governor will not be absent when the Senate convenes Monday afternoon – I will be in the chair exercising my constitutional authority as President of the Senate,” stated Fallin.