So much has happened in the two short years I’ve served in the Oklahoma Senate. First, I was sworn in during the historic renovation of our beautiful State Capitol, wearing a hard hat in the Senate chamber. While that project started years before I was elected to the House in 2017, I felt blessed to see the monumental project completed. It is truly beautiful, and the People’s House has been restored to its former glory with some muchneeded modern upgrades for the many public officials and state employees working there.
My first session in the Senate was challenging as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across our nation and state, shutting down our economy. However, the government must keep going, especially during times of crisis, as public services are needed even more. Fortunately, thanks to our fiscally conservative policies and decisions in previous years, we had over $1 billion in state savings that kept our state agencies afloat and helped us face the billion-dollar shortfall caused by the pandemic.
I hope future legislators note those fiscal decisions and the importance of always having sufficient savings. When Oklahoma’s economy is strong, it’s easy to want to boost our state agencies, expand services, and create new programs, but those decisions come with a price. Lawmakers must think long-term, especially when natural disasters are common. Although most people don’t want to save when disaster strikes, they are glad they did - those that don’t save may face dire financial consequences.
Oklahoma did the right thing and has continued to do so. Our state has been a beacon of strength through the pandemic. Despite the fact we suffered tremendous losses, Oklahomans are resilient. State revenues have risen to historic highs, boosting state savings to over $2 billion. While it was extremely difficult, I’m proud of the work we did to protect Oklahomans, our business community, and our economy.
As for legislation and major policies, I’m proud to have authored bills to reform occupational licensing, streamline state government; decrease regulations; and strengthen our state’s unemployment system. Some of my other bills helped strengthen and grow our state’s aviation industry, primarily through our schools, modernize the school funding formula, improve our transportation infrastructure, strengthen the oversight of the medical marijuana industry, and authorize the use of telemedicine by law enforcement to assist better those needing mental health services. Since being in the Legislature, I also proudly voted to protect the unborn and Oklahomans’ 2nd Amendment rights while supporting our brave military and veterans, law enforcement and first responders, as well as our dedicated state employees, teachers, and other hardworking citizens.
Serving in the Oklahoma Legislature has been the privilege of a lifetime, and I’ve greatly enjoyed representing the wonderful people of Lincoln, Pottawatomie, and Seminole counties. Of course, I couldn’t have done it without the support of my wonderful wife, Stephanie, and the rest of my family and friends. This has truly been a team effort. As many of you know, I also was blessed to have an amazing executive assistant, Natasha Holliday, who ran the day-to-day operations of our office. She has helped many of you and kept me organized and on schedule. I’ve been so fortunate to be surrounded by supportive people, and I’ll forever be grateful.
Although I’m leaving the Legislature, I’ll continue serving the district in other ways, but for now, I need to focus on my young family and our business. Time flies so fast, and I don’t want to miss any of my daughters’ special moments and events. They are such a blessing to our family! Thank you all for your friendship, support, prayers, guidance, and input through my legislative journey.
