2024 Valedictorians and Salutatorian Named

OKLAHOMA CITY – Each year, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) examines the voting records of members of the Oklahoma Legislature to determine how child-friendly each lawmaker’s record is.

From that nonpartisan evaluation of the voting records of all 101 state representatives and 48 state senators, Oklahomans can see which lawmakers put children first during their deliberations for the 2024 session of the Oklahoma Legislature.

“Our hope with this annual report is to help Oklahomans be aware of how their lawmakers are voting at the State Capitol,” said Joe Dorman, OICA’s CEO and himself a former state representative. “The Children’s Legislative Scorecard goes back over two decades and is the premier means by which lawmakers are evaluated on children’s issues, and it is our honor to make it available to Oklahomans and the news media.”

Valedictorians with a perfect score of 105 from the state Senate are Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City; Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa; Grant Green, R-Wellston; Dave Rader, R-Tulsa; Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City; Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond; and Darrell Weaver, R-Moore.

Valedictorians with the same score from the state House of Representatives are Bob Ed Culver, R-Tahlequah; Collin Duel, R-Guthrie; Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin; Ellyn Hefner, D-Oklahoma City; Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa; Danny Sterling, R-Tecumseh; Preston Stinson, R- Edmond; John Talley, R-Stillwater; and Danny Williams, R-Seminole.

Senator Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City is the lone salutatorian with a score of 104.

In total, with the five bonus points given for authoring a positive child-related policy, 37 lawmakers received a score of 100 or better. Additional points were also provided to members of the Senate and House presiding officers, minority leaders, majority floor leaders, and appropriations chairs and vice-chairs.

Absences were forgiven for two lawmakers due to extenuating circumstances involving their children. Representative Stinson was caring for a sick child during many votes, and Rep. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton missed some votes due to the birth of his child. OICA has supported parental leave legislation for Oklahomans and in that circumstance, the organization felt it was only just to apply that for these understandable absences. Members of leadership got credit for missed votes when they were out of the chambers due to their responsibilities.

The full scorecard, with lawmakers’ ranks, can be found at https://www.oica.org/advocacy-resources. Also available is a color-coded chart showing lawmakers’ votes on the bills that were scored, giving voters a chance to see how the scores were developed.

Congratulations to the several lawmakers who had positive scores on children’s issues,” Dorman said. “We tried to make this similar to the report card given to students and schools, so that voters have a clear view of what is happening at their State Capitol.”

Dorman concluded by noting that even though the 2024 session just adjourned, OICA is already working with lawmakers for next year’s session of the Oklahoma Legislature, requesting interim studies on critical children’s issues, and providing voters with the results of a candidate survey to gauge where those seeking seat the Legislature stand on children’s issues. That survey is also available on OICA’s website.

“Our work never ends,” he said. “We look forward to continuing our work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and from all areas of the state to improve the lives of our state’s children. Working together, we will continue to make progress for our state’s most valuable resource, our children.” 

LeFlore County has four state representatives. Representative Rick West ranked 133rd with 70 out of 100 total points. Represetative Jim Grego ranked 86th with 86 total points. Representative Randy Randleman ranked 108th with 76 total points.  Representative Eddie Dempsey ranked 23rd with 101 total points. Dempsey received 5 bonus points for authoring legislation supporting children.

LeFlore County’s state senator George Burns ranked 134th with 69 total points. Senator Burns received 5 bonus points for authoring legislation supporting children.

About OICA: The Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy was established in 1983 by a group of citizens seeking to create a strong advocacy network that would provide a voice for the needs of children and youth in Oklahoma, particularly those in the state’s care and those growing up amid poverty, violence, abuse and neglect, disparities, or other situations that put their lives and future at risk. Our mission statement: “Creating awareness, taking action and changing policy to improve the health, safety, and well-being of Oklahoma’s children.”

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