State

Oklahoma’s third district Congressman Frank Lucas - R held a town hall forum yesterday at the Collins Ballroom in Sapulpa. The forum was open to the public and garnered a moderate audience of constituents from both Creek and Osage county. Lucas has served since 2003, having previously represented the 6th district from 1994 to 2003.…

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Wednesday in favor of a bill that would effectively stop another income tax cut from automatically going into effect based on revenue growth. Sen. Roger Thompson is the author of Senate Bill 170.  He’s the chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Finance, where the bill easily passed its first…

OKLAHOMA CITY – Each year, millions in untaxed money is wired out of the United States to other countries including from Oklahoma.  The Senate Appropriations Committee approved Senate Bill 547 Wednesday to charge a fee on international wire transactions for individuals who do not present valid personal identification.  Sen. Paul Scott, the principal author, said…

Legislation was filed Thursday to strengthen Oklahoma’s Heartbeat Informed Consent Act by providing a scientific definition of when life begins, with the first heartbeat. Sen. Paul Scott, R-Duncan, filed Senate Bill 710 to prohibit abortions if the embryonic or fetal heartbeat of the unborn child is audible. “I am pro-life and believe in the sanctity…

Sen. Paul Scott filed legislation Thursday to charge individuals a fee on international wire transactions who do not present valid personal identification. The Duncan Republican said he hopes the bill will cut down on the number of undocumented immigrants sending untaxed dollars out of the state as well as address drug money being funneled to…

State Sen. Micheal Bergstrom has filed a bill that would cap tax credits at $25 million statewide for electricity generated by zero emission facilities, including wind energy, and another that could use the savings to provide a graduated teacher pay raise over the next three years. Listen to the audio from Senator Bergstrom here. “Teachers…

There are four famous Charles Banks Wilson paintings in the rotunda of the Oklahoma Capitol that capture native son greatness. They are of Will Rogers, Jim Thorpe, Sequoya and Robert Samuel Kerr. The story of Robert S. Kerr is a genuine rags to riches one, and that of true Oklahoman. When seeking election to political…

Sen. AJ Griffin has filed legislation modifying how the State Department of Health will go about providing information on pre/postnatal services available through both public and private agencies.  The Health Department will still be in charge of making that information available on its website, however, new language contained in Senate Bill 30 calls for the…

Sen. AJ Griffin, R-Guthrie, issued the following statement Tuesday on statutory language she authored aimed at helping provide information to Oklahoma women on a range of public and private sector services available as an alternative to abortion and to improve the health and well-being of unborn and newborn babies. That information would be compiled by…

Sen. James Leewright has been named vice chair of the Senate’s committee on Business, Commerce and Tourism for the 56th Legislature.  Leewright, a former state representative, was the only new member of the Senate chosen for a vice chairmanship by incoming President Pro Tempore Mike Schulz. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to put my House…