Press Releases

A significant reduction in the amount of revenue expected to flow into state coffers in Fiscal Year 2007 signals a need for a Constitutional amendment that will help stabilize the state budget, a veteran State Senator said Tuesday.

When the State Board of Equalization certified the final FY 2008 revenue projections Tuesday, the estimate of funds available for the coming fiscal year was about $270 million less than the amount the board initially certified in December.
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State Sen. Debbe Leftwich on Tuesday withdrew a measure that was before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Bill 662 would have restored the right of employees to choose their own physician after being injured on the job.

“This is something that was taken away as a part of the worker’s compensation reform bill passed in the 2005 special session,” Leftwich said. “My constituents still are frustrated and upset about this change. The problem is, if we’d taken it to a vote in committee and lost, under the new Senate rules it would have been dead for two full years.”

Republican leaders of the Oklahoma State Senate commented on revisions to revenue estimates adopted by the Board of Equalization Tuesday for the upcoming 2008 fiscal year.

“While we are pleased to see the Equalization Board lower its estimate of new money available for the Legislature to appropriate, we remain concerned that the estimates may continue to paint too rosy a picture because of the national economic climate and overspending by previous Legislatures,” stated Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

Senator Jay Paul Gumm’s effort to end forever the concept of forced school consolidation picked up steam Monday with a unanimous, bipartisan vote in the Senate Education Committee.

Senate Joint Resolution 1 would give Oklahoma voters a chance to amend the Oklahoma Constitution to prohibit any school from consolidating unless approved by a majority of voters in each of the affected school districts. In short, Gumm explained, the measure would prevent “politicians, judges or bureaucrats” from forcing any school district to consolidate.
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The full Senate has given its support to a bill aimed at protecting the custody rights of deployed military parents. Sen. Randy Bass is the author of Senate Bill 158 which was approved unanimously by the Senate on Monday. The measure would postpone child custody proceedings until after a parent serving in the military had returned from deployment.

"The people who serve our country do so at tremendous sacrifice to themselves and to their families,” said Bass, D-Lawton. “They need our support, and they need laws that are supportive of them as well.”
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The Senate Education Committee passed legislation Monday to protect teachers and school employees from facing lawsuits for doing their jobs. The legislation had been blocked by Senate leaders in past years, but it received a committee hearing this year thanks to the Senate’s new 24-24 tie.

Senate Bill 1024, authored by Republican Floor Leader Owen Laughlin, received a “do pass” recommendation from the committee on a bipartisan 9 to 5 vote. The committee is evenly divided with 7 Republicans and 7 Democrats.
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A bill changing the policy of a few “bad actors” in the payday lending business was the first approved by an Oklahoma Senate evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.

Senate Bill 693 by Senator Jay Paul Gumm, a Democrat from Durant, would prevent payday lenders – those that make high-interest, high-risk short term loans with a post-dated check – from cashing the check of a customer who dies before the loan matures. The measure passed without opposition 47-0 Thursday. read more.

State Senator Tom Ivester is no stranger to the sort of sacrifice and dedication required of Oklahoma’s military personnel serving in wartime. Ivester is a combat veteran of the Global War on Terror in Afghanistan, who proudly served in the 82nd Airborne Division and the 3rd Special Forces Group.

The Republican leaders of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Senate said the Legislature must proceed very cautiously on the FY 2008 budget following Thursday’s recommendation by the Oklahoma Tax Commission that tax revenue estimates be significantly reduced compared to estimates made last December.

Statement by Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan

“I believe, in light of the revised revenue estimates approved by the Oklahoma Tax Commission today, that caution should continue to be our watchword as we proceed in the budgeting process.”

“Over the last two years we have seen sustained economic growth and, as a result, have made great strides in our investments in education and health care and in lowering taxes for all Oklahomans.”

It is estimated that 1,880 Oklahomans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year. Of those, 720 will die. That’s according to the American Cancer Society, which also reports that regular colorectal cancer screening could reduce deaths from that disease by as much as 80 percent. That’s why Sen. Debbe Leftwich has authored SB 14, which would require insurance companies to cover colorectal cancer screening. The bill was approved by the Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee on Thursday.
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Right now, Oklahoma is only one of less than a dozen states that still has straight party voting. Sen. Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, is the author of Senate Bill 16 which would eliminate straight party voting in Oklahoma. That measure was approved Wednesday morning by the Senate Rules Committee.
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A bill to clarify county election questions that would result in a tax increase was approved unanimously by the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday. Sen. Anthony Sykes is the author of Senate Bill 1019. He explained the bill was the result of a situation that had occurred in 2004.
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Sen. Don Barrington wants Oklahoma's students to better appreciate the sacrifices made by our nation's military men and women for freedom. For this reason, he and Rep. Ann Coody, R-Lawton, have authored Senate Bill 17, which would create "Celebrate Freedom Week." The observance, which would take place during the week of Veteran's Day, would help better educate students about the sacrifices made for freedom and the values on which the United States was founded. The measure was approved by the Senate Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs Wednesday.
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The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary on Wednesday amended a measure to limit the authority of appellate courts to modify judgment or sentencing in cases where the defense of insanity is raised.

Under the amendment to Senate Bill 905, in cases dealing with the insanity defense, the appellate court would only have the authority to order a new trial or order resentencing without recommendations.

The Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday gave approval to a measure that would create a task force to study the redistricting of district attorney and judicial districts.

Senate Bill 990 by Sen. Kenneth Corn would create a 12-member task force, consisting of House and Senate members, two district judges appointed by the Supreme Court and two district attorneys appointed by the District Attorney’s Council.

As part of a continued effort to better inform the public through technology, members of the Oklahoma State Senate will soon be making podcasts available on the Senate’s official website.

The podcasts will include information on individual members’ legislation as well as other events occurring at the State Capitol or within their districts. The audio files will be posted in both mp3 and wav formats, and both will be CD quality.
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If a bill authored by Sen. Mike Mazzei makes it all the way to the Governor’s desk, Oklahoman’s could see both their waistlines and their taxes slim down. It’s one step closer to reality after the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 118 which provides an income tax credit equal to 20 percent of the cost of health or fitness club membership fees.
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A bill that would put a larger protective barrier around grieving families of war casualties received a unanimous vote today in a Senate committee.

Senate Bill 756 would increase the distance protesters at funerals must be from ceremonies and cemeteries; the measure also would triple the time before and after the ceremony when protests would be allowed. The measure was approved without opposition by the Senate Judiciary Committee and next will be considered by the full Senate.
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The Oklahoma Legislature must enact meaningful, comprehensive lawsuit reform this year to keep up with states like Texas, which has seen a surge in the number of doctors applying for licenses to practice medicine in the lone star state because of a reform package adopted by Texas voters in 2003, according to a recent news report in the Houston Chronicle newspaper.