The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety and Judiciary on Wednesday approved legislation that would allow Oklahoma law enforcement officials to monitor the state’s most dangerous sex offenders through electronic monitoring devices.

SB 1862, the charter school expansion bill authored by Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, passed out of the Appropriations Committee today.

The bill will give the mayors of Oklahoma’s two largest cities chartering authority, while removing the number of caps on allowed charter schools, a major education reform that will increase opportunity for students and parents in the state’s two largest cities.

Key points of SB 1862 include:

· Allow municipalities with a population of 300,000 or more to sponsor/authorize charter schools;

Sen. Constance N. Johnson is encouraging her legislative colleagues to consider legislation that would establish alternative placement programs for non-violent offenders in Oklahoma. Johnson said alternative placement could ultimately reduce some of the state’s funding obligations to the Department of Corrections.

Johnson has filed Senate Bill 2329, making persons convicted of non-violent and drug-related crimes eligible for the Non Violent Offender Alternative Placement program.

The state Senate on Wednesday approved a resolution congratulating Rumble the Bison on his first birthday with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and declaring February 17, 2010, “Rumble the Bison Day”.

The Senate Rules Committee unanimously approved two measures Wednesday to help discourage members of the Legislature from voting on bills that could personally or financially benefit them. Sen. Andrew Rice, author of SJR 53 and SB 1671, says his bills are an effort to keep members honest while at the same time helping increase public trust in the legislative process.

The Senate Business and Labor Committee approved legislation Monday to stop tax fraud in the state when employers improperly misclassify workers as “independent contractors” to avoid paying unemployment and other taxes. Senate Bill 1384, by Sen. Andrew Rice, would allow the Oklahoma Tax Commission, Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court and Oklahoma Employment Security Commission to share information and coordinate investigative and enforcement efforts in order to find employers who intentionally misclassify individuals as independent contractors rather than employees.

State Sen. Randy Brogdon continued his push to better protect the individual rights of Oklahomans on Tuesday with committee approval of the Oklahoma Firearms Freedom Act. Under the provisions of Senate Bill 1685, no firearms or ammunition manufactured in Oklahoma and remaining in the state could be subject to any federal regulations, including federal registration requirements.

A bill to help give part time employees a financial boost by providing them with unemployment insurance payments was approved unanimously Monday by the Senate Business and Labor Committee. Senate Bill 1385, by Sen. Jim Wilson, would authorize the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission to create a voluntary Shared Work Unemployment Compensation Program.

Sen. Joe Sweeden on Tuesday voiced opposition to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission’s new statewide toll-free calling proposal saying that while it might sound like a good idea, there is more to the proposal than meets the eye.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has given unanimous approval to legislation mandating a two year cooling off period before a former lawmaker could become a lobbyist. State Sen. Debbe Leftwich is the author of Senate Bill 847. She’s championed the bill since first becoming a member, introducing the legislation three separate times, but this is the first year the bill has been heard in committee.