We are working to ensure that these excess funds are used to make much-needed investments in our state, while taking care not to overburden the taxpayers who entrust us with their hard-earned money.

Within our first month of meeting, the state Legislature has struck an agreement on how to spend much of these surplus funds, including $100 million to repair or replace Oklahoma's worst bridges; an additional $25 million for county bridges; $24 million for the Department of Corrections to provide raises of $2,800 for corrections officers and prison facility staff and to hire additional officers. The agreement also includes $3.6 million to offset the costs of fighting wildfires that have devastated areas of the state since November.

We also approved the second phase of the House's $300 million plan to double the investment in Oklahoma's road maintenance and repair over the next five years. The new money will come on top of an extra $111.8 million provided for road maintenance and bridge repair during the 2005 legislative session. The total amount of new road money guaranteed over the next several years would increase from $170 million to at least $200 million. The plan also includes a separate plank to pay for repair of county roads and bridges.

Among other legislative ideas being considered this session is the expansion of a program that has already given out half a million dollars in cash bonus awards to Oklahoma's best schools and teachers.

A House committee also endorsed legislation that would increase th e annual salary for Oklahoma teachers who earn a graduate degree in the field they teach in.

In addition, the House has passed a slate of pro-life bills that include requiring written parental consent of one parent before an abortion is performed on a minor. The legislation contains exemptions for medical emergences that threaten the mother's life or for cases of parental sexual abuse.

And I'm proud to be the author of House Bill 3037, “The Restorative Justice Act,” which was approved overwhelmingly by the House. It establishes new incentives for expanded partnerships between prison officials and volunteer organizations, including many of the state's faith-based organization, and ties recidivism rates to the evaluation of Oklahoma's prison system.

HB 3037 will help to prepare inmates for life beyond prison before they are released, and hopefully prevent those newly released from turning back to crime by coordinating re-entry programs to help inmates find jobs, housing, substance abuse treatment, medical care and mental health services.