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$574.4 million budget surplus

Tulsa Beacon

The Board of Equalization, chaired by Gov. J. Kevin Stitt, certified $8,249,071,274 in revenues for FY 2020 appropriations, which is $574.5 million, or 7.5 percent, more than was appropriated for FY 2019. This amount is $37.8 million, or 0.5 percent, less than the December estimate. The state treasurer reported that at the end of January,…

5-day school week bill

Tulsa Beacon

The Senate Education Committee approved a bill to essentially mandate five-day school weeks in Oklahoma schools. Senate Bill 441 by Senator Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, says all public schools shall be in session for no less than 180 days. Currently, schools are to be in session for 1,080 hours. The bill provides exemptions to the five-day…

Honoring Purple Hearts

Tulsa Beacon

It is estimated that around two million Purple Hearts have been awarded by the U.S. Military since World War I.  Sen. Frank Simpson authored Senate Bill 232 to recognize Oklahoma’s 1,340 recipients by designating Oklahoma a Purple Heart State. “So many Oklahomans have sacrificed life and limb for our country,” said Simpson, R-Springer. “We want…

Opioid overdose help

Tulsa Beacon

The full Senate approved a bill aimed at helping save lives if students overdose on opioids while at school. State Sen. Greg McCortney is the author of Senate Bill 85, which adds school nurses or other designated employees to those who can administer life-saving opiate antagonists.  The bill was approved unanimously. Currently, state law includes…

Affordable healthcare

Tulsa Beacon

The Senate Retirement and Insurance Committee unanimously approved a bill by President Pro Tempore Greg Treat that would help more small business owners gain access to affordable health plans. Senate Bill 943 increases access to association health plans (AHP) by making state law closely reflect federal rule changes that allow more employer groups and associations…

Mentorship bill passes

Tulsa Beacon

Legislation aimed at improving mentorship passed the House Common Education Committee. House Bill 1412, co-authored by Rep. John Waldron, D-Tulsa, and Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, seeks to modify the qualifications for lead teaching certificates by lowering the requirements from five years of certified teaching experience to either three years of certified teaching experience or a…

Custody legislation

Tulsa Beacon

Legislation designed to better protect children in the custody of the Department Human Services passed off the House Floor on Tuesday. House Bill 1036, authored by Rep. Collin Walke, D-Oklahoma City, passed with a bipartisan vote of 94-3. The legislation would prohibit a parent who has had his or her parental rights terminated from being…

Blocking RR crossings

Tulsa Beacon

The full House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill that would fine rail companies for blocking railroad intersections with stopped trains. House Bill 2472 would authorize municipalities, county sheriffs and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol to issue a citation to any person or corporation that blocks a railroad intersection for longer than ten minutes. The bill…

Five headed to the Rogers Hall of Fame

Tulsa Beacon

What do rock-and-roll legend Leon Russell and S. E. Hinton, author of The Outsiders, have in common? They are both members of the Tulsa Will Rogers High School Hall of Fame. They’ll be joined by a new class of Hall of Fame inductees during ceremonies on March 29.  The list is: R. David Bynum, cell…

American Ninja Warrior show is coming back to OKC

Tulsa Beacon

The Oklahoma State Capitol will host American Ninja Warrior again this spring. Oklahoma City was announced along with Los Angeles, Atlanta, Baltimore, Seattle, and Cincinnati as host cities. “I am excited about the announcement from NBC that American Ninja Warrior will be taped in front of the Oklahoma State Capitol for the second time,” said…