Press Releases

An exemption allowing in-home hospice providers the ability to opt out of electronic prescribing has been passed by the full Senate.

Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, authored Senate Bill 1278, which allows outpatient hospice patients to have greater access to their medications by exempting their doctors from Oklahoma’s electronic prescription law that went into effect on Jan. 1.

The law was a recommendation from the Oklahoma Commission on Opioid Abuse and aims to combat prescription fraud and opioid abuse.

In an effort to protect Oklahoma’s unborn, Sen. Paul Scott has authored Senate Bill 1859, which passed out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee Monday afternoon.  The bill would require doctors to recognize life just as they do death through heartbeats and brainwaves or the lack of such activity.

The Senate Health and Human Services approved Senate Bill 1296 to add marijuana to the list of products that cannot be smoked or vaped in public places.  Sen. Lonnie Paxton authored the bill to address the growing number of citizens utilizing medicinal marijuana around stores, restaurants and other public places.

The Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee voted Monday in favor of legislation increasing the age to buy or use tobacco products from 18 to 21.  Senator Greg McCortney, chair of the committee, is the author of Senate Bill 1423. 

In December, President Donald Trump signed the Tobacco-Free Youth Act into law, prohibiting the sale of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.  McCortney, R-Ada, said SB 1423 brings Oklahoma into line with that federal change.

A bill requiring Oklahoma school districts to adopt suicide awareness and training programs for grades seven through 12 has been passed by the Senate.

Senate Bill 266 by Sen. Allison Ikley-Freeman, D-Tulsa, who is also a mental health professional, is the first step in preventing suicide among Oklahoma’s children, she said.

Under current state law, honorably discharged veterans get free entry to all state parks and museums.  However, the law is written assuming state parks charge per person rather than per vehicle, which parks are starting to do.  To ensure these veterans continue getting free entry, Sen. Frank Simpson, R-Springer, authored Senate Bill 1185 at the request of the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.  The bill was unanimously approved Thursday by the Senate Business, Commerce and Tourism Committee.

The Senate passed legislation Wednesday to provide more local control for school districts to decide how to protect their students.  Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, is author of House Bill 2336.  The measure would allow a local board of education to voluntarily adopt a policy to authorize the carrying of a handgun onto school property by school personnel who hold a valid reserve peace officer certification or possess a valid handgun license. School personnel will also be required to complete “campus-specific active shooter training” conducted by local law enforcement.

The full Senate has voted in favor of a measure that would increase Oklahoma’s statute of limitations for both first and second degree manslaughter.  Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, is principal author of Senate Bill 414.  The Senate gave unanimous approval to the bill on Wednesday, the first bill to pass off the floor during the 2020 legislative session.

Legislation formalizing an Oklahoma Arts Council (OAC) program that provides a positive economic and social impact on cities and communities across the state has been approved by the Senate.

Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, authored Senate Bill 106, also known as the Cultural Districts Initiative Act. The measure provides additional definition and accountability for the Oklahoma Cultural District Initiative program, which offers funding, guidance, professional consultation and certification to cultural districts across the state.

After the devastating death of a Lexington, Okla., middle school athlete injured during a football game last fall, Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, wants school districts across the state to provide emergency medical services at athletic events.

Senate Bill 1198, which overwhelmingly passed the Senate Education Committee today with a vote of 14-0, would direct all Oklahoma school district boards of education to coordinate with emergency medical service providers to develop a plan to provide emergency medical services at athletic events or activities held at school facilities.

The Senate unanimously approved legislation Tuesday to help get more teachers into Oklahoma classrooms.  Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, is the author of Senate Bill 1125 directing the State Board of Education to issue a teaching certificate to anyone who holds a valid out-of-state teaching certificate, with no other requirements except a criminal history record check.

On the heels of Oklahoma’s electronic prescription law that went into effect on Jan. 1, Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, presented Senate Bill 1278 for committee consideration, which would exempt outpatient hospice care facilities from the e-prescription requirement.

The committee passed the measure 10-0 with bipartisan support on Monday.

Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Norman, passed three measures out of the Public Safety Committee Monday that aim to tighten sentences for domestic violence offenders, increase accountability for their actions and further protect their victims.

Senate Bill 1103 cracks down on offenders of assault and battery with intent to cause great bodily harm by strangulation or attempted strangulation. According to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, strangulation victims are 750 percent more likely to be killed than victims who have never been strangled.

The Senate Public Safety Committee has passed Senate Bill 1290, also known as the Medical Care Provider Protection Act, which takes steps to address workplace violence in the health care arena.

Authored by Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore, SB 1290 tackles health care workplace violence through four approaches:

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed House Bill 1182 Thursday, legislation Sen. Joseph Silk, R-Broken Bow, said clearly does not provide equal protection for unborn children and will ensure that abortion continue in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma icon Clara Luper was a civic leader, schoolteacher and activist best known for orchestrating the 1958 Oklahoma City sit-in protests at downtown drugstore lunch counters, which helped to overturn their racial segregation policies. The Clara Luper Civil Rights Center is set to be built in Oklahoma City, and state Sen. George Young wants to appropriate additional funds to help with costs for the museum.

State Sen. Joe Newhouse, R-Broken Arrow, says Oklahomans should decide if the legislature can save additional funds each year by increasing the constitutional savings cap on the Rainy Day Fund, which is the state’s emergency savings account.

Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, has filed Senate Bill 1267, which would encourage the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to use appropriated money to support minority entrepreneurship within the state.

Oklahoma Senate leaders on Tuesday commented on the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling regarding redistricting.

“The court made the right call. Regardless, we’ve remained focused throughout on developing a redistricting plan that will help us do our job well. We are setting up a process that will allow us to work efficiently and effectively once we receive data from the 2020 Census,” said Senator Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle and chair of the Senate Select Committee on Redistricting.