President Pro-Tem Coffee Names Oklahoma Senate Committee Vice-Chairs

Senate President Pro Tem Designate Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City, named the Senate’s new committee Vice-Chairs on Wednesday. Committee chairs were announced last week.

Under the new committee structure, which was reduced last week from 22 full committees and standing subcommittees to 20, fifteen Republican Senators and five Democrats will assume leadership roles in their respective committees in the 2009-10 legislative session.

“I’m very excited by the energy and expertise represented in this bipartisan list of committee and subcommittee vice-chairs,” said Coffee. “Our state will benefit greatly by the very capable leadership these members of both parties will bring to their new roles over the next two years.”

The State Senate’s committees and committee vice-chairs for the 2009-10 session are:

Agriculture Committee:
Sen. Mike Schulz, R-Altus

Appropriations Committee:
Sen. David Myers, R-Ponca City

Business and Labor Committee:
Sen. Dan Newberry, R-Tulsa

Education Committee:
Sen. Clark Jolley, R-Edmond

Energy and Environment Committee:
Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso

Finance Committee:
Sen. Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa

General Government Committee:
Sen. Roger Ballenger, D-Okmulgee

Health and Human Resources Committee:
Sen. Sean Burrage, D-Claremore

Judiciary Committee:
Sen. Susan Paddack, D-Ada

Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee:
Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City

Retirement and Insurance Committee:
Sen. Cliff Aldridge, R-Midwest City

Rules Committee:
Sen. Earl Garrison, D-Muskogee

Tourism and Wildlife Committee:
Sen. Jerry Ellis, D-Valliant

Transportation Committee:
Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward

Veterans and Military Affairs Committee:
Sen. Don Barrington, R-Lawton

Appropriations Subcommittee on Education:
Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville

Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government:
Sen. Brian Bingman, R-Sapulpa

Appropriations Subcomm. on Health & Human Services:
Sen. Patrick Anderson, R-Enid

Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources:
Sen. Ron Justice, R-Chickasha

Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety:
Sen. Jim Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City

For the first time in the state’s history, Republicans have the majority in the Oklahoma State Senate.

Senate Republicans picked up two seats on Election Day to win a 26 to 22 majority.

Senate Unanimously Passes Bill To Protected Okie Seniors from Life Insurance Schemes

A bill that would protect Oklahoma senior citizens in life-insurance scams was unanimously approved today by the Oklahoma State Senate. Senate Bill 1980, authored by Senator Sean Burrage, now goes to Governor Brad Henry’s desk for approval.

Burrage, a Democrat from Claremore, said his proposal creates the Oklahoma Viatical Settlements Act of 2008. He said the new law will protect senior citizens from a growing national trend where unsavory investors provide a financial incentive for a senior citizen to purchase a policy and agree to sign-over ownership of the benefits after a set amount of time has expired. The practice is called “stranger-originated life insurance” (STOLI) and is designed to provide investors profits from the deaths of Oklahoma senior citizens.

“Today, we took a step in the right direction to better protect Oklahoma senior citizens from financial predators,” Burrage said. “Outlawing these types of transactions will make fiscal predators think twice about trying to strike a quick pay day in Oklahoma.”

Burrage said shady investors are hoping the death of an insured senior will lead to a monetary payment.

“Very simply, that is wrong and it is immoral,” Burrage said. “These money-making plots pervert the purpose of life insurance and prey on people in a time crisis. We have a responsibility to protect the benefits of our senior citizens and their families.”