Henry Completes Action On 480 Measures

Governor Henry today finished taking action on bills passed during the 2009 legislative session, his office reports.

In all, 480 bills and resolutions were sent to the governor for consideration during state lawmakers’ four-month meeting.

The governor vetoed 21 bills, a new single-session record for him, and used his line-item veto to eliminate one provision of an appropriations measure. He approved the remaining pieces of legislation.

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Senate Passes HB1170, Ends Session

The State Senate has passed a bill that created a deadlock last week and prompted a delay in the end of the session. The bill now heads to Governor Henry's desk.

The bill would create a chief information officer to oversee technology purchasing for the state.

The Senate planned to end its session last Friday, but after the bill's failure, Senate President Pro Tem Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, brought the upper chamber back into session on Tuesday for another vote.

Democrats say that House Bill 1170 consolidates too much power in the hands of one person.

Republicans said it would save the state money by making purchasing more uniform.

Senator Harry Coates, R-Seminole, joined Democrats in voting against the measure. The vote was 25-23.

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Senate Returns Today To Finish Session

The State Senate returns today to finish the legislative session after a hang-up on a contentious issue last week when adjournment was scheduled.

Business in the Senate stalled last week after Democrats voted against a bill that would put one person in charge of the state's computer systems and Republican leaders held the vote open. Democrats then walked out. Republicans are three votes shy of passing the measure.

The bill, Senate Bill 980, would create a chief information officer.

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Senate Votes To Continue Session Next Week

The Legislature won't adjourn today as planned after all, a development that came when the Senate this afternoon voted 24-21 to return to work next week following the Memorial Day holiday. The action followed a walkout by Democrats this morning. See story below.

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Walkout Mars Final Day Of Session

Disagreement over procedure by majority Republicans resulted in a walkout of Senate Democrats this morning.

Business in the Senate stalled after Democrats voted against a bill that would put one person in charge of the state's computer systems and Republican leaders held the vote open.

The bill, Senate Bill 980, would create a chief information officer.

Republicans need three votes to pass the bill.

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State Leaders Announce Budget Agreement

State leaders have agreed on a $7.2 billion budget that uses federal stimulus dollars to avoid drastic cuts.

The budget projects a 7 percent cut in state appropriations, or $494 million less than in 2009, the current fiscal year.

House Appropriations and Budget Committee Chairman Ken Miller, R-Edmond, said the budget agreement means there will be no widespread consumer fee increases, no rollback in prior tax cuts, no tax increases and no tapping into the state's "rainy day" fund.

The agreement means that tax cuts won't happen.

The budget agreement likely means the Legislature will adjourn by May 22, a week early.

The agreement apparently means that common education, health care, public safety and transportation elements of the budget won't be cut. Higher education, in fact, is slated for a 3 percent increase, about $32 million.

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Legislature Convenes This Afternoon

The Oklahoma Legislature, totally controlled by Republicans for the first time in state history, convenes this afternoon.

Republicans took control of the Senate in last fall's elections and subsequently elected Glenn Coffee as president pro-tem.

House Speaker Chris Benge, elected a year ago following Lance Cargill's resignation, continues to lead Republicans in the lower house.

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Corn Addresses School Truancy Issue

Senator Kenneth Corn says he will propose a bill that would prohibit students under the age of 18 from dropping out of school.

The bill, he said, would also implement a Statewide Truancy Court Program, providing every district attorney in the state with a truancy officer. The proposal is supported by the Oklahoma District Attorney’s Council, Corn noted.

Corn said reducing Oklahoma’s dropout rate is critical to ensuring future economic growth in the state.

“We have to do everything in our power to ensure that students stay in school until they graduate,” said Corn, D-Poteau. “Education can open countless doors to students, and it’s critical in our efforts to build an educated workforce and attract industry. We simply can’t continue to write these students off – it’s time for us to take action.”

Pointing to recent statistics showing that approximately 29 percent of Oklahoma students failed to graduate, Corn said the figure has a direct correlation with per capita income. Studies have shown that the lifetime earning difference between a high school graduate and a dropout is an estimated $260,000.

Investing in a properly educated citizenry, Corn said, is the best way to foster economic growth in Oklahoma.

“The emotional, cultural and economic costs associated with this crisis are immeasurable,” Corn said. “The cost to our state measures into the billions. We can, and must do better.”

Additionally, the measure will include provisions that will provide at-risk students with alternatives to basic academic instruction, allowing them to learn marketable job skills. The secondary options would provide students with a safety net in the event that they do not earn their high school diploma.

A similar proposal was authored by Senator Kathleen Wilcoxson in the 2008 legislative session. Corn, who co-authored the legislation, credited Wilcoxson for her efforts to improve Oklahoma’s public schools.

“Senator Wilcoxson carried the torch on this issue for years, and did so admirably,” Corn said. “It’s my hope that we can bridge partisan divides and approve this common sense proposal.”

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