Oklahoma State Senate
President Pro Tempore
Sen. Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City
State Capitol Room 422
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
(405) 521-5636

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For Immediate Release: January 21, 2010

Majority Floor Leader Todd Lamb and Senate Republican leaders discussed their agenda for the 2010 Legislative session in a state Capitol press conference on Thursday.

SENATE REPUBLICANS RELEASE PUBLIC SAFETY & TRANSPORTATION PLANKS OF 2010 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

OKLAHOMA CITY –Republicans in the Oklahoma State Senate released the second section of their 2010 Legislative agenda today, focusing on the areas of Public Safety and Transportation.

 In this challenging financial climate, Senate Republicans are working to bring new and better jobs to Oklahoma and provide for a more favorable business climate and better way of life for all Oklahomans, including keeping our citizens safe, and continued improvement of our transportation system.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee (R-OKC) and Majority Floor Leader Todd Lamb (R-Edmond), Chairman of the Senate Republican Agenda Committee led their colleagues in announcing their initiatives for the 2010 session.

“Even in a time of fiscal austerity, there are core functions of government that must be maintained,” said Lamb.  “Public safety and our transportation infrastructure are certainly two of those areas.  Senate Republicans will work within this very challenging environment to build on the strong progress we’ve made in recent years, while being faithful stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

“A state that holds the public safety as a priority and provides a safe and efficient transportation system is a state that will be prepared to grow when the hard times end,” said Pro Tem Coffee.  “We are resolved to keep Oklahoma competitive, and to do that, we’ll provide a safe and accessible Oklahoma, and be poised for further growth.”

Coffee and Lamb expressed concern about the impact of policies coming from Washington that would have a lasting and lethal impact on Oklahoma’s state budget. 

“Republicans in the Senate have great concerns about what will happen to funding for public safety and our transportation infrastructure in Oklahoma if the Obama administration and his Democrat allies in Congress succeed in passing policies which will only divert funds from other important programs to pay our share – and Nebraska’s share – of Medicaid expansion,” Lamb said.

“Oklahoma taxpayers will be paying for the special deals made for selected states, and that will come out of other important functions of state government,” Coffee added.

Republican goals for Public Safety and Transportation include bills that will:

• Maintain existing road funding against any diversion of monies and monitor the increased funding for roads, county roads, bridges, maintenance and construction
• Continue to re-organize the Medical Examiners office.
• Completion of the 800 Mghz Interoperable Communications System.
• Support expansion of statewide 9-1-1 services.
• Protect all of Oklahoma’s children from abuse.
• Continue to protect Oklahomans’ Gun rights.

Republican Senators have filed bills advancing each of the above goals, and will work with members in the Senate and House to pass these measures on to the Governor for his signature.

For more information contact:
Sen. Coffee: 405-521-5636