State budget negotiations are ongoing at the Capitol. Within the next two weeks, the Senate will reach a budget agreement with the House and advance a spending plan to the governor’s desk before the Legislature is constitutionally required to adjourn by May 31. The Senate is close to reaching a deal with our House counterparts. On Friday, I participated in the sixth public budget summit for Senate and House leaders to negotiate a final agreement to fund state government for the upcoming fiscal year. As part of the Senate’s push to make the budget process more transparent, these meetings have been open to the media and live streamed so the public can watch. That makes these summits unlike anything we’ve ever done before because both chambers are fully negotiating the budget in the public eye. Crafting a state budget is the most important thing my legislative colleagues and I do each session, and allowing our constituents to be engaged and involved throughout the process is key to building the best budget possible.
The Senate passed last week two bills I authored to help communities affected by recent tornadoes and severe weather. To help Barnsdall, Sulphur, Marietta, Ardmore and other tornado-affected localities, the Senate unanimously passed legislation to appropriate $45 million in disaster relief funding. This will help the state, cities and towns unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in additional disaster assistance from FEMA. I hope this funding gives Oklahomans who have suffered property damage or lost their homes due to recent storms a leg up to recover and rebuild. I’m grateful the governor quickly signed these bills into law.
The Senate is in the process of vetting and confirming the governor’s appointees to serve in state government. The governor appoints hundreds of people to serve on state boards and commissions each year. Most of those appointments must be approved by the Senate before becoming official. I’m helping several Oklahomans from Senate District 20 through the confirmation process. They include Edmond resident Brandi Lowry, who has been appointed to serve on the Environmental Quality Board; Stillwater resident Clay Burtrum, to serve on the State Board of Agriculture; Mulhall resident Jennifer Schoonover, who has been appointed to the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners and Dr. Rick Visor, of Guthrie, to serve on the Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology.
I recently recognized several award-winning FFA members from Guthrie at the Capitol. I congratulated Holden Ingram and Zachary Allen for being among the top competitors in the Agriscience Fair at the National FFA convention. I also recognized Guthrie High School FFA’s national championship livestock judging team. I’ll be rooting for them as they compete in international livestock judging competitions in Scotland this summer.
As always, it’s an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Senate District 20.
The Oklahoma Legislature provides a livestream of legislative activity. Senate proceedings can be viewed online at oksenate.gov and House proceedings can be viewed at okhouse.gov.
Please feel free to contact my Capitol office with any questions or concerns you may have about legislation or other issues impacting our state at 405.521.5628 or at Chuck.Hall@oksenate.gov.
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