The Oklahoma Senate

(Most of the work in the Legislature occurred behind the scenes in committee as legislators worked to beat their Thursday deadline for passing bills out of committee. The next deadline, requiring the 3rd reading of bills in the opposite house, is April 16th.)

• The House Criminal Justice Committee killed the so-called castration bill when the legislation failed to receive a "do-pass" recommendation. The panel voted 7-7 on SB 629 which calls for the asexualization of certain convicted sex offenders. As amended, the bill would have allowed a judge to order castration if at least two of eight listed aggravated circumstances were met. Senator Frank Shurden, the bill's author, argued castration was the best way to prevent sex offenders from striking again. The measure had previously been approved by the full Senate.
  
  
• The House Criminal Justice Committee approved a measure which would require law enforcement authorities to notify school districts whenever they become aware of a charge filed against a school employee. The bill was spawned by a media report that documented several convicted felons working in the Tulsa public schools.
  
  
• The Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee approved HB 2807 which is designed to stop minors from buying beer on the internet. An amendment by Senator Jerry Smith added hard liquor to the ban. The panel also approved HB 2622 which would create a penalty for people who interfere with firefighters engaged in their official duty.
  
  
• The Senate Education Committee approved HB 2361, another bill which would shake up the higher education system in Tulsa. The legislation by Rep. Don Ross and Senator Maxine Horner would include specific protections for Langston University, rename the Tulsa consortium and create a four-year Rogers University in Claremore. The panel also approved another bill on the subject, HB 2399 by Rep. Russ Roach. It is a shell bill.
  
  
• Meanwhile, the House Appropriations and Budget Education subcommittee approved a committee substitute for SB 1426, legislation carrying the State Regents program for Tulsa higher education. Rep. Russ Roach told the panel that an agreement had been reached to pass all of the Tulsa higher ed bills to conference committee and resolve differences there.
  
  
• The Senate General Government Committee approved a bill that would place new restrictions on the purchase and use of state aircraft. HB 3226 was the product of a legislative investigation into the travel abuses of Governor Keating who used the state airplane for campaign purposes. The probe also sparked an ethics prosecution of the Governor which is currently before the Oklahoma Supreme Court. The legislation would forbid the use of the state airplane for partisan events or for speaking engagements where the public official receives a fee. It would also require the Office of State Finance to keep a detailed travel log on the use of state or state-leased aircraft.
  
  
• The Senate General Government Committee also approved HB 2245, allowing a sheriff to hire his own attorney instead of depending on the district attorney's office.
  
  
• The House Rules Committee recommended the passage of HR 1038 which would limit the number of bills each House member could file. It would restrict legislators to 8 bills, unless a special need was demonstrated. The resolution also curtails the practice of House members voting for others who are not on the floor, requiring that a member be in the chamber to officially be recorded as voting on a measure.

• The Senate Finance Committee approved a series of tax cut bills. HB 2218, HB 2209 and HJR 1063 are also designed to return grocery sales tax revenue to citizens, either through an outright tax cut or a rebate. HB 2218 would cut the tax on groceries over a series of years. HB 2209 and HJR 1063 would expand the number of citizens who are currently eligible for a sales tax rebate on their income tax returns.
  
  
• The Senate Wildlife Committee moved to protect the "white deer," approving HB 2619 which would prohibit the hunting of the animal. Senator Frank Shurden said their are a limited number of white deer remaining in Oklahoma and they deserve protection.
  
  
• The full House approved SB 813 authorizing the payment of fees collected from trash citations in counties with a population of more than 450,000 into the sheriff's special services fund to be used for operating expenses of the sheriff's department.
  
  
• The House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee approved HCR 1077 which would create a multi-state compact similar to the interstate oil and gas compact to oversee animal waste.
  
  
• The House Commerce, Industry and Labor Committee approved SB 793 by Senator Lewis Long. The legislation would cut the unemployment tax by approximately $60 million while increasing benefits for certain unemployed workers.
  
  
• The House Retirement Laws Committee approved a plan to give the Teachers Retirement System a $50 million boost. It approved SB 1033 which appropriates $50 million from the state rainy day fund and uses it to reduce the unfunded liability of the Teachers Retirement System.
  
  
• The Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Committee approved HB 2487 which would boost boll weevil eradication efforts.
  
  
• A House committee approved a measure which would strengthen domestic abuse laws. Among other things, SB 1104 would lower the age threshold for prosecuting a suspected abuser from 16 to 13, clarify the legal definition of a "dating relationship," and expand the definition of family or household members.

• The House Appropriations Committee approved SB 1426 which would shake up Rogers University in Tulsa, transferring control to OU and OSU. Before approving it, the committee removed sections creating a four-year school in Claremore and mandating that OU and OSU offer a guaranteed number of programs in Tulsa. The panel failed to approve another bill which would have created a Tulsa State University. Senator Lewis Long said he will attempt to attach his proposal to one of several bills addressing higher education in Tulsa. On a related note, Governor Keating told a Tulsa audience that he supported the OU/OSU-Tulsa concept and said the effort would probably have to include a four-year university in Claremore as well.
  
  
• The House Revenue and Taxation Committee approved SB 239 which would make more Oklahomans eligible for sales tax relief on their annual income tax return. The legislation by Sen. Penny Williams would raise the maximum allowable income for an individual from $12,000 to $30,000. The program is designed to give low income Oklahomans a rebate on sales taxes paid throughout the year. The House committee also approved SB 1167, an omnibus bill that contains all of Governor Keating's tax cut proposals.
  
  
• The House Insurance Committee approved SB 1059 which would require insurance benefits to be provided to people who suffer from severe mental illness.
  
  
• The House Education Committee approved a bill which would encourage public schools to offer drivers education again. SB 1429 by Sen. Keith Leftwich initially failed to receive the approval of a House subcommittee last week, but the full educational panel voted to forward it to the House floor for consideration. The funding mechanism for the measure, SB 1420, was also approved by the House Appropriations Committee.
  
  
• The Senate approved supplemental funding requests for several agencies: $2.3 million for the vo-tech to administer job training programs, $67,000 for the Oklahoma Tax Commission for additional tax collectors, $189,000 for the State Regents to reimburse Onenet for the telemedicine program, $183,000 for State Agriculture Department to regulate confined animal feeding operations, $100,000 to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission for repairs to Fairfax Lake Dam, $1.6 million to the state employees deferred compensation plan to provide contributions for participants and $808,000 for the State Board of Education for adjustments to the state aid formula resulting from a recent settlement with Public Service Company of Oklahoma.
  
  
• The Senate Appropriations Committee approved 68 House bills.

• The Senate Human Resources Committee met to take up a bill which would ban partial birth abortion in Oklahoma.
  
  
• The Senate met briefly before adjourning for the weekend. It will reconvene at 1:30pm Monday.

• Governor Keating unveiled a state-sponsored advertising insert which will soon appear in Forbes Magazine. Among other things, the advertisement will promote Oklahoma's low tax ranking. According to the Commerce Department, Oklahoma has the ninth lowest taxes in the country.