The full State Senate gave approval Thursday to legislation that will provide access to quality health care for more of Oklahoma’s uninsured children.

Senate Bill 424 is a major part of the Senate Democrats’ 2007 Legislative Agenda, but the measure was presented on the floor by Republican Senator Brian Crain. Crain co-chairs of the Senate Appropriations Sub-Committee on Health and Social Services with Democrat Tom Adelson, author of the measure.

The bill passed on a 28-14 vote with six Republicans joining 22 Democrats in favor of the measure.

Legislation to make human trafficking a felony in Oklahoma has won unanimous approval from the State Senate. Senate Bill 7, by Sen. Debbe Leftwich, would set a mandatory minimum of five years for engaging in human trafficking, and a minimum of 10 years in prison if the crime involved trafficking children 14 years of age or younger.

A measure that would prohibit state employees from being discriminated against on the basis of their religion was passed by the full Senate on Wednesday.

Senate Clark Jolley said Senate Bill 793 was intended to correct a problem that emerged last year when employees at a state agency were notified they could be discharged for referencing prayer or saying “Merry Christmas” during the holiday season.

The Senate has voted to approve legislation that would ban smoking at zoos in Oklahoma. Sen. Cliff Branan is the author of Senate Bill 473, which was approved on Wednesday.

“We already have laws on the books banning smoking in public places, but those places are defined as being indoors only,” said Branan, R-Oklahoma City. “SB 473 will address that loophole by specifically extending that ban to zoos, including both indoor and outdoor exhibit spaces. No other outdoor venues would be impacted by this legislation.”

The full Senate has approved 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.

Senator Jay Paul Gumm’s effort to end forever the concept of forced school consolidation is two small steps away from a vote of the people with an overwhelming bipartisan vote on the Senate floor this morning.

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.

Legislation to ensure that Oklahoma will keep its promise to pay the college tuition for thousands of deserving scholarship recipients was approved by the full State Senate Wednesday.
Senate Bill 820 creates a permanent dedicated funding source for the Oklahoma’s Promise Scholarship Program.

A bill to give greater protection to victims of identity theft has won passage in the State Senate. The measure, Senate Bill 567, was authored by Sen. Randy Bass as a result of an incident in his district.

A measure designed to strengthen the Teachers’ Retirement System of Oklahoma (TRS) has won full approval from the State Senate. Sen. Mike Mazzei is the author of the bill which would substantially improve the funded liability ratio of the system over the next 20 years.

SB 1119 was approved unanimously on Tuesday. That measure would raise the dedicated stream of revenue from income and sales tax collections to pour additional money into TRS.

A bill that would increase penalties for hunting or fishing without permission on land primarily devoted to farming, ranching or forestry was approved by the Senate on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 95, authored by Senator Kenneth Corn, would remove the requirement for the landowner to post warning signs and would require the forfeiture of hunting or fishing licenses for individuals caught violating the law.

Corn said the legislation would amend existing statutes which discouraged trespassing, but offered little punishment.