 This week was the deadline to pass bills from the opposite chamber of origin. We certainly had robust debates on the House Floor, and we carefully considered legislation spanning a wide variety of subjects. During the next few weeks, we’ll finalize the budget and begin conference committees. If a member doesn’t agree with amendments that were made to his or her bill, then they can request a conference committee to work on the legislation with stakeholders.
Certainly, SB 441 has received quite a bit of attention. After reviewing the various amendments to this bill, I voted for the final version because I believe this bill is a good compromise that emphasizes both optimal student outcomes and local control for school districts. Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, school districts can either establish 180 days of classroom instruction; 1,080 hours of classroom instruction to be completed in a minimum of 158 days; or 1,080 hours of classroom instruction with no minimum number of days. The third option is predicated on a school district applying for a waiver, and the rules for approval will have to be passed by the legislature, which means that we’ll make sure that the waiver rules promulgated by the State Department of Education are fair and thorough. School districts can decide the best possible scheduling option for their students and faculty. Additionally, with a teacher pay increase of $1,200 included in this bill, we can ensure that our pay salary is competitive with the surrounding states. We still have more to do to properly fund our public education system, and we will continue to make progress with this year’s budget, which should have an increase to the education funding formula. I believe that paying our teachers competitively along with investing more in classroom funding will lead to a strong education system in Oklahoma. I was excited to have Katherine Macleod as my second page of this legislative session. Katherine is currently a senior at Lawton High School who plans on attending the University of Central Florida to study political science. She’s been extremely involved in Key Club International and wants to pursue a career in public service. During the past couple of days, many Lawtonians have visited the State Capitol. Our delegation spoke with members of Junior Leadership Lawton Fort Sill and encouraged them to be civically engaged. There were also a few constituents who visited the Capitol during Together Oklahoma’s Rally for Coverage to discuss how we can increase access to quality health insurance. This is an issue that we’re hoping to address during the next year. In my view, health care is an issue that should transcend party lines because it affects everyone in the general population. I look forward to working with my colleagues on a common sense solution to help our working poor, mentally ill, and drug addicted just like many other states have already done. I’m excited to report that the Governor has signed two more bills that I authored: HB 2281 and SB 700. HB 2281 adds evading a law enforcement officer in the context of a felony pursuit that endangers the general public to the list of dangerous crimes, and SB 700 updates how a legal signature can be obtained as a reflection of changes in modern technology, specifically blockchain. If you’re interested in receiving newsletters and updates from me throughout the legislative session, please send me your email address. I’ll also regularly update constituents through my website: http://www.danielpae.com/news As always, I can be reached via email at daniel.pae@okhouse.gov and phone at 405-557-7374.
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 I’m excited to report that the Governor signed HB 1071, which has become known as the Paeway Bill! This is my first bill that will be law, and it will take effect November 1st. It will increase the speed limit on Oklahoma turnpikes from 75 to 80 miles per hour and on certain state highways from 70 to 75 miles per hour.
Two other bills I authored have passed the Senate: HB 1070 and HB 2281. I enjoyed working with Sen. Sharp and Sen. Brooks on getting these bills passed. HB 1070 clarifies language in statute about special elections for congressional vacancies in even-numbered years. Because there was a Senate amendment for further clean-up language, the bill will have to be reconsidered in the House. HB 2281 adds evading a law enforcement officer in the context of a felony pursuit that endangers the general public to the list of dangerous crimes. This bill now heads to the Governor’s desk. Since we’re past the committee consideration process, we’ve been on the House Floor all week to discuss Senate bills. I passed SB 700 off the House Floor. This legislation updates how a legal signature can be obtained as a reflection of changes in modern technology, specifically blockchain. I enjoyed working with Sen. Montgomery on getting this bill passed. It also heads to the Governor’s desk. We had many Lawtonians at the State Capitol during the past couple of days. On Tuesday, Leadership Lawton Fort Sill Class XXIX was here for Capitol Day, and it was great to get lunch with all of them. I also got lunch on Wednesday with Holly and Elizabeth who were here for 4-H Day. Additionally, Juanita Pahdopony was recognized on Tuesday during the annual Governor’s Arts Award ceremony. Finally, current OSSM student Nitya Arekatla shadowed me on Thursday to learn more about the legislative process. Today, we remember the 168 lives that were lost 24 years ago in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Standard means that all us fight for each other and that we are there to help one another no matter what. The inscription on The Survivor Tree reads, “The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us...” I hope that you all of you have a wonderful and blessed Easter! If you’re interested in receiving newsletters and updates from me throughout the legislative session, please send me your email address. I’ll also regularly update constituents through my website: http://www.danielpae.com/news As always, I can be reached via email at daniel.pae@okhouse.gov and phone at 405-557-7374. OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. Kevin Stitt today signed a bill into law that will increase the speed limit on Oklahoma turnpikes from 75 to 80 miles per hour and on certain state highways from 70 to 75 miles per hour. Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, is the House author of House Bill 1071. Sen. John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton, is the Senate author. Pae, serving his first term in the Legislature, said he worked with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol on the language of the bill and gained their support. He joked the bill had become known as the Pae-Way Bill. “While we wanted to increase the speed limit on our turnpikes and state highways, we also worked to ensure the safety of Oklahoma drivers,” Pae said. “We will use traffic and engineering studies that take into consideration things such as traffic density and infrastructure quality to determine where we could safely increase these speed limits.” Pae said the speed limits in the bill will be implemented gradually, sensibly and safely. Pae also worked with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Oklahoma Secretary of Transportation to include language in the bill pertaining to traffic studies to keep the state in line with federal regulations so we can continue to receive federal highway dollars. This was Pae’s first bill to be signed into law.  This week was the final week for committee meetings in the House and the Senate. I had productive meetings in the Government Efficiency Committee, County and Municipal Government Committee, and Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.
I was honored to introduce the Veteran of the Week on Monday: LTC James L. Thompson. He joined the 42nd Infantry Division at Camp Gruber in 1943, and he participated in individual, basic, unit, and organizational training and deployed with the division to France in 1944. He joined the 25th Infantry Division as a non-commissioned officer in 1950 during the very early days of the Korean War and was awarded battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant in June 1951. He deployed with the 1st Infantry Division as a major in 1955 to Vietnam and retired at Ft. Sill as a lieutenant colonel in 1968. On Tuesday, the legislature convened for the fourth joint session to honor and recognize Oklahomans who serve in the National Guard. This was a tremendous event that inspired all of us in attendance. Also on Tuesday, several students from Cameron University were at the Capitol for the 2019 Oklahoma Promise Day. This is a critical program that helps many students pay for their college education. It was great to be back in Lawton on Friday to attend the Lawton Fort Sill Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Legislature luncheon. The Southwest Oklahoma delegation answered many thoughtful questions about what’s going on in the legislature. I enjoyed speaking with many Lawtonians about the progress we’re making together to move Oklahoma forward. If you’re interested in receiving newsletters and updates from me throughout the legislative session, please send me your email address. I’ll also regularly update constituents through my website: http://www.danielpae.com/news As always, I can be reached via email at daniel.pae@okhouse.gov and phone at 405-557-7374.  It’s April! This week, I had productive meetings in the Government Efficiency Committee, County and Municipal Government Committee, and Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Human Services.
I passed SB 700 through the House Judiciary Committee. This bill legally recognizes data stored and transacted on a blockchain. Electronic signatures secured through blockchain technology are also considered to have the same legal standing as any other electronic signatures defined under this statute. There were many Lawtonians in Oklahoma City this week. A delegation from MacArthur Middle School came to visit the State Capitol, and quite a few folks were at the 24th annual Southwest Oklahoma Legislative Reception. I was also grateful for the opportunity to help Dean Lester learn more about the legislative process. Dean spent this past week at the Capitol through the House Page Program. He’s currently a sophomore at Lawton High School and extremely involved in FFA. The included picture captures a moment when I was writing birthday cards to constituents back home. We haven’t gotten the entire list of Lawtonians organized quite yet, but we’re going to do our best to send as many birthday cards as possible. An individual’s birthday is a special moment that ought to be celebrated! If you’re interested in receiving newsletters and updates from me throughout the legislative session, please send me your email address. I’ll also regularly update constituents through my website: http://www.danielpae.com/news As always, I can be reached via email at daniel.pae@okhouse.gov and phone at 405-557-7374. |
Daniel PaeDaniel is the Republican Representative from Oklahoma's 62nd House District Archives
May 2020
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