Press Releases

I have discovered in my years that the meaning of certain words has either changed or evolved over time. One word that comes to mind is the word hero. It seems this word, which at one time had a very narrow definition, has broadened its field of vision. 

Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman announced Tuesday the hiring of Jennifer Monies as his new press secretary and senior advisor.

Monies is the Senior Vice President of Communications & Marketing for the State Chamber of Oklahoma. She replaces Nathan Atkins, who stepped down from the Pro Tem’s staff this summer to attend law school.

On Thursday, US District Judge Vicki Miles-LaGrange issued a permanent injunction against the State Election Board from certifying the results of State Question 755. State Question 755 was approved by 70% of Oklahoma voters in the November 2010 elections and would have banned the use of Sharia law and International law in Oklahoma courts.
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Recently, Sen. Mike Mazzei (R-Tulsa), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and author of State Question 766, wrote a letter to all Oklahoma state Senators discussing the impact of the property tax exemption created by State Question 766 on our counties, schools and Career Tech system.

Today, Sen. Roger Ballenger issued the following comments in response to the “good news” Sen. Mazzei shared in that letter about the impact of the elimination of intangible property taxes by State Question 766 on Oklahoma schools:

During a trip to Romania last month, State Sen. Nathan Dahm had the opportunity to visit with State Secretary for Strategic Affairs Bogdan Aurescu to discuss the continuing efforts to finalize the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the U.S.

Dahm, whose family lived in Romania when he was a child, said the partnership continues to be beneficial for both countries.

Senate Democratic Leader Sean Burrage issued the following comments in response to Governor Mary Fallin’s call for a special legislative session to revisit tort reform in Oklahoma.

“The Democrats in the State Senate believe that a special session to revisit this issue is a waste of both time and taxpayer dollars,” said Burrage, D-Claremore. “At a cost of $30,000 per day, we are looking at spending close to $250,000 to fix a problem created by the Republican majority. It is clearly an issue that can wait and be addressed in the next legislative session.”

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Research Institute for Economic Development (RIED), a non-partisan organization and producer of the annual RIED Report, a grading system of Oklahoma legislators’ votes on key economic development issues, announced today that Senator Ron Sharp (R-Shawnee) recorded a score of 94 out of a possible 100 on the 2013 RIED Report. 

This fall, the Senate Veterans Committee will be conducting three interim studies on issues affecting Oklahoma’s veterans. The studies were requested by the committee’s chairman, Sen. Frank Simpson, who has dedicated his time in the legislature to improving state services for veterans.
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