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After this legislative week, the Senate is left with only 55 more bills to consider this session. Business at the Capitol has been relatively efficient, though not always as effective and meaningful as some of us would like.

The Governor and legislative leaders this week announced a budget agreement that will provide ''standstill'' appropriations to state agencies and programs in the next fiscal year. This means no new money will be spent on teacher pay raises, state employee pay raises or any new programs of significance. It also means that we'll have failed to follow through on our promise to raise teacher pay to the regional average by the end of this year.

Despite this news and some prior legislative roadblocks, some very good legislation still has a fighting chance as we approach the later stages of the session.

I was able to win Senate approval this week for the Second Century Promise Act, which would provide qualifying Oklahoma high school graduates with two years tuition at any of our state's colleges, universities or CareerTech Centers. After the bill was initially killed in the rules committee, I said I would use every legislative tool at my disposal to advance the legislation. The proposal was successfully amended into House Bill 2446 this week, and the bill now advances to the House for consideration.

We spend a lot of time talking about economic development at the Capitol, and our state's business leaders understand that our biggest impediment to major economic growth is the lack of an educated workforce. I firmly believe the legislature has to respond to those concerns and make an investment to produce more college graduates. Doing so would provide hope not only for economic growth, but for future generations of low and middle income Oklahomans who might not otherwise have a chance to attend college.

By ensuring that high school students exhaust other scholarship opportunities available from the federal government and the Oklahoma Higher Learning Access Program, we can keep the costs of the program low while providing opportunity for students who occupy income gaps that make them ineligible for other assistance.

After being defeated in the House, the Senate this week approved an amendment adding key provisions of ''Steffanie's Law'', which ensures that health insurance policy holders retain their coverage after participating in clinical trials to treat cancer. This proposal would bring fairness to a process that has left some working Oklahomans without coverage and with hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses. When a physician decides that a clinical trial is the best remaining option to provide a patient with an improved chance to live, insurance providers should honor that choice and provide the coverage their policy holders deserve.

We're getting closer to the end of the session, and while some of this session's best and most meaningful legislation is no longer alive, there's still an opportunity for the Legislature to approve legislation that can positively impact the lives of working Oklahomans.

As always, I welcome your comments on state government. Please feel free to contact me by writing to Senator Kenneth Corn at the State Capitol, Room 531, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105; call me at (405) 521-5576.