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Military personnel returning from overseas service would have an easier time voting under legislation approved unanimously Monday by the Senate Rules Committee. SB 718, authored by Sen. Don Barrington, would allow those who return up to three months before an election to still be able to vote even without being registered.
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State Senator John Ford has won committee passage of a bill designed to give greater local control to Oklahoma public school districts. Senate Bill 834, the School District Empowerment Program, would remove many of the unfunded state mandates currently restricting the ability of local school districts to best decide how to use resources to benefit their students.
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Sen. Kenneth Corn on Monday said the failure of his legislation to end the partisan appointment of County Election Board Secretaries suggests that Senate Republicans lack a commitment to ending political patronage in Oklahoma.

The Senate Rules Committee on Monday approved legislation intended to streamline services for state agencies and organizations that serve Oklahoma children. Senate Bill 697 by Sen. Jay Paul Gumm would create Oklahoma’s first-ever Children’s Cabinet to recommend and implement policies to improve the health and well-being of children.

Gumm said the legislation would ensure that state agencies are efficiently implementing resources through a shared vision for Oklahoma’s youth.

The Senate Rules Committee has approved a pro-active bill designed to strengthen the integrity of Oklahoma's elections. Senate Bill 4, by Sen. John Ford would require anyone voting in person to show proof of identity.

Ford said voters could use a photo ID issued by the United States, the State of Oklahoma or a federally recognized Indian Tribe or Nation. Voters without a government issued photo ID could simply show their county issued Voter ID card.
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Senator Clark Jolley’s Senate Bill 1111 was approved by the Senate Education Committee today with a bipartisan 8-5 vote.

Jolley is encouraged by the passage of the “Educational Accountability Reform Act” and is pleased the committee saw fit to advance the measure.

The full Senate is the next stop for legislation to ensure disabled vets get a sales tax exemption guaranteed by state law.

Senator Jay Paul Gumm introduced legislation that would put even more teeth in a current state law that entitles Oklahoma veterans with a 100 percent service-connected disability to a sales tax exemption on purchases of up to $25,000 a year. The lawmaker said some retailers have been refusing to honor the exemption.
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The Senate Appropriations Committee passed two bills which are part of the Senate Republican legislative agenda today. SB646 and SB980, which would form the state Office of Accountability and Innovation; and a state Chief Information Officer respectively, are authored by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee.

“When passed and signed into law, these two new offices will greatly enhance the efficiency of state government,” said Coffee.

State Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, D-Ardmore, said he will do everything he can to coordinate assistance at the state and federal level after a deadly February storm system left more than two dozen injured or dead in his district. As of 10 a.m., the official death toll stood at 8, but Crutchfield said 30 people were unaccounted for. Multiple homes and buildings were destroyed with the community of Lone Grove hardest hit by the deadly storm.
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