Press Releases

“My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes, vehicles, and businesses in the tragic wildfires sweeping across northeast Oklahoma City, along with those who have been displaced from their homes, and the pastor and members of Harrison Bethel Baptist Church. You are all in my and so many other Oklahomans’ prayers and thoughts. It’s times like these that government can make the difference in people’s lives, not only with the recovery effort but in other ways as well. We are at your service to help in any way possible as you adjust and work to get your world back to normal. read more.

Senator Sykes marks historic day in Oklahoma

“In his press release last Friday, Attorney General Scott Pruitt made factually untrue statements with a political spin intended to distract from the real issue -- the extreme cost of unnecessarily locking up people for life for nonviolent drug related crimes.
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State Sen. David Holt praised completion of an initiative to place signage marking historic Route 66 throughout Oklahoma City. The project was spearheaded by Sen. Holt and Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett and was a joint project of The City of Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Sen. Constance N. Johnson believes Oklahoma's sentencing guidelines regarding life without parole for nonviolent drug crimes are unfair, costly and, in the case of Larry Yarbrough, a waste of tax payer dollars.
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State Sen. Constance N. Johnson praised President Obama’s administration this week for transforming women’s health care in America by classifying birth control as preventative care – an issue the Oklahoma County democrat has been advocating since getting into office.

The Institute of Medicine medical advisory panel recommended the changes to the Health and Human Services Department last month. The panel said contraceptives should qualify as preventive care, which insurers must fully cover under Obama’s federal health care reform plan.
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Recent news accounts of local bounty hunters terrorizing an innocent Midwest City family underscore the need for common sense legislation. State Sen. Ralph Shortey was the principal author of Senate Bill 805 that would close a loophole allowing bounty hunters to carry guns in Oklahoma.
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Legislative leaders today announced full membership of the Joint Legislative Water Committee, which will work on long-range water policy recommendations for Oklahoma.

The Water Committee will begin meeting Aug. 17, when it will start studying the Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan and collecting input from a wide variety of other sources and stakeholders as it explores what Oklahoma needs to do to meet its water needs in the next 50 years.

Legislative leaders today announced membership and meetings of the Joint Committee on Federal Health Care Law, a special legislative committee that will study how the new federal health care law affects Oklahoma.

Senate Pro Tem Brian Bingman and House Speaker Kris Steele ordered the formation of the joint committee this past legislative session to ensure Oklahoma properly addresses the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
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