A bill to protect Oklahoma’s bioscience and research assets from being exploited by hostile foreign governments was sent to the governor this week for his consideration of signing it into law.
Senate Bill 552 would prohibit Oklahoma state agencies that receive federal or state funds from using equipment or services of any biotechnology company designated by the U.S. government as one of concern due to its close association with hostile foreign governments.
As a veteran, I’ve witnessed firsthand the harm adversaries seek to do this country and our assets. This includes our sensitive biological data. Oklahoma is a growing hub for such firms and researchers, so we must be vigilant to protect our resources.
I’m glad this bill passed in both legislative chambers. I am confident the governor will see the benefit of signing this into law to safeguard our state.
I passed a few additional Senate bills in the House this week that also have moved to the governor’s desk.
Senate Bill 630 ensures school resource officers and security guards are included in the definition of school employees for the purpose of the rape statute. It’s important everyone in a position of authority over a child is held to the same account.
Senate Bill 200 protects minors’ inherited funds by holding them in trust when a guardian hasn’t been appointed.
This week was busy on the House floor. We considered 94 pieces of legislation over four days. Some bills sail through, others require a lot of questions and some debate. It’s an interesting process for those wanting to be involved in state government.
Also this week, I had a page serve in my Capitol office.
Abby Coffron is a senior at Deer Creek High School. She lives in Edmond and is the daughter of Linnea and Beau Coffron.
Abby is receiving her seal of bi-literacy in Spanish from the state and received a score of five on her AP Spanish test. Only 10 percent of students taking this course in the nation have scored this high on this exam. This is quite an accomplishment.
Additionally impressive is the fact that Abby plays saxophone in her school’s band and ranked 27th in the nation for her marching band performance. She serves on many leadership councils and on the YMCA Youth and Government Association where she held a leadership position as an associate judge.
After high school, Abby plans to attend Oklahoma State University to major in political science with an emphasis in pre-law and to minor in Spanish.
I loved meeting Abby and hearing her ambitions for the future. I wish her the best.
Thursday, during a National Day of Prayer breakfast at Community Church in Guthrie, I had the privilege of praying over our national government leaders. Other local and state leaders prayed over different facets of government and community life. It was very humbling.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at (405) 557-7350 or [email protected] if I can ever be of service to you.
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