The Oklahoma Senate

(The Legislature passed the final portions of the budget for FY 1999, giving them the final week of the legislative session to attempt overrides of any vetoes of appropriations measures. Work on substantive bill also continued on the floors of the respective houses and in conference committee. One week remains in the legislative session. Both houses will observe the Memorial Day holiday and begin the final week on Tuesday. Lawmakers must adjourn by 5pm Friday, May 29th)

• Governor Keating signed the so-called technology transfer bill. HB 2863 by Sen. Ben Robinson would encourage research partnerships between state universities and the private sector, allowing schools and their faculty members to own technology and profit from research, something currently prohibited by the state constitution. Because the proposal changes the constitution, a companion measure, HJR 1073, must also be approved in a statewide vote. Proponents of the initiative claim it will generate additional funding for higher education in addition to acting as an incentive to retain high-quality faculty.
  
  
• The House GCCA approved HB 3160, the measure authorizing a pay raise for state troopers. The troopers are part of a larger pay agreement which sets aside $4.8 million for law enforcement pay hikes.
  
  
• Senator Paul Muegge said Senate conferees were ready to report out a bill regulating the hog industry. SB 1175 is apparently running into trouble on the House side, however. Rep. M.C. Leist said he wasn't optimistic about getting the signatures needed to report the bill out of committee. The apparent sticking point is the fees that will be assessed against swine producers to help pay for the cost of the new regulations.
  
  
• The House approved legislation designed to crack down on caretakers who sexually abuse their adult clients. HB 2252 would add sexual abuse to the list of prohibited acts by a caretaker against a vulnerable adult. The measure is now awaiting the Governor's signature.
  
  
• The Senate General Government Committee approved three executive nominations: Clyde Petete of McAlester to the Oklahoma Department of Libraries Board, James Carter of Broken Arrow to the same panel and Albert Ashwood of Chandler as Director of the Department of Civil Emergency Management.
  
  
• The Senate Education Committee approved six nominations: Jerry Dansby of Valiant to the Board of Trustees for the McCurtain County Higher Education Program, Laura Dobson of Newkirk to the State Textbook Committee, Former Sen. Bill O'Conner to Board of Regents of the Northern Oklahoma College, Barbara Olson of Checotah to the Teacher Retirement System Board of Trustees, Georgia Tate of Heavner to the Board of Regents of Eastern State College and Martin Van Meter of Durant to the Board of Regents of Murray State College.

• The House approved a revamped bill designed to protect rural hospitals. HB 2965 gives local voters veto power over surgical centers in counties with populations less than 65,000. The measure is designed to protect rural hospitals from surgical centers which "cherry pick" the most lucrative patients away from them. An earlier bill on the subject, HB 1665, was rejected earlier this session. It did not contain the provision calling for a county vote. HB 2965 now goes to the Senate for approval.
  
  
• The Senate approved a number of executive nominations, including those approved by the Senate Education and General Government Committees on Monday (see above).
  
  
• The Senate approved SB 873, a measure requiring insurance coverage for symptoms associated with prostate cancer. The bill is designed to cover the cost of such new drugs as Viagra which are being used to treat impotence.
  
  
• The approved a resolution designed to attract the space shuttle program to Oklahoma. SCR 72 by Sen. Gilmer Capps proposes making Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base near Burns Flat an alternative launch and landing site for NASA. The federal space agency is seeking a home for its new "Venture Star" vehicles which will replace the current space shuttle. Oklahoma has been working with Florida to establish tandem launch/landing sites for the space craft.
  
  
• The House and Senate both approved a series of agency budget bills.

• Governor Keating signed new regulations on the poultry industry into law. In addition to putting new rules and licensing requirements in place, SB 1170 will require chicken integrators to pay $150,000 for waste regulation training for growers the first year, followed by $50,000 payments for the next three years. Other key provisions include:

  -A requirement that all growers register annually with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and pay a $10 registration fee prior to construction for new operations;
  
  -Annual certification of all private litter applicators every five years;
  
  -Authority for the ODA to prohibit litter application in nutrient-limited areas;
  
  -ODA spot-check inspections of all applicators;
  
  -ODA annual inspections of all registered poultry feeding operations;
  
  -Authority for the ODA to suspend certifications and fine applicators;
  
  -Requires poultry companies to contribute a combined $150,000 the first year to a waste management education fund for poultry farmers and up to $50,000 for three additional years;
  
  -Requires soil and litter testing every three years (annually in nutrient-threatened watersheds).

