Thursday was special as dozens of people from Guthrie made the trip from our state’s original Capitol to celebrate Guthrie Day at what is now the seat of state government.
Friends and people who are like family to me, whom I’ve known my whole life, visited. Their influence has been instrumental in making me who I am today. They are the ones who sent me to the House to represent the community that I love. I couldn’t be more proud of recognizing them and welcoming them to the state’s newer Capitol.
It was an incredibly busy week in the House. Policy committees and Appropriations & Budget subcommittees considered 264 bills over four days. Those bills are now eligible to be considered in oversight committees or by the full A&B Committee before they move to the floor.
Several bills I detailed in my last column passed in committee this week. These include bills to update Oklahoma’s wage law and rape statutes as well as to protect Oklahoma’s bioscience and research assets from foreign adversaries – a matter of national security.
Also this week in joint session, the House and Senate recognized the efforts of the Oklahoma National Guard. Members of the Guard are instrumental in helping Oklahomans during times of distress, such as the recent wildfires, tornadoes, and other natural disasters. And they’ve been among the first to respond to disasters such as the bombing of the Murrah building back in 1995. Guard members also deploy to other states when called and to foreign nations to help in peacekeeping and relief efforts.
As a former service member myself, I always appreciate the opportunity to recognize those who are willing to go into harm’s way to protect the freedoms and safety of others.
I received an update on the House’s Government Efficiency Portal this week, learning that about 250 complaints have been filed, and about 30 of those have been flagged as ideas of note. Our efficiency portal, rolled out earlier this year, is modeled after President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
While some of the complaints were equivalent to spam, we’ll be using the serious submissions to inform our work as we continue to examine state agency operations to see where greater efficiencies might be achieved. Some of the ideas are ones already under consideration, including consolidating functions within state agencies, sharing resources among school districts and state universities and colleges, and reducing inefficiencies experienced by Oklahomans seeking to obtain car tags, medical assessments, vital records, and more. But some of the ideas were unique, like cutting down on the number of traffic signs along Oklahoma roadways or looking at the need for certain advertising by state agencies. Each idea will receive our scrutiny.
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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