Week 2 Thoughts, Takeaways, and To-Dos

It was an exciting week at the Capitol! On Monday, I attended my first Veterans and Military Affairs Committee meeting, and I look forward to working with fellow committee members on legislation that helps our state’s veterans. It was great to meet many students from Cameron University and the University of Oklahoma on Tuesday, which was Higher Ed Day, as they advocated for more investments in our higher education institutions. We also had productive meetings yesterday for the Government Efficiency and County and Municipal Government Committees. 

I mentioned in a previous post that two of my bills (HB 1068 and HB 1070) passed out of the Common Education Committee and Rules Committee. I’m also pleased that another bill (HB 1069) unanimously passed the Transportation Committee yesterday morning. This bill creates the Victims of Impaired Driving Memorial Sign Program, which will give family or friends of victims of impaired driving accidents the opportunity to purchase a sign to be placed near the site of an accident caused by impaired driving on any state highway, bridge, or turnpike. States like Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, and Kansas already have similar programs. 

Yesterday, the House voted on HB 2597 (permit-less carry), and I shared my thoughts on why I decided to vote no on this legislation. I appreciate the feedback I’ve received from constituents during the past 24 hours. I said it in yesterday’s post, and I’ll repeat: I won’t be intimidated, bullied, or harassed by any individual or organization to vote a certain way because the Lawtonians who sent me to the State Capitol are who I’m focused on advocating for each and every day.

During the next couple of weeks, we’ll continue to review bills in our committees, and we’re now at the point in the legislative session when we’ll regularly vote on bills on the House floor. If you’re interested in receiving newsletters and updates from me throughout the legislative session, please private message 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.