Video: Senator, Representative discuss Oklahoma budget, education

Season 2, Episode 2 of The Roundup with host Chris Evans along with Senator of District 20 – AJ Gay-Griffin along with District 38 Representative John Pfeiffer.
Season 2, Episode 2 of The Roundup with host Chris Evans along with Senator of District 20 – AJ Gay-Griffin along with District 38 Representative John Pfeiffer.
We have critical needs in our core services, including education, health and mental health, public safety and transportation.
With more than half of the 2017 legislative session behind us, committee and floor votes in both chambers have been largely focused on legislation dealing with public policy issues in a variety of areas—criminal justice, education, public safety and more. But in addition to meeting deadlines for committee and floor passage of those measures, work […]
HB 1013 will remove financial, statutory barriers for nurse practitioners; measure giving nurse practitioners full practice authority heads to Senate
OKLAHOMA CITY – Two weeks after dozens of nurse practitioners visited the state Capitol to speak with lawmakers, the House of Representatives passed a measure aimed at improving access to health care services across Oklahoma.
State Sen. AJ Griffin’s legislation to enhance partnerships between the Department of Human Services and Oklahoma’s non-profit and private sectors has won the praise of the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA). Griffin’s measure, Senate Bill 748, would help Oklahoma address problems associated with poverty, incarceration and mental health outcomes.
Sen. A.J Griffin, along with eight other state leaders, has been nominated to receive the 2016 Oklahoma Farm Bureau Champion Award at the OKFB Legislative Leadership Conference March 6-7 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City.
A child abuse registry created in 2010 to help child care providers screen out potential employees with findings of abuse or neglect has glaring gaps that could leave many Oklahoma children at risk. That’s according to Sen. AJ Griffin, who requested an interim study to look at the issue. The Senate Health and Human Services […]
Following the recent primary election I have fielded numerous calls and messages from voters disappointed they were not eligible to vote in an election they had interest in.
Sen. AJ Griffin, R-Guthrie, and Rep. Scott Biggs, R-Chickasha, principal authors of House Bill 2398, issued the following statement on Monday after the full Senate gave final passage to the measure which closes a loophole in Oklahoma’s sodomy law.
We’re in the final weeks of the legislative session, and although there are a few policy bills still awaiting final action, for the most part, the focus from now until the end of session will be on completing work on the budget for fiscal year 2017, which begins this July 1.
Full Senate approves ‘Labor Commissioner Mark Costello Act’; bill aimed at helping mentally ill needing assisted outpatient treatment. Pictured is former Labor Commissioner Mark Costello
Legislation to help families get assisted outpatient treatment for adult relatives with mental illness before a situation reaches a crisis has been approved by the full Senate. House Bill 1697, by Sen. AJ Griffin and Rep. Lee Denney, was approved unanimously by the full Senate on Tuesday. The legislation is named the Labor Commissioner Mark […]
For digital audio, go to www.oksenate.gov and select “Media”
Two bills reforming parts of Oklahoma’s juvenile justice system won approval by the full Senate on Wednesday. Sen. AJ Griffin is the author of Senate Bills 1200 and 1233. She said the measures are part of a comprehensive juvenile justice reform effort based on the findings and recommendations of a two-year task force.
State Sen. AJ Griffin will hold a series of town hall meetings over the next several weeks in communities throughout Senate District 20.
A new study shows Oklahoma is part of a national trend that shows fewer youthful offenders being incarcerated. According to new numbers from the office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), between 1997 and 2013 Oklahoma’s juvenile incarceration rate decreased between 40 and 49 percent.
New law makes texting while driving in Oklahoma a primary offense carrying a fine up to $100.
GUTHRIE, October 25, 2015— Beginning Sunday, Nov. 1 texting while driving becomes illegal in Oklahoma. In an effort to make roads and highways safer, the legislature passed and Governor Fallin signed into law House Bill (HB) 1965, a statewide ban against texting while driving, which makes Oklahoma the 46th state in the U.S. to prohibit […]
Statewide, there were 109 quakes in 2013 that were measured at a magnitude of 3 or higher. In 2014, that number was 585. According to the office of the Secretary of Energy and Environment, the pace of earthquake activity in Oklahoma has definitely accelerated this year. The current average rate is approximately 600 times historical […]
I believe one of the most basic traits shared by Oklahomans is resilience. Throughout this state’s history, we have been faced with tremendous challenges which we’ve met with grit, tenacity, and the faith that ultimately we would prevail. I am just as confident of our ability to work through tough economic challenges.
Much of my professional career has involved working with nonprofits aimed at improving the lives of Oklahoma children and families. I’ve seen first-hand what can happen when families are struggling with issues like substance abuse, domestic violence or other problems. I also know that even in some situations most of us would find intolerable, given […]
The 2015 legislative session is now underway at the Capitol. While we had one organizational day in January to elect leadership and adopt rules, the regular work of the session actually begins on the first Monday in February. We received the Governor’s State of the State Address and Executive Budget on Monday, and now we […]
Perhaps the most important job of the Legislature, and certainly one of the most challenging, is the Constitutional requirement to write and pass a balanced budget. Limited resources require careful prioritization of services to determine the best way to utilize the funds we’ve been entrusted to allocate.We knew early in the session there would be […]