• Governor Keating signed a $101 million budget increase for the public schools. The additional cash in SB 901 will finance new classroom technology, fund basic school needs and a teacher pay and benefit package. The details include:

  -All teachers will receive a set sum of money of $57 a month, outside their base salary, which will pay for approximately 1/3 of the cost of health insurance. Cost of $29.45 million
  
  -All full-time support personnel will receive a set sum of money of $85 a month, outside their base salary, which will pay approximately 1/2 of the cost of health insurance. Cost of $22.97 million
  
  -Appropriates $40.1 million through the school funding formula with enough funding, $23 million, to adjust the minimum teacher salary to equalize the steps. The remaining money through the formula pays for the new growth in students.
  
  The remaining is to provide funding for other programs such as alternative education, Reading Sufficiency Act, and other minor programs.
  
  -There is also an agreement to appropriate $17.0 million from the Rainy Day Fund for Technology in the Classroom.

• The Governor vetoed HB 3273 which would have required legislative approval before the state could buy railroad trackage The Oklahoma Department of Transportation currently has the authority to make those purchases, but supporters of the latest bill claimed it had made some ill-advised buys recently. In his veto message, the Governor claimed the bill would infringe on his constitutional authority to administer the executive branch.
  
  
• The Senate approved HB 2965, a measure designed to protect rural hospitals by restricting the creation of ambulatory surgical centers (see above). The bill now goes to the Governor.
  
  
• Both Houses approved legislation authorizing a pay and benefits increase for state employees. Under the measure, workers will get either a $1,250 pay hike or 4 percent, whichever is larger, with the total capped at $2,000. Employees will also receive an increase in dependent health benefits.
  
  
• The Senate approved a revision of the Quality Jobs Act, designed to boost personal income in Oklahoma. SB 782 would set a wage floor for companies in Tulsa and Oklahoma Counties, requiring them to pay employees at least $18,720 to qualify for Quality Job benefits. It's designed to bring higher-paying jobs to areas of high employment. The bill also allows airlines to qualify for benefits if they locate their corporate headquarters and reservations center in Oklahoma. It exempts them from the requirement that 75 percent of sales come from out-of-state customers.

• The House gave final approval to legislation which will set up a one-stop master licensing system for businesses. SB 667 by Sen. Ted Fisher would give businesses the option of applying at one place for al of the licenses they need to operate. It establishes a Business License Information Office within the State Commerce Department to act as a clearinghouse for licensing information.
  
  
• A measure dealing with electronic commerce was approved by the House. HB 3287 would establish a pilot program for the use of digital signatures in state government. It also creates a committee charged with establishing standards for using electronic commerce and select the state agencies to participate in a pilot program.
  
  
• Senator Kevin Easley agreed to recall SB 888 from Governor Keating's desk after conferring with the Governor. The two agreed to compromise on a bill provision dealing with appointments to the Grand River Dam Authority. Under their compromise proposal, legislative leaders will nominate a list of possible appointees and the Governor will make an appointment from that list.

• The Senate defeated SB 565, the so-called Natural Gas Restructuring Act. Among other things, the measure would have altered the way the Corporation Commission regulated the natural gas industry.
  
  
• The Senate approved a cost-of-living for state retirees. The legislation is designed to increase retirees purchasing power enough to make up for recent years when COLAs were not granted for budget reasons.
  
  
• The Legislature adjourned for the Memorial Day weekend. The Senate will return for the final week of the 1998 legislative session at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

In the final week of session, lawmakers will attempt to address the higher education and vocational-technical education budgets, a capital improvement bond issue, hog farm regulation, truth-in-sentencing, Rogers University and any other remaining legislation.

Index