2015 Senate Session Overview
Budget We believe we have delivered a fiscally responsible budget that includes strategic spending cuts and much-needed apportionment reform The Senate this year emphasized a more comprehensive examination of state spending to identify efficiencies, and structural reforms to give the Legislature greater flexibility in the appropriations process We also met with state agencies for months […]
2015 Senate Summation – week 5
WEEK 5 – 2015: The full Senate has advanced Sen. Bingman’s incentive review proposals. Senate Bills 806 and 815 would establish a process to provide lawmakers with independent evaluations of economic incentives, and a clear picture of those that encourage growth and those that do not. It’s time for us to give greater scrutiny to […]
2015 Senate Summation – week 1
Session begins, Fallin delivers State of the State address Senate The Senate filed a total of 814 bills and 32 joint resolutions. The Senate just finished the first of its four weeks of committee work. As expected, committee work was light in the first week of session, and will pick up considerably in the coming […]
2015 Senate Summation – week 2
Bugdet reform bill clears Senate committee SJR 30 would send to a vote of the people a proposal to dedicate every other legislative year exclusively to drafting the state’s budget This reform would bring increased transparency and scrutiny to the budget process Crafting the state’s budget is one of our most important responsibilities, and this […]
Senate Update from Sen. Rob Standridge; week of 5/12-16
On Monday, the House Conference Committee on Utility and Environmental Regulation heard amendments to my proposal to encourage water districts and municipalities to undertake water reuse projects. Earlier in the session, committees removed a provision requiring the Department of Environmental Quality to approve or deny permit applications within 90 days. For many cities and […]
Senate Update from Sen. Rob Standridge; 5/19-23
The 2014 legislative session has come to an end. In the final weeks of the session we forged an agreement that balances Oklahoma’s budget in the midst of a $188 million shortfall. Our budget provides important funding increases for education and pay increases for high-need state employees like front-line corrections workers and state troopers. […]
Senate Update from Sen. Rob Standridge; May 5-8
With just three weeks remaining in this year’s legislative session, conference committees will soon begin to meet as we attempt to reach compromise on legislation. Budget negotiations have begun in earnest, as legislative leaders and the governor must reach an agreement in principal on the state’s fiscal year 2015 budget prior to the Legislature’s […]
Senate Review by Sen. Standridge April 28-May1
A number of proposals I authored or sponsored advanced in the Legislature this week, and several were signed into law by the governor. Senate Bill 1143 was approved unanimously by the full Senate this week and will advance to the governor’s desk. The bill would require that public schools give students the opportunity to recite […]
Senate Update by Sen. Standridge for week of 4/21
I’m very pleased that the House of Representatives this week gave final approval to my proposal to require that public schools give students the opportunity to recite the pledge of allegiance each school day. Senate Bill 1143 is a proposal that underscores the value of the pledge as a tradition, and an act that brings […]
Senate advances proposal to regulate synthetic drugs
The state Senate this week approved legislation designed to combat the sale of dangerous synthetic drugs. House Bill 2666, by Rep. David Derby and Sen. Rob Standridge, would bring a number of synthetic drugs under the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Act. Standridge explained that the sale of such drugs, particularly synthetic marijuana, has emerged […]