Statement from Senate Education Chair John Ford

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“Several bills dealing with school district mergers, annexations, and consolidations have been introduced this session in the Senate.  These measures take a thoughtful and pragmatic approach to streamline administrative costs to save money and improve the quality of education offered to students.  At the heart of it, the members who have worked on these bills share the goal of ensuring we’re doing the best we can to focus resources in the classroom, where they most directly benefit Oklahoma children.

“As Education Chairman, I’m grateful to the parents, teachers and school patrons who’ve taken the time to share their views and concerns with me, and with their own senators.  I’ve also had many conversations with members as well. I believe more discussion and an exchange of ideas are needed.

“Oklahomans have a vested interest in improving the quality of education offered to our children and grandchildren and in ensuring our schools are operating as efficiently and effectively as possible. With this consideration, I have decided against hearing any of these bills, including one that I have authored, in the Senate Education Committee this session.”—Sen. John Ford, Education Chairman.

Senate approves uninsured motorist bill

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OKLAHOMA CITY – Under current state law, the Department of Public Safety (DPS) suspends the license of anyone found driving without insurance.  On Wednesday, the Senate approved Senate Bill 260, by Sen. Ron Sharp, to require such offenders to provide proof of insurance to DPS in the form of an SR-22 form before their suspension for driving without insurance can be lifted.

“People are not following the law. A recent study found that Oklahoma’s uninsured motorist rate is twice the national average making it the worst in the nation,” said Sharp, R-Shawnee.  “This measure will hold citizens accountable.  If they’re not going to follow the law then there will be consequences and they won’t be able to drive until they start following the law and purchase vehicle insurance.”

A 2014 study by the Insurance Research Council estimates that nearly 26 percent of vehicles on Oklahoma roads are operating without insurance, totaling approximately 721,000 vehicles.  The national average is just under 13 percent.

An SR-22 form is a certificate issued by an individual’s insurance company affirming that the person has auto insurance that meets the state’s minimum requirements.  SB 260 requires that the SR-22 be maintained with DPS for three years.  Anyone who fails to maintain their SR-22 with DPS will have their driving privileges suspended again until proof of insurance is re-filed. 

At least 36 states use some form of SR-22 reporting as a tool to combat uninsured motorists. 

The bill also states that when an insurance company has certified an insurance policy with an SR-22, the policy can only be terminated if the company provides notice to DPS within ten days after termination.

“Current law is allowing offenders to simply buy insurance and drop it within days just to get their license back.  This bill ensures that insurance companies let DPS know when policies are dropped so that they can make sure those individuals aren’t driving without insurance,” said Sharp.  

SB 260 provides exemptions in which DPS must waive the SR-22 filing requirement including if the person dies or is incapacitated or if the person surrenders his or her vehicle registration. 

Sharp explained that uninsured motorists have a negative fiscal impact on insured motorists as well as the state overall. 

“Law-abiding motorists unfairly have to pay the price through higher rates for those who break the law and drive without insurance,” said Sharp.  “Our state’s high rate of uninsured motorists also has a negative effect on our state’s budget and pension systems because of the lost premium tax dollars.”

The Oklahoma Insurance Department estimates, based on the average statewide premium for minimum auto liability coverage and the premium tax rate of 2.25 percent, that if the uninsured motorist rate were reduced to 15 percent (still above the national average), Oklahoma would see just over $7.7 million in additional premium tax revenue. 

SB 260 will now move to the House for further consideration.  

Senators issue Statement on legislative efforts to modernize Oklahoma laws on alcohol sales

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State Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, principal author of Senate Bill 383, and Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond, principal author of Senate Joint Resolution 68, issued statements Wednesday about work on those measures which seek to modernize laws in Oklahoma’s statutes and constitution dealing with alcohol sales. 

“Oklahoma’s alcohol laws are complex and impact a range of areas involving a variety of businesses.  In order to be successful in modernizing our laws, all those entities must be a part of the discussions so that we ultimately bring forward measures that will be comprehensive, thorough, and enable us to bring this modernization to fruition.  That’s why the legislative process we’re utilizing gives the greatest chance for success, and we are actively continuing to develop our proposals, both constitutionally and statutorily.”—Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City
“Polling data, feedback from the public and media interest all point to the fact that the majority of Oklahomans feel modernization of our laws is overdue. That’s why it is critical to get it right, and that means addressing all the aspects involved in the current system as we move to a modern one. You can’t just address one aspect of these laws—we have to address the entire structure and that’s what we’re doing through SB 383 and SJR 68.   I believe working through the legislative process gives us the best shot of making modernization a reality.”—Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond

Portrait of Lt. Col. Ernest Childers Dedicated

The Senate dedicated a portrait Wednesday of Lt. Col. Ernest Childers, the only Native American Guardsman to earn the Medal of Honor.  Pictured L-R: Muscogee (Creek) Nation Second Chief Louis Hicks; Dr. Clarence Oliver; Childers’ daughter, Elaine Childers; artist Mike Wimmer; Sen. Bill Brown; Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief James Floyd; and the president and founder of the Senate Historical Preservation Fund, former state Sen. Charles Ford.

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OKLAHOMA CITY – A portrait of Oklahoma-native Lt. Col. Ernest Childers, the only Native American Guardsman to earn the nation’s highest award for valor, was dedicated Wednesday by the Senate.  The piece, by artist Mike Wimmer, is sponsored by Sen. Bill and Linda Brown along with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Childers, a full-blood Creek Indian, was born in February 1918 in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and attended Chilocco Indian School.  He joined the Oklahoma Guard in 1937, rising to the rank of first sergeant by the time the 180th landed in Sicily in July 1943.  He earned a battlefield commission to second lieutenant during this campaign.

LTC Childers remained with his Army company when it landed at Anzio, Italy, on September 13th.  While leading his men near Oliveto, Italy, on September 22, 1943, he earned the Medal of Honor for single-handedly capturing two machine gun nests, killing at least five enemy soldiers and then captured a German mortar observer, all with a fractured ankle.  

After World War II, Childers remained in the Army, obtaining the rank of lieutenant colonel before his retirement in 1965.  He passed away in 2003. 

The portrait is a project of the Oklahoma State Senate Historical Preservation Fund.