State leaders have plenty to brag about on Oklahoma's economic development front, according to a new report by the State Senate staff. The study was compiled at the request of Senator Ted Fisher, chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee and author of the Quality Jobs Act.

"Too often it seems like people ignore the many good things that are happening in Oklahoma and dwell on the negative. I just think that if we did a better job of promoting the attributes of our state, we'd have even better success on the economic development trail," said Senator Fisher.

Even though Oklahoma's state highway construction budget is at its highest level in state history, Oklahoma's road-building program has been plagued by innumerable delays that have thrown it far off schedule, according to an analysis by the State Senate staff.

The unexplained delays are causing problems throughout the state, but especially in the Tulsa area, according to State Senator Lewis Long.

Legislation establishing a special savings account for Oklahoma's tobacco settlement funds has been approved by the full State Senate. SB 1404 by Senator Stratton Taylor passed on a 45-1 vote Monday.

When it comes to putting teachers into the classroom, Oklahoma is doing a better job than almost every other state in the country, according to national statistics highlighted in a new Senate report.

"I think it's a very encouraging sign. It indicates that we're doing a great job of getting personnel into the classroom where they can do the most good," said Senator Cal Hobson, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education.

OKLAHOMA CITY - An international health organization has given Oklahoma the only "A" in the nation for the state's efforts to stop the spread of Hepatitis A. That's according to State Senator Kelly Haney, author of a 1997 bill requiring the vaccination for Oklahoma children.

Twenty state lawmakers are urging Governor Keating to retract his inaccurate criticism of Oklahoma college graduates and apologize for suggesting that a majority of them aren't competent enough to enter the working world.

Governor Keating's story about a mystery CEO allegedly criticizing Oklahoma college graduates is more fiction than fact, according to a state lawmaker who first questioned the authenticity of the Governor's story last month.

Senator Kevin Easley said that a letter written by a state college president indicates that the CEO story is false and the Governor knows it.

Senator Stratton Taylor's proposal for a state tobacco trust fund will soon be heard by the Oklahoma State Senate. The bill cleared its first legislative hurdle at the end of last week, earning a do-pass recommendation from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"I think there's a lot of support for the idea of setting up a special trust fund to hold a substantial share of the state's tobacco settlement money. I still view this legislation as a work in progress, but the positive reaction it has received thus far is encouraging," said Senator Taylor, Senate President Pro Tempore.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Two state Senators are asking questions about the funding priorities at the State Department of Mental Health. That's after the board created a new position for their former commissioner, while laying off more than 100 state employees at Eastern State Hospital.

The downsizing was part of a plan to contain costs at Eastern State Hospital. Seventy state workers will be forced to leave their jobs March 1, while 43 others will follow in July.

For the second time in as many months, Governor Keating is being called on the carpet for making inappropriate comments about the state of Oklahoma.

According to a State Senate leader, the chief executive stepped over the line again yesterday when he referred to current day Oklahoma as "stupid and backward" because it had not yet enacted a right to work law.

"There he goes again," said Senate Majority Whip Keith Leftwich, borrowing a phrase popularized by former President Ronald Reagan.