Statement by Senator Stratton Taylor,
Senate President Pro Tempore

"I think we owe it to taxpayers to conclude the Governor's special session as quickly as possibly, preferably in just a single day. We're ready to go in, address the issues that can be resolved and move on."

"The only thing certain about tags at this point is that there is an election scheduled for August 22nd for voters to decide the issue. On workers comp, the Governor and legislative leaders have agreed to appoint a working group of legislators to discuss the issue."

State Senator Penny Williams is urging the State Regents for Higher Education to allocate an additional $2.84 million to OSU-Tulsa - the total of surplus funds the State Regents received thanks to an eleventh hour, line-item gubernatorial veto.

"OSU-Tulsa is already being forced to dip into its reserve funds just to fulfill its new responsibilities in the Tulsa community. The money won't address every need at OSU-Tulsa, but it would be a step in the right direction," said Senator Williams.

Statement by Senator Stratton Taylor,
Senate President Pro Tempore

"If any blame should be assessed, it should be against Governor Keating. As chief executive of the state of Oklahoma, he controls the executive branch that directly oversees state agencies like the Health Department. The Governor, not the Legislature, appoints the board that is in charge of
running the department."

OKLAHOMA CITY - Racial profiling is now officially illegal in Oklahoma. That's the word from Senator Maxine Horner, the author of legislation that makes targeting individuals based on their race or ethnic background illegal for law enforcement officers.

Senate Bill 1444 was signed into law this week and marks a change in the way racial profiling complaints are handled.

Oklahoma has always had a policy prohibiting such profiling, but this legislation makes the practice illegal.

Tourism in Oklahoma is set to get a big boost, thanks to landmark legislation passed this year under the guidance of Senator Jeff Rabon, D-Hugo and Randall Erwin, D- Nashoba.

The booming trend in tourism is evident in recent statistics. In 1998 alone, domestic travel spending in Oklahoma topped $3.6 billion, bypassing 1997 by almost 4 percent. That extra spending generated 67,000 jobs in 1998 and those employees earned more than $1.3 billion in wages and salary.

OKLAHOMA CITY -Members of the Senate Republican Caucus have elected their new officers for the 48th Legislature. The members of the caucus selected Senator Jim Dunlap, R-Bartlesville to the office of Senate Minority Leader. Senator James A. Williamson, R-Tulsa will serve as Assistant Minority Leader. Senator Scott Pruitt, R-Broken Arrow is the incoming Minority Whip while Senator Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City will serve as Caucus Chair.

Oklahoma would ultimately deposit 75 percent of its annual tobacco payments into a special trust fund administered by two panels of private citizens, under a bill given final approval by the State Senate Friday.

HB 2022 by Senate President Pro Tempore Stratton Taylor would ask voters to amend the Oklahoma Constitution to establish the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund and guidelines for its administration.

Oklahoma voters will get to decide in August whether they would like to slash the cost of annual car tags. State lawmakers voted Friday to place the question directly on a state ballot, bypassing Governor Keating, who had vetoed two previous car tag reform efforts.

Statement by Senator Stratton Taylor, President Pro Tempore

Car tags - After Governor Keating vetoed car tag reform for the second year in a row, lawmakers voted to bypass the state chief executive and put the question directly on a statewide ballot in August. The measure would junk Oklahoma's current tag system, replacing it with a system of flat annual fees ranging from $85 to $15 depending on the age of a vehicle. It would also reform the excise tax, assessing it on the actual sales price rather than the inflated sticker price as current law allows. The measure would result in a $22 million tax cut.