Forty years and counting. This is an amazing fact about the Pittsburg County community Thanksgiving dinner provided by donors and elected officials. I was able to participate in a small role this past Thanksgiving. Over 3,100 meals were prepared for the public at no cost to receive; nor were there any restrictions on who could eat. I’m hoping everyone enjoyed. Other counties should follow this lead.
At the Capitol, crunch time is upon us as we prepare for the Second Session of the 60th Legislature. All bill requests must be filed before Dec. 5 to be considered in our next session, which starts Feb. 2. I have filed six for consideration with another pending this week. These are in addition to at least three that I filed in the first half of the 60th that failed to advance but are still available for consideration. Sometimes, a bill sails through the House but fails to be heard in the Senate. If this happens in the First Session of the Legislature, the bill can be picked back up from where it stalled during the Second Session. Since work had already started on these bills, they are available to still proceed. If a bill fails in the second half of this Legislature, it can no longer be brought back up for consideration. We will have to start from scratch in the 61st Legislature. If history is an indicator, at least 2,000 bills will be filed again this year.
Recently, I had the opportunity to sit on a legislative panel for the Oklahoma Association for Regional Councils. Our own Kiamichi Economic Development District of Oklahoma is a member. Once again, I felt I had come full circle. I once was a KEDDO board member myself and attended many such meetings where we would question our legislators about policy. Now, I was the one being questioned. One never knows where life will take you.
As always, I’m thankful to the constituents of House District 17 for allowing me to serve. If I can help you in any way, I can be reached at (405) 557-7381 or by email at jim.grego@okhouse.gov.
Jim Grego serves District 17 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Latimer County and part and Pittsburg County.
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