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OKLAHOMA CITY –Sen. Mary Boren, D-Norman, asked the Public Safety Committee to examine the rapid expansion of Flock license plate reader cameras across Oklahoma. With billions of vehicle images stored in databases nationwide, the technology has intensified debate at the Capitol over the Fourth Amendment, law enforcement, and mass surveillance.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Nikki Nice presented an interim study Wednesday to the Public Safety Committee looking at a pattern of elder abuse known as coercive control. Nice told the committee that while most people think of the abuse of seniors in terms of physical assault that may cause bruises, broken bones or more severe injuries, it can also be a pattern of behavior designed to strip victims of their autonomy, safety, and dignity.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Bill 1636 by Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, and Rep.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Sen. Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, teamed up for a joint interim study to see what it would take to establish an Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Oklahoma. The study was held in the Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee on Friday.

OKLAHOMA CITY – State Sen. Nikki Nice, D-Oklahoma City, joined the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP) on Thursday in commemorating World Day Against the Death Penalty, a global call to end capital punishment and promote a more just and humane criminal justice system.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Carri Hicks, D-Oklahoma City, says her recent interim study on supervised visitation has provided insight into the need to improve safety for children involved in court ordered supervised visitation, and the need to create greater accountability for those involved in the process.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt held an interim study at the state Capitol examining a critical but often overlooked issue in Oklahoma’s mental health system – what happens when a loved one is too sick to make medical decisions for themselves, but the family member legally responsible for helping them cannot get the information they need to help.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Nikki Nice presented an interim study Thursday to the Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on providing a benefit to help Oklahoma National Guard members cover the cost of a memorial marker. Nice advocated for the creation of a revolving fund to help families with the cost of a headstone or marker.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt is continuing her work to address Oklahoma’s shortage of affordable housing. Kirt presented a study on land banks on Tuesday at the state Capitol. Land banks could give cities and counties a way to repair and reuse abandoned or run-down properties and get them productive in private hands again.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Nikki Nice, D-Oklahoma City, held an interim study examining a state law that can force local pounds to surrender dogs and cats for animal testing. Oklahoma is the last state in the nation to still have such a law on the books.