Senator Debbe Leftwich, D-OKC, praised former University of Oklahoma cornerback and Jim Thorpe Award recipient Derrick Strait today on the Senate floor by presenting him with Senate Resolution 36.

The Austin, Texas, native was presented with the nation’s best defensive back award at the ESPN-Home Depot College Football Awards show in early December 2003. The outstanding defensive player also received the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s best defensive player just days before receiving the Thorpe Award. Strait was also named to the Walter Camp All-American Team.

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – A brand new decision by the activist Massachusetts Supreme Court that “only full, equal marriage rights” for gays is constitutional puts Oklahoma at further risk that same sex marriages will be forced on our state. The ruling is a follow-up by the court to its controversial ruling last year.

Senate Republican Leader James A. Williamson said recent actions by Gov. Brad Henry and Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson, D-Lexington, have added to the risk that Oklahomans could soon have same sex marriages forced on them by activist courts.

The leader of the State Senate said Thursday he doesn’t believe that recent decisions by the Massachusetts Supreme Court make gay marriage one of the most pressing issues facing Oklahoma.

Senate President Pro Tem Cal Hobson said Senate Minority Leader James A. Williamson’s assertions that Oklahoma’s 1996 Defense of Marriage Act is on the verge of being overturned are ill conceived.

Sen. Charles Ford, R-Tulsa, announced the dedication today of two more original paintings commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund, Inc. The oil portraits of Oklahoma’s first territorial House Speaker, Arthur N. Daniels, and Oklahoma’s first statehood House Speaker, “Alfalfa Bill” Murray, were unveiled during a ceremony this afternoon in the House of Representatives Chamber.

Senate Republican Floor Leader James A. Williamson, R-Tulsa, made the following response to Gov. Brad Henry’s State of the State address:

“We know Gov. Henry likes to talk the talk about bipartisanship, but his State of the State address left many Republicans wondering if he will walk the walk. He adopted many Republican proposals like tax relief and lawsuit reform, but then failed to mention some of the most important issues facing our state.

State Senator Sam Helton has decided to withdraw Senate Bill 1130, also known as the “Dog and Cat Ownership Responsibility Act.” The Democrat from Lawton has received numerous phone calls, letters and E-mails from across the state opposing this bill.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson said Thursday he hopes the second session of the 49th Oklahoma Legislature will be remembered in the future as the session when lawmakers made the health of Oklahomans their top priority.

Skyrocketing insurance industry profits are proof that limiting the legal rights of injured people is not the solution to rising premium costs, according to Sen. Frank Shurden, D-Henryetta.
"Insurance premiums and profits are what need to be capped, not payments to people who are truly injured," Shurden said.

The veteran Democratic senator said that he doesn’t accept the arguments presented by Oklahoma Republican legislative leaders who plan to introduce "Texas Republican-style" lawsuit reform legislation during the 2004 legislative session.

Tulsa / Oklahoma City – At press conferences in Tulsa and Oklahoma City today, legislative Republicans unveiled the details of legislation to reform Oklahoma’s workers compensation system, renowned as one of the most expensive in the nation.

The bill, authored by Sen. Scott Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow, and Rep. Ron Peterson, R-Broken Arrow, will result in a minimum savings of $100 million for state employers according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. The bill does not decrease benefits to employees, but instead seeks to eliminate unnecessary litigation.

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – Senate Republican Floor Leader James A. Williamson, R-Tulsa, today introduced legislation, SJR 38, to send a “defense of marriage” constitutional amendment to a vote of the people.

“As President Bush noted in his State of the Union address, the sanctity of marriage is under assault from activist judges in America today,” Williamson said. “Amending our state Constitution is the best way we can ensure traditional marriage is protected here in Oklahoma.”