Week In Review
Monday, May 1 through Thursday, May 4, 2006

Monday, May 1

• The Senate met briefly Monday before adjourning in time for members to attend the funeral of Lonnie Wright, Director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control. The Senate approved the following measure on Monday:

SR 99 by Sen. Mike Morgan, proclaims the week of May 1-7, 2006, as “Public Service Recognition Week 2006” in the state of Oklahoma.

• The Senate held no committee meetings Monday, as the deadline for committee consideration of bills originating in the opposite house passed on April 6.

• The House also met briefly Monday before adjourning to allow members to attend the funeral of Lonnie Wright. The House rejected Senate amendments on two bills.

• House Committees did not meet Monday.

Tuesday, May 2

• The Senate met briefly Tuesday passing several bills. Measures approved included the following:

SB 1037 by Sen. Susan Paddack, would strengthen bail laws by requiring persons charged with the violent crime of kidnapping to prove they are not a public danger before they may post bail. It also allows for an electronic notification system, called Victim Identification and Notification Everyday (VINE) to be put into place statewide in order to notify victims when offenders move through the criminal justice system.

SB 1707 by Sen. David Myers, would authorize the Commissioner of Health to distribute information from the sex offender registry to nursing homes or long-term care facilities.

SR 90 by Sen. Richard Lerblance, would memorialize Congress to resist funding cuts for Alzheimer’s disease research.

SB 1491 by Sen. Patrick Anderson, would clarify the ability to establish ordinances regulating traffic flow in certain circumstances.

• Senate committees did not meet Tuesday.

• A number of bills were passed on the House floor Tuesday, including the following:

HB 2125 by Sen. Mary Easley, would rename the State Agency Review Committee as the Oversight Committee for State Employee Charitable Contributions and extends the Committee until July 1, 2012.

HB 2598 by Sen. Owen Laughlin, would create the Child Support Modification Program Act to develop procedures for modification of child support.

HB 2147 by Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, would create a task force to study the effects of allowing state-chartered banks to provide services authorized for federally insured banks or savings associations.

HB 2603 by Sen. Ron Justice, would create the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations Rural Economic Development Initiative Act.

HB 2646 by Sen. Earl Garrison, would modify notice and hearing requirements for agricultural licenses.

HB 2355 by Sen. Clark Jolley, would remove language limiting the interest cost of money received from the sale of bonds by the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority to an annual rate of 14 percent.

HB 2366 by Sen. Nancy Riley, would allow the Office of Juvenile Affairs to enter into contracts for professional services with individuals separated from the agency due to a reduction in force.

HB 2425 by Sen. Charles Wyrick, would modify authorization for county commissioners to use county-owned equipment and supplies on county-owned land or public schools.

HB 2480 by Sen. Mary Easley, would establish the statute of limitations for prosecuting the crime of soliciting murder at seven years after the discovery of the crime.

• House Committees did not meet Tuesday.

Wednesday, May 3

• The Senate met Wednesday, approving a number of bills. Among the measures approved were the following:

SB 1756 by Sen. Nancy Riley, would require that youthful offenders be clearly identified as youthful offenders on their judgment and sentence.

SB 806 by Sen. Frank Shurden, would legalize the practice of tattooing individuals 18 years or older.

SB 1594 by Sen. Charles Laster, would modify qualifications for the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Board administrator, chief deputy administrator, deputy administrator or safety code enforcement officer to require criminal background checks.

SB 1467 by Sen. Susan Paddack, would require school districts to provide information about infectious diseases and immunizations to parents and guardians of students.

• The House met Wednesday, approving several bills. Among the measures passed were the following:

SCR 46 by Sen. Johnnie Crutchfield, which would memorialize Congress to request the U.S. Department of Agriculture to designate and approve an Equine Import and Export Station in Oklahoma.

HB 2895 by Sen. Daisy Lawler, would create the Harvest Regulation Reform Act of 2006.

HB 2660 by Sen. Jeff Rabon, would prevent licensing entities from denying professional authorization and licensure to individuals that participated in the execution process as required by law or the Department of Corrections.

HB 2592 by Sen. Bernest Cain, would modify powers and procedures related to the Group Homes for Persons with Developmental or Physical Disabilities Act.

HB 2561 by Sen. Susan Paddack, would establish requirements for who may be appointed by a court as a guardian ad litem, special advocate or parenting cooridinator.

HB 2411 by Sen. Jay Paul Gumm, would extend until July 1, 2009, the termination date for gross production tax exemptions for certain recovery operations.

HB 2621 by Sen. Charles Wyrick, would change the annual fee for commercial big-game hunting licenses from $200 to $500.

Thursday, May 4

• The Senate met briefly Thursday, approving one resolution before adjourning for the week.

SR 92 by Sen. Cliff Branan, congratulates the Putnam City High School Pirates Boys Basketball team on winning the 2006 class 6A state basketball championship.

• The Senate will reconvene Monday, May 8, at 10:00 a.m.

Other News

• Officials with Bridgestone/Firestone this week announced they are considering closing Oklahoma City’s Dayton Tire Plant. With over 1,500 workers and an annual payroll of over $128 million, the Dayton Tire Plant is one of Oklahoma City’s largest employers. Officials said a final decision has yet to be reached and they will continue to bargain in good faith with union officials. Governor Brad Henry said after conversations with Bridgestone CEO Mark Emkes that it was likely the plant could close within six months.

• Zacarais Moussaoui, Al-Qaida conspirator and former Norman resident, was sentenced by a federal jury to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for his role as a conspirator in the attacks of September 11, 2001. Moussaoui spent five months in Norman in 2001 attending flight school.

• In news that came as a surprise to no one, the Senate Redhots on Tuesday defeated the House of Representatives in the annual Senate vs. House baseball game at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in downtown Oklahoma City. Superior Senate athletes such as Randy Bass and Scott Pruitt again made the game, which benefits the American Cancer Society, a mismatch. The House remains winless in the series, despite a valiant effort Tuesday in which they lost by the nearly respectable tally of 8-7.