OSBI Forensic Science Center Dedication
OSBI will hold a dedication ceremony May 1st at the new Forensic Science Center at 800 E. 2nd in Edmond. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m. just outside the front doors which faces 2nd street.
The keynote speaker is Lt. Governor Jari Askins. Askins played a key role in...
Governor Henry Signs Budget
(Oklahoma City) Gov. Brad Henry today signed HB 2276, a nearly $7.1 billion general appropriations bill that provides a standstill budget for the state of Oklahoma. Despite facing declining revenues, the governor and state lawmakers were able to balance the budget without...
04/29/2008
Health Officials Encourage Safe Handling of Fresh Produce
As local grocery stores and farmers markets stock up on a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables during the spring and summer months, the Oklahoma State Department of Health urges consumers to remember to follow safe handling procedures of fresh produce to protect...
04/29/2008
Debris Burning Measure Heads to Governor's Desk
A measure to allow ag producers with land inside city or town limits to burn debris following a natural disaster has cleared its final legislative hurdle. The Senate unanimously approved House amendments to SB 1662 on Monday. The measure, by Sen. Don Barrington and Rep....
04/29/2008
Brogdon, Edmondson Reach Agreement on Term Limits Language
State Sen. Randy Brogdon said Attorney General Drew Edmondson's office has agreed to compromise legislative language on a term limits referendum. The language ensures that the proposed 12-year term limits for statewide elected officials would not apply retroactively....
04/29/2008
Senate Approves Measure to Close OPERS Loophole
The state Senate on Monday approved legislation to close a loophole in the Oklahoma Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) that has enabled a small group of former elected officials to double their pensions if they worked most of their careers as public employees before...
04/29/2008
Senate Honors Tulsa Memorial Chargers Basketball Team
The state Senate on Tuesday honored the Tulsa Memorial High School basketball team for an extraordinary season of athletic accomplishments culminating in a class 6A state championship.
Senate Resolution 73, authored by Sen. Brian Crain, commends the Chargers who overcame a...
Senate Approves Electronic Report Bill
A bill requiring hundreds of reports submitted by state agencies to legislators be transmitted electronically passed the Oklahoma Senate today.
Senator Jay Paul Gumm said Senate Bill 1507 - which passed 47-1 - could potentially save taxpayers thousands of dollars in...
04/28/2008
Senate Approves Leftwich Plan to Utilize Technology in Protecting Domestic Abuse Victims
With a 47-0 bipartisan vote, the Oklahoma State Senate today approved a bill that would utilize the use of a Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to protect domestic abuse victims. Authored by State Senator Debbe Leftwich, Senate Bill 2163, now goes to Governor Brad...
04/28/2008
Senate Leaders Name GCCA Members
Senate President Pro Tempore Mike Morgan and Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee announced Wednesday that 46 of the Senate's 48 members have been assigned to the General Conference Committee on Appropriations.
The joint Senate-House conference committee, which will...
04/25/2008
Gov. Henry Appoints Deborah Barnes to Civil Appeals Court
(Oklahoma City) Governor Brad Henry announced today the appointment of Deborah Ann Browers Barnes of Tulsa to the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals. She will fill the position previously held by Justice John Reif, whom Gov. Henry appointed to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in...
04/24/2008
Sexual Violence Affects 12,000 Oklahoma Women Annually
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
An estimated 12,000 Oklahoma women are affected by sexual violence each year. This nearly unimaginable number emphasizes that sexual violence is a much greater problem than crime statistics suggest. Nearly 1,500 forcible rapes were...
04/24/2008
Barrington Wants People's Vote to Change How the State Handles Funds
Oklahomans could vote this fall to change how the state handles funds from the Constitutional Reserve Fund, commonly known as the Rainy Day Fund, following natural disaster declarations. Sen. Don Barrington said his amendment to HB 1519, both of which the Senate approved...
04/24/2008
Senate Approves Amendments to Restore Integrity to State's Electoral Process
Sen. Kenneth Corn on Wednesday was successful in winning the Senate's approval for two amendments intended to curtail the influence of special interests in Oklahoma's electoral process and restore integrity to the system.
The amendments were made to House Bill 2196, which...
04/24/2008
Senate Approves Amendment to Prohibit Gifts to Elected Officials
The state Senate on Wednesday approved an amendment that would prohibit elected officials and state employees from accepting gifts from lobbyists.
Sen. Debbe Leftwich, author of the amendment, said it was time for the Legislature to act with courage to restore the...
04/23/2008
Take Your Child to Work Day at OSBI
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is participating in this year's national Take Your Daughter or Son to Work Day. Thirty children ranging between 9-to-15 years old will spend their morning at OSBI headquarters learning about crime scene investigations, polygraph...
04/23/2008
Food Security Act Unanimously Approved by State Senate
A bill that will assist hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans facing hunger passed the Senate on Tuesday in a unanimous, bipartisan vote, according to the bill's co-author, State Senator Andrew Rice.
''When our neighbors are going hungry, all of us are affected - it's a moral...
04/23/2008
Senate Approves Harsher Penalties for Attacks on Pregnant Women
The full Senate has given approval to a measure known as the ''Scum of the Earth Bill.'' Sen. Debbe Leftwich is Senate author of House Bill 1897 which strengthens penalties for assaulting a pregnant woman.
''The number one cause of death for pregnant women is domestic...