Alva Review-Courier -

This past week, I and several other representatives hosted a public meeting in Woodward to discuss details of the redistricting process. Every 10 years, the Legislature is constitutionally required to redraw legislative and congressional district boundaries to match population shifts as reported from the U.S. Census.

Each member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and state Senate and each member of Congress must represent roughly the same number of people. As people move from one area to another, sometimes boundaries shift. Rural districts sometimes get larger, while urban districts shrink – at least in land area.

I was grateful for the members of the public who made it out to this meeting. They asked some good questions, and it was good to interact with them. We want the redistricting process to be transparent and for the public to have adequate input. They are the folks being represented, after all.

On another note, I will be chair this year of the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Regulatory Services. My committee, along with the similar committee from the Senate will hold agency budget and performance reviews next week to hear from the state agencies under our purview.

The meetings start at 9 a.m. on Jan. 19 and 20. They can be livestreamed on the Senate website: https://oksenate.gov/live-proceedings.

We will hear from the Oklahoma Historical Society, Insurance Department, Conservation Commission, Horse Racing Commission, Department of Labor, Department of Mines, Department of Commerce, Election Board, Ethics Commission, Merit Protection Commission, Emergency Management, Military Department, State Auditor and Inspector and the State Treasurer.

Lawmakers also are in the process of filing bills for the upcoming legislative session, which starts Feb. 1. I will reintroduce a number of bills that passed in the House last year but that didn’t make it through the entire process because of Covid. I also have several new bills I will file this year. All are designed to benefit northwest Oklahoma and rural America. I’ll give more details on specific legislation in upcoming columns.

Please remember, if I can help you with anything, you can always reach out to me by email at [email protected], or phone me at 405-557-7339. May God bless you and the state of Oklahoma.