With hundreds of bills sent to the Governor’s desk, he has begun signing many bills I was proud to support.
On Monday, the Governor signed Senate Bill 1238, which was authored by my colleagues from Stillwater, Sen. Tom Dugger and Rep. Trish Ranson. This bill is huge for both students and schools! It allows a child from anywhere in the state to transfer into another school’s virtual education program, provided that the school has room in the program. This fosters competition among school districts to encourage them to provide the best education possible, while also adding accountability and transparency for students and the funding that follows them.
When I’m not at the Capitol working on legislation, I love visiting different places across my district and meeting with people. In the last few weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to participate in a couple of parades.
A fun new tradition this year was the Turkey Track Round-Up parade in Cushing at the end of April. Before Cushing became the town we know today, the Turkey Track Ranch was a popular destination as a round-up ground for cattle drives coming from Texas. The ranch was once a hide-out for the infamous Dalton Gang, a group of outlaws that specialized in bank and train robberies. When the ranch closed, some cowboys joined the Dalton-Doolin Gang.
I got to ride horses with my son and grandkids in the parade following the longhorn cattle drive right down the middle of the street in downtown Cushing!
I also participated in the 89ers Day Parade in Guthrie, which was windy but well-attended! This is Oklahoma’s oldest and longest parade, and thousands of people turned out to see the floats. The longhorns made an appearance in Guthrie as well and were a crowd favorite, along with the food trucks and carnival that were open all day.
The Oklahoma Territorial Museum was open and free to visitors that Saturday. The Museum provides a great opportunity for attendees to learn more about our early days as a state, including the famous land run in 1889 that created the town of Guthrie and many others overnight.
Our state has a rich history, filled with amazing and inspiring stories of people who worked hard to make this state what it is today. Many significant stories of Oklahomans’ perseverance have been lost to history, but events like these parades are a wonderful way to discover more about our state so we can better appreciate it!
House District 33 will include a portion of Guthrie after redistricting takes effect in November, so it was great to visit with community members. I especially enjoyed meeting members of the Langston University Band before the parade started. I’m proud to have Langston in my new district!
I encourage you to look for events coming up in your community and make plans to be involved. These are a great way to support local businesses and also build relationships with your neighbors, whether next door or across town!
Back at the State Capitol, our legislative process is nearing its end, and we are close to finalizing a budget. Our deadline to pass a state budget for the next fiscal year is Friday, May 27.
As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns about legislation. You may contact me at 405-557-7304 or john.talley@okhouse.gov. Thank you for the honor of serving House District 33!
Rep. John Talley, a Republican, serves District 33 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Logan and Payne Counties.
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