After earning unanimous approval in the Senate on Tuesday, two proposals authored by Sen. Dan Newberry to combat the crime of human trafficking will now advance to the governor.

Senate Bill 1433 would guarantee that persons convicted of human trafficking serve at least 85 percent of their sentence. Under Senate Bill 1431, the provisions of the Sex Offender Registration Act will apply to people convicted of human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Both measures are sponsored by Rep. Pam Peterson.

Currently, 100-percent disabled veterans in Oklahoma are provided with an ad valorem tax exemption for their primary residence as long as they lived there on Jan. 1st and apply for the exemption by March 15th. Last week, the Senate approved legislation ensuring disabled veterans continue to get the exemption if they move mid-year as well as extending the tax break to the surviving spouses of veterans killed in the line of duty.

The state Senate has approved legislation to ensure that students in Oklahoma high schools receive instruction in life-saving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) prior to graduation. Under House Bill 1378, authored by Rep. Emily Virgin and Sen. John Sparks, students will receive hands-on training to learn skills that can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival after sudden cardiac arrest.

Sen. Patrick Anderson today said he was shocked that the State Department of Education spent $33,268.00 on its annual report. The report, which is 60 pages in length and includes 50 glossy color photos and charts, was delivered to legislators Wednesday.

According to the document, the Department of Education printed 2,000 copies, meaning each copy of the report cost taxpayers $16.63.

The 6th annual Breast Cancer Awareness Day will be held at the state Capitol on Tuesday, April 29. The educational event is free to the public and provides information on prevention, treatment, support groups and other important topics.

The full Senate has approved legislation that will ultimately increase public school funding by $600 million annually. Sen. Jim Halligan, R-Stillwater, and Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville, are Senate authors of House Bill 2642, the Securing Educational Excellence Fund (SEEF). The measure was approved unanimously on Wednesday.

Sen. Ralph Shortey is urging the Oklahoma House of Representatives to take up articles of impeachment filed by Rep. Mike Christian against the five Justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court who voted this week to stay the executions of two death row inmates.

Shortey said the justices have abdicated their role as impartial interpreters of the law, allowing the Court to be successfully manipulated by death penalty activists.

The full Senate has given unanimous approval to a plan aimed at countering the impact of proposed federal legislation taxing Internet sales. The federal Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 would require Internet sales tax collections on businesses that don’t have a substantial physical presence in the state.

Sen. Clark Jolley is the author of the measure creating the Marketplace Equalization Fund, which was approved Wednesday as an amendment to HB 2720. The act would only become effective if Congress approves the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013.

President Pro Tempore Brian Bingman issued the following statement after the House voted to approve SB 1246. Bingman is principal author of the income tax cut legislation, which now goes to Gov. Mary Fallin for her consideration.

Sen. Cliff Aldridge today applauded statements by House Speaker Jeff Hickman regarding Senate Bill 1651, which would allocate $40 million from the state’s Unclaimed Property Fund to the American Indian Cultural Center and Museum. Aldridge said the House Speaker has remained consistent in his requirement that 51 members of the House Republican Caucus support the proposal before it is given a hearing in the House chamber.