Caleb Berger, a homeschooled senior from Shady Point, paged for me last week at the State Capitol.

Caleb is the son of Joshua and Lynette Berger. He’s an impressive young man, serving in the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet captain and as squadron commander and was named squadron cadet of the year. He plans to study to become an Registered Nurse and then to be a missionary.

Our high school page program is amazing. It gives high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to learn the legislative process firsthand, even taking part in a mock legislative session.

It was great having Caleb at the Capitol.

Last week was busy with committee meetings. I was able to gain passage of Senate Bill 1571 that will allow air bows to be used for hunting during rifle and gun season. I also passed Senate Bill 1123 in our Criminal Justice Committee. This bill would allow a law enforcement officer responding to a scene where there is a dead body, such as a vehicle crash, to authorize the removal of the body. Sometimes in rural areas, it takes three to four hours to get a medical examiner to the scene. This would allow for the body’s removal if it is determined to be in the public interest and once conditions at the scene are adequately documented and preserved in photographs and measurements.

Senate Bill 1620 also passed committee this week. This would remove language restricting school transportation to district boundaries. I was against this bill as are many of my local superintendents as they fear it will raise their already high transportation costs. We’ll see what version of this bill comes to the House floor.

Another bill I was against was Senate Bill 1624, which would move school nutrition services from the State Department of Education to the Department of Agriculture. Many superintendents and school nutrition workers are against this bill as they feel it would make record-keeping harder and change pay and benefits for these employees. This bill failed in committee.

I was happy to see a measure that would outlaw abortion in our state pass on the House floor. Senate Bill 612 passed the Senate last year but was not brought to a vote in the House. It passed easily this year with no questions or debate. The measure would make abortion entirely illegal in our state except to save the life of a mother. The bill would punish any physician performing the procedure with up to a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison.

On another topic, I had a meeting this week with leaders from CareerTech and the Office of Management and Enterprise services regarding our CareerTech instructors at the skill centers in our state prisons. These people work four ten-hour days, but if the prisons are locked down or classes are cancelled because of weather, they have to take their own annual leave to make up their lost hours. I want to get them back ever one of these hours. The people I met with assured me this can be done through the administrative rules process and does not need legislation. I’m going to hold them to this.

Remember to listen to me on KPRV Radio at 7:30 a.m. every Thursday for my legislative update.

As always, if I can help you with anything, feel free to call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7413 or email me at rick.west@okhouse.gov.

  • Rick West serves District 3 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of LeFlore County.

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