Press Releases

Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee commented on a lawsuit reform bill authored by Democrat Sen. Susan Paddack of Ada Tuesday. Senate Bill 824 won passage in the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bipartisan 7 to 1 vote.

“This bill is a small step toward the lawsuit reform our state desperately needs, and Senate Republicans look forward to working with Sen. Paddack to achieve meaningful lawsuit reform this session,” stated Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

State Sen. Kathleen Wilcoxson is well acquainted with the foster care system in Oklahoma. She and her husband, Lynden, opened their home and their hearts to a foster child whom they later adopted. Now Sen. Wilcoxson is hoping to bring attention to the need for others to do the same. Wilcoxson and the Foster Care Association of Oklahoma (F.C.A.O.) have teamed up to give the Governor, Lt. Governor and every member of the House and Senate a foster doll to care for until May.

Leaving a child alone in a vehicle can be deadly—especially in the summertime. Yet every year there are tragic reports about children and infants dying after being left alone in hot cars. Sen. Susan Paddack is hoping to decrease such incidents with SB 551, the Forget-Me-Not Vehicle Safety Act. The measure was approved by the Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on Tuesday.
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2006 Jim Thorpe Award winner Aaron Ross, of the University of Texas, was honored on the floor of the state Senate on Monday. The Senate unanimously approved Senate Resolution 5, recognizing and commending the standout defensive back.

As a senior, Ross was tabbed first-team All American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the Football Writers Association of America and was selected first-team all Big 12. Ross was also chosen as the University of Texas Defensive MVP.

The Senate Business and Labor Committee on Monday gave approval to a bill that would ban the sale of cough medicine containing dextromethorphan (DXM) as well as spray paint to anyone under the age of 18. State Sen. Charlie Laster is author of Senate Bill 951.
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State Senator Andrew Rice said his measure to protect Oklahoma’s military personnel from predatory lending is dead for the session after failing to receive passage from a Senate committee on Monday.

Rice said Senate Bill 807 would have established safeguards to help consumers, military and non-military citizens from being caught in a cycle of chronic borrowing.

State Sen. Constance N. Johnson has decided against requesting a hearing for Senate Bill 487. The measure would have required all Oklahoma girls entering the sixth grade to be immunized against the human papillomavirus (HPV). In clinical trials the inoculation was 100 percent effective in preventing precancerous cervical conditions caused by the types of HPV included in the vaccine. The vaccine protects against specific strains of HPV which cause 70 percent of all cervical cancers.
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Freshman Senator Files Legislation to Increase Income Limits to $75,000

The Senate Health and Human Resources Committee has given its approval to a bill that would ban smoking at zoos in Oklahoma. Sen. Cliff Branan is the author of Senate Bill 473, which was approved on Thursday.

“Right now there’s a loophole in the state’s law banning smoking in public places, because those places are defined as indoors only,” explained Branan, R-Oklahoma City. “This legislation will close that loophole and better protect the health and safety of the public—particularly children who visit zoos.”
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In an effort to better protect Oklahoma workers, a Senate committee has given approval to a measure that would make it illegal for companies to require implanted microchips as a condition of employment. Senate Bill 47, by Sen. Brian Crain was approved by the Health and Human Resources Committee on Thursday.
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Senator Judy Eason McIntyre wants group home residents to have access to healthier foods and activities. The Tulsa senator may get her wish following the approval of her legislation, Senate Bill 618, on Thursday by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.
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State Senator Earl Garrison is looking out for the well-being of young athletes in Oklahoma. On Thursday, the Committee on Health and Human Resources approved Senate Bill 451, which would prohibit non-school-related sports programs for kids thirteen years or younger from holding practice outside or in non-air-conditioned facilities when the heat index is at or above ninety-five degrees.
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Oklahoma can no longer afford to ignore the growing crisis of hunger within its borders according to State Senate Andrew Rice, author of SB 499, which would create the Oklahoma Taskforce on Hunger.
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While African Americans represent 13 percent of the nation’s population, they account for nearly half of the new cases of HIV. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Organizations across the country are hoping to bring attention to the epidemic with events marking February 7, 2007, as National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. In order to help raise awareness in Oklahoma, Sen. Constance N. Johnson authored a resolution to help bring attention to the issue. Senate Resolution 6 was approved on Wednesday.

Legislation has been introduced by Sen. Kenneth Corn that would provide a significant increase in pay and benefits for Oklahoma teachers.

Senate Bill 80 would increase the minimum salary schedule for Oklahoma teachers, while Senate Bill 58 would provide all education employees with 75 percent of their dependant coverage.

The Legislature was successful last year in passing a $3,000 across-the-board pay increase for teachers, but Oklahoma needs to keep pace with an increasing regional average, Corn said.

Thanks to the generosity of one Oklahoma couple and the talents of an Oklahoma artist, another original painting entitled "Arcadia Round-Up" by artist Linda Tuma Robertson was dedicated in the Oklahoma House Wednesday afternoon. The work, sponsored by Oklahoma County Commissioner and former State Representative Ray Vaughn and his wife, Suzanne and commissioned by the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund.
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The Oklahoma State Senate passed a resolution Wednesday designating February 14, 2007 as "County Government Day" in Oklahoma. Senate Concurrent Resolution 5 is authored by Senator Earl Garrison and Representative R.C. Pruett.

"County governments play a vital role in Oklahoma's economy and governmental structure, and it's imperative that all levels of government - federal, state, county and municipal - work together for the
betterment of our state," said Garrison, D-Muskogee.
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Legislation to crack down on caller ID spoofing is one step closer to becoming law after winning approval by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday. Sen. James A. Williamson is the author of Senate Bill 712, which would create the “Anti-Caller ID Spoofing Act.” Williamson said criminals are using this technology to commit identity theft and other kinds of fraud.
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Sen. Kenneth Corn on Tuesday said he plans to call for the creation of a Joint Task Force on Corrections to address lingering problems with Oklahoma’s jails and prisons.

Oklahoma currently has one of the highest per-capita incarceration rates for both men and women. Additionally, a crumbling infrastructure and understaffing in the Department of Corrections places an even greater strain on Oklahoma’s corrections system, Corn said.

A measure that will exempt volunteers who provide transportation services for charitable organizations or not-for-profit corporations from liability lawsuits passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday.

“This bill will provide protection for the volunteers who drive senior citizens to and from hot lunch programs and take them to the grocery store to do their shopping,” said Senator Debbe Leftwich, author of the legislation.
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