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The Senate on Wednesday approved a measure that would create a task force to study the redistricting of district attorney and judicial districts.

Sen. Kenneth Corn, author of Senate Bill 990, said the bill was needed to ensure that areas throughout the state are receiving adequate judicial representation.

The full Senate has given its approval to a measure aimed at tightening the rules for using state issued purchase cards. Sen. Charlie Laster said he filed Senate Bill 831 after hearing reports of the cards being used in inappropriate ways.
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The full Senate has given approval to another measure aimed at strengthening the Teachers Retirement System of Oklahoma (TRS). Sen. Mike Mazzei is the author of Senate Bill 1092 which was approved by the Senate on Tuesday.

State Sen. Jay Paul Gumm has won full Senate approval for a measure to give liability protection to gun manufacturers. Sen. Gumm said the language was based on a similar law in South Dakota’s statutes.

“This simply says that if a bad person takes a gun and shoots somebody, the gun manufacturer cannot be held liable for the criminal actions of that individual,” said Gumm. “It holds the manufacturer harmless.”

Gumm said the liability protection would not apply to manufacturers who build a defective product.

State Capitol, Oklahoma City – The evenly divided Oklahoma Senate made history Tuesday by passing a pro-life bill that prohibits state funds, facilities, and employees from being used to perform abortions.

Senate Bill 714 is authored by Sen. James A. Williamson, R-Tulsa. The bill passed on a bipartisan 34 to 13 vote Tuesday, with 10 Democrats joining Republican senators to pass the legislation.

State Sen. Randy Bass has won approval from the full Senate on a bill to help growing military communities meet infrastructure needs. Senate Bill 751 would also extend the deadline originally approved in a 2002 bill designed to help two of the state’s largest tire manufacturing facilities, Goodyear and Michelin. Bass, D-Lawton, said both provisions were important to Oklahoma’s economy.
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The Senate has voted to approve legislation that would ban smoking at zoos in Oklahoma. Sen. Cliff Branan is the author of Senate Bill 473, which was approved on Wednesday.

“We already have laws on the books banning smoking in public places, but those places are defined as being indoors only,” said Branan, R-Oklahoma City. “SB 473 will address that loophole by specifically extending that ban to zoos, including both indoor and outdoor exhibit spaces. No other outdoor venues would be impacted by this legislation.”
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Legislation to ensure that Oklahoma will keep its promise to pay the college tuition for thousands of deserving scholarship recipients was approved by the full State Senate Wednesday.
Senate Bill 820 creates a permanent dedicated funding source for the Oklahoma’s Promise Scholarship Program.
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Legislation to make human trafficking a felony in Oklahoma has won unanimous approval from the State Senate. Senate Bill 7, by Sen. Debbe Leftwich, would set a mandatory minimum of five years for engaging in human trafficking, and a minimum of 10 years in prison if the crime involved trafficking children 14 years of age or younger.
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