This past week was relatively quiet here at the Capitol. Committee work has begun to hear nearly 400 bills that the House sent over for consideration. I presented one bill in the Agriculture...

This past week was relatively quiet here at the Capitol. Committee work has begun to hear nearly 400 bills that the House sent over for consideration. I presented one bill in the Agriculture Committee...

This past week was the deadline week for bills to be heard on the chamber of origin floor, which called for longer session days. Bills that passed off the chamber of origin will now be passed to the...

Session is in full swing, and we have heard over 100 bills during this session. Most of our committee work has been completed for the senate bills for consideration, except those with a fiscal impact...

This week was deadline week for all bills assigned to a committee to be heard in the chamber of origin. This week has kept me busy listening to legislation in Appropriations Subcommittees on Select...

It has been another busy week here at the Capitol. There has been lots of action with legislation and visiting groups from across the state and our district. This week, I was fortunate to have two...

We have made it through week two of session, and we are off to a great start. I had the opportunity to pass two bills through committee this week including SB 1422, which creates the Industrial Hemp...

The first week of session is behind us, and it appears to be off to a good start. The Governor's State of the State address held few surprises. Hopefully the session will be less contentious than it...

Session will begin in two weeks on Feb. 5. Therefore, we were surprised by the governor’s last-minute call for a special session to start on Jan. 29, seeking a .25% reduction in the personal income t...

The countdown is on as we get ready for session. More than 350 Senate bills have been filed with more to come. Our appropriations subcommittees are meeting with dozens of state agencies in the next...

Session is two months away, and we’ve been busy with budget work and getting our bills ready. Around 1,000 bills were requested by Friday’s deadline. Staff will be researching and drafting these in...

Session is two months away, and we've been busy with budget work and getting our bills ready. Around 1,000 bills were requested by Friday's deadline. Staff will be researching and drafting these in...

Work has been steady at the Capitol as we continue through the remaining interim studies before the Nov. 3 deadline. This past week, we had two studies in our Tourism and Wildlife Committee of which...

Earlier this week, the Legislature convened in special session following the governor’s call for tax fairness, a plan to eliminate the personal income tax, and budget transparency. While both chambers...

It has been great spending time back in the district during the interim. My wife and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary recently and were treated to a wonderful reception by our daughters and t...

The last few weeks in the district have been full of events, and I've really enjoyed the opportunity to visit with many of you. I enjoyed celebrating Independence Day with family and friends, especial...

On June 26, the Senate convened to consider overriding the governor’s veto of a bill related to extending tribal compacts for another year. This override failed by one vote. However, a concurrent r...

I previously shared the provisions of Senate Bill 706, and I am happy to report that the governor has signed this legislation into law. After going through the legislative process, the final version...

Now that the legislative session has concluded, I have been able to spend much more time in the district. On Memorial Day, I was honored to be a part of a ceremony at the Woodring Wall of Honor in...

This Friday marks the end of the 2023 legislative session. Now that an education agreement has been reached, work has picked back up on the remaining appropriations. Crafting the state budget takes...

I apologize for not having a column last week. I was under the weather, and not rainy weather. Although many areas of the state have received rain, I have been continually monitoring the drought...

We have officially passed another legislative deadline this session. Last Thursday, we worked well into the evening to finalize approval of bills that originated in the House. We approved 111 House...

April 11 was Agriculture Day at the Capitol. I was able to meet with agriculture students from Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Northern Oklahoma College. These young adults are the future...

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter and was able to enjoy time with family and friends. I enjoyed getting to spend some time back in the district this past week. On Friday, I spoke to AMBUCS in...

I spent some time as a science teacher and principal and many in my family have dedicated their careers to public education. Teachers, administrators, coaches and staff all dedicate so much of their...