The full Senate on Wednesday advanced legislation that would develop a system for evaluating tax credits and economic incentives to determine their effectiveness. Authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, Senate Bills 806 and 815 would establish a process to provide lawmakers with independent evaluations of economic incentives, and a clear picture of those that encourage growth and those that do not.

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President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman today issued the following statement on the passing of former Senator Philip Watson. Watson, a Republican, represented District 41 in the Oklahoma Senate from 1972 to 1987.

“Philip Watson admirably served his Senate district for 15 years, before being appointed as director of the Department of Human Services. His legacy of service stretched beyond Oklahoma to Africa, where he performed mission work and touched the lives of many. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in their time of loss.”

The House of Representatives is the next stop for a measure that will strengthen state laws banning tobacco use on school property. Sen. Jim Halligan, R-Stillwater, and Rep. Lee Denney, R-Cushing, are principal authors of Senate Bill 674, the “24/7 Tobacco-Free Schools Act,” which was approved by the full Senate on Thursday.

The Senate Rules Committee has advanced three of the proposals introduced by Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, to modernize Oklahomas election system and increase rapidly declining voter participation.

Legislation aimed at educating children about sexual abuse and prevention has passed the Senate Education committee, clearing another hurdle and moving one step closer to becoming a law, according to State Senator Wayne Shaw, R-Grove.

Sen. Kyle Loveless filed legislation this year to authorize the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) to propose a health benefits plan design to incentivize participants to purchase health services from providers with transparent pricing. Senate Bill 172, which was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday, is an effort to help state employees find the most affordable plans to meet their needs while also saving the state money.

The Senate Finance committee on Tuesday approved two proposals that would establish a process for measuring the effectiveness of economic incentives. Authored by Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman, the legislation would create a system to provide regular, independent evaluations of incentives to determine which are working and which are not.

The Senate Education Committee approved legislation Tuesday to modify the financial qualifications of the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program (OHLAP). Senator Corey Brooks, the principal author of Senate Bill 137, said the bill fixes a problem with the state’s tuition reimbursement program that has been unfairly keeping some students from qualifying for it.

Senate President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman on Monday issued the following statement on anticipated revenue figures for the coming fiscal year.

As we have been expecting, the Board of Equalization Tuesday will certify revenue figures showing a budget shortfall of more than $600 million. While this presents us with a significant challenge, it also gives us a chance to take a closer look at state spending and the structure of our budget to determine where we can be more efficient.