Oklahoma should consider sentencing reform as an alternative to building more prisons, said Senator Richard Lerblance, Chairman of the Oklahoma Sentencing Commission.

“We need to think outside the box on how to fix the Department of Corrections’ prison-crowding crisis,” said Lerblance, D-Hartshorne. “We need to take this opportunity to re-examine exactly who we as a society are demanding to be locked up and ask if imprisonment is the best solution to that problem.”

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – Senate Republican leader Glenn Coffee said a reported shortage of bed space at state prisons is a crisis manufactured by Democrat leaders who support the early release of prisoners and who don’t like using less-costly private prisons to lock up state prisoners.

“If there is a shortage of bed space at state prisons, it is because Democrat leaders did not allow DoC to adequately utilize less-costly private prison space when it was available,” stated Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.

Republicans are out of touch on the current prison space shortage facing the Department of Corrections—that’s according to State Sen. Kenneth Corn who said Republicans have thwarted Democrat-led efforts to address the issue.

“During the last session as well as last year’s special session, the Democrat controlled Senate called for improvements in the state prison system that would allow for the continued growth of inmates,” said Corn, D-Poteau. “That effort was blocked by Republicans.”

Sen. Jeff Rabon on Friday said Oklahoma ranchers can now apply for Livestock Assistance Grants to offset grazing loss suffered through one of the worst periods of drought in state history, but more must be done to remedy the problems currently facing livestock producers in the state.

The Senate Task Force on Illegal Immigration Issues held a second meeting Wednesday, hearing presentations from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety and the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center.

Sen. Daisy Lawler, Chair of the Task Force, said information presented by the agencies further illustrated the scope of the illegal immigration problem and gave task force members a better understanding of how state corrections and law enforcement agencies deal with illegal immigrants under current laws.

After hearing reports that a second Oklahoma lottery prize had been claimed by a trust, rather than an individual, Sen. Clark Jolley announced he would file legislation for the 2007 session to close the loophole enabling individuals to form anonymous trusts after finding they had a winning ticket. Jolley, R-Edmond, said this loophole undermines the integrity of the lottery.

Responding to a recent assertion by University of Oklahoma President David Boren that the legislature should not have a role in setting tuition rates, Sen. Jim Wilson on Thursday said it is still the legislature’s function to represent taxpayers on higher education issues.

Before a Tuesday meeting of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, Boren said the Oklahoma Legislature should not function like a board of regents and should let universities continue to set their own tuition rates.

Senator Daisy Lawler, Chair of the Senate Task Force on Illegal Immigration Issues, said she was pleased with the group’s first meeting held Monday at the State Capitol.

Members of the task force heard presentations from representatives of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority and the Oklahoma Hospital Association. Additionally, the Immigrant Policy Project Program Director of the National Conference of State Legislatures presented statistics illustrating the scope and costs of illegal immigration nationwide.

State Sen. Jim Wilson has called on the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) to take advantage of a new electronic medical data sharing network. Wilson says the network, called SMRTNET for secure medical records transfer network, has been offered at no charge to OHCA, and would help reduce preventable medical errors, improve care and save tax dollars. Wilson said participation by OHCA in the system will not only respond to the requirements set forth in HB 2842 (the Medicaid Reform bill) but will save time and money.

Statement by Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan
“I am pleased at the Supreme Court’s decision today. TABOR was a disaster in Colorado – one that Oklahoma doesn’t need to repeat. I also think this decision sends a clear signal that Oklahoma will not allow out-of-state interests to manipulate public policy in our state. The initiative petition is an important tool granted to the citizens of Oklahoma in their Constitution. The Supreme Court said today that abuse of the initiative process by special interest groups from beyond our borders will not be tolerated.”