Although we aren’t in a regular legislative session, it seems that work at our state Capitol is always ongoing. Just this last week, our state hosted the Southern Legislative Conference at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, which is a yearly meeting of House and Senate members of southern state legislatures to talk about the issues impacting our states. It’s a great forum to bounce ideas off each other, and I enjoyed showing my colleagues around Oklahoma City.
The Senate President Pro Tempore approved 41 interim studies this month, which are in-depth studies on issues impacting our districts. Unfortunately, there’s just not enough time during the legislative session to take a deep dive on every issue, so legislators will often file an interim study to learn more about an issue before filing legislation. All three of the interim studies I filed were approved.
The first will take a look at the current utilization of the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Park, also known as the Oklahoma Air and Space Port. This is one of only 12 spaceports in the nation, and home to one of the country’s longest and widest runways available for both civilian and military use. I’m interested to know what steps can be taken to make this industrial park thrive with businesses like the Mid-America Industrial Park in Pryor.
As many of you may know, school districts across the state are facing a shortage of school bus drivers, especially our rural schools that do not have a CDL testing center nearby. That’s why I filed a study with the goal of finding ways to make it easier for rural school districts to help these prospective bus drivers to attain a CDL license without having to drive 200 miles to take their driver’s test.
Finally, my third study was approved that will look into what is causing Oklahoma to be the top state in the nation for divorce, which also has a profound impact on child custody issues. I’m hopeful to find legislative solutions to decrease our divorce rate in the state.
It’s also been busy across the district. I was honored to present a citation to the Deer Creek Hardware store in Hydro and enjoyed attending a Route 66 kickoff celebration with Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell in Clinton. I was also proud to attend the City of Weatherford’s grand opening of their National Vietnam War Museum, which includes a scaled replica of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington D.C. This museum has already been an attraction for travelers on Route 66, and I know it will soon become a jewel in Weatherford.
It’s a true pleasure to represent our shared values at our state Capitol, and if there’s anything I can do to help you, please reach out. You can contact me by email at Darcy.Jech@oksenate.gov or by phone at 405- 521-5545.