The Senate Finance Committee has passed Senate Bill 1388, which would incentivize urban gardeners across the state to raise honeybees by giving tax exempt status to any bee product sold. The measure is authored by Sen. Allison Ikley-Freeman, D-Tulsa.

Ikley-Freeman said a food desert in her district forced her to look at alternative ways for constituents to access fresh produce. This examination led her to a pollinating force: honeybees.

The Senate Education Committee approved legislation Tuesday to help fill the large number of teaching vacancies in the state.  Retired teacher Sen. Ron Sharp, R-Shawnee, said his Senate Bill 1115 is desperately needed to help decrease classroom sizes by extending emergency teaching certificates.

Sen. Larry Boggs, R-Wilburton, presented House Concurrent Resolution 1012 to the full Senate on Monday, which encourages and supports the expansion of the rail line from Shawnee to McAlester.

“For years, the rail line running from McAlester to Shawnee played an important role in Oklahoma’s economy, especially in the eastern half of our state,” Boggs said. “It transported peanuts and other agricultural products from Southeastern to Central Oklahoma and ammunition from McAlester to Tinker Air Force Base.

The full Senate prioritized child safety on Monday with the passage of Senate Bill 1303.

Authored by Sen. Roland Pederson, R-Burlington, the measure would require any child under the age of 17 to wear a seat belt while riding in the back seat of a vehicle. Current Oklahoma law only requires children under the age of eight and passengers in the front seat to buckle up. 

A pair of bills aimed at increasing accountability for those convicted of domestic violence have been approved by the full Senate.  Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, is the author of both measures, which were approved on Monday.

Senate Bill 1103 deals with domestic violence attacks that deal with strangulation, a crime that is often a precursor to domestic homicide. Senate Bill 1104 deals with domestic violence against pregnant women.

The Oklahoma Constitution is well overdue for an upgrade. That’s according to State Sen. Joe Newhouse, R-Broken Arrow, who authored Senate Joint Resolution 31, which would give power to the people to decide if the state should call a Constitutional Convention to propose alterations, revisions and amendments to the document. Although it has been amended over the years through state questions, the constitution has not undergone a comprehensive review since it was first drawn in 1906.

The proposal passed the Senate Rules Committee unanimously on Wednesday.

A measure providing for the display of the national motto, “In God We Trust,” in the Oklahoma State Capitol visitor center has been passed by the Senate.

Senate Bill 1118, authored by Sen. Wayne Shaw, R-Grove, aligns the state with the tradition established by the display of the national motto in the Tourist Information Center of the United Sates Capitol Building. The measure directs the Office of Management and Enterprise Services to utilize money from the Oklahoma State Capitol Building Repair and Restoration Fund to place the motto in the Oklahoma State Capitol.

The Oklahoma Senate approved legislation to improve fiscal transparency and accountability of Oklahoma’s state agencies. Senate Bill 177, by Sen. Ron Sharp, was one of the seven recommendations made by the multi-grand jury in May 2018 following the discovery of financial issues at the State Department of Health.

SB 177 requires state agencies to provide a balance sheet and statement of revenues, expenditures and changes in fund balances as prescribed by the State Auditor and the Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES).

The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved legislation Wednesday to expand the definition of child abuse to better protect Oklahoma’s children and hold abusers accountable.  Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City, authored Senate Bill 1773, which extends the crime to include anyone who engages in or enables child abuse. 

The Senate Education Committee unanimously approved two bills Tuesday to help the children of military families easily transition into the Oklahoma education system when their parents are transferred to the state.  Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, said the bills were necessary to help lessen the stress of military families regarding their children’s education when they’re preparing to relocate.