Week 2 of committee meetings of considering House bills is under our belt. There were several bills in Public Safety and one bill in Veterans and Military Affairs. This week will be the last week to hear House policy bills in committee.
Due to the transparent budget process the Senate has put in place, there has been a stalemate in hearing House bills in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Hopefully, that issue will be resolved soon, and budget negotiations can proceed.
On Monday, we recognized the Medal of Honor Plaque in the Hall of Heroes. Thirty-six Oklahomans have been awarded the Medal of Honor; the highest distinction awarded to a member of the Armed Forces in the United States. The medal is presented by the President, in the name of Congress, to military service members who distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their lives above and beyond the call of duty. Oklahoma is the first state in the nation to install this prestigious recognition inside a state capitol building.
We also recognized three groups of students from Oklahoma Bible Academy. They received the Class 2 OSSAA Academic State Bowl Championship. Several competitors from this group also competed and showcased their human anatomy knowledge. They competed against 30 schools of all sizes, including 6A schools. They will represent Oklahoma in the National Anatomage Competition in June at UNLV campus in Las Vegas. Each member of the team earned a $2000 scholarship to SWOSU and the OBA Science department also won a tablet version of the Anatomage machine used in competition. Congratulations to the students and their coach and teacher, Dr. Benjamin Lentz.
Also, from Oklahoma Bible Academy, we recognized the Lady Trojans Basketball team as Class A Runner-ups. They ended their season with a record of 27-4 that included a 6-week 18-game winning streak! Congratulations Lady Trojans for a great season!
I attended the first Enid Public Schools Vocational Agriculture Committee meeting and met the new FFA instructor, Mark Hegar. He is very passionate about the success for Enid FFA.
I also attended a meeting for the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Human Resources meeting. Dr. Judith James, from Pond Creek, was the featured speaker. Dr. James is the executive Vice-President of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. A Classroom at Pond Creek was dedicated to her. She has received numerous awards for autoimmune disease research.
On Tuesday, I visited with several Young Farmers and Ranchers from our District. I enjoyed sharing my experiences and hearing from them and their hopes for the future of farmers and ranchers.
On Wednesday, Aero Oklahoma Advocacy Day at the Capitol provided lunch for everyone.
OU Day at the Capitol did not disappoint. We recognized Coach Barry Switzer for his outstanding career, which includes his tenure with the Oklahoma Sooners Football team.
In closing, as we push through to the end of this session, I am reminded of the many challenges that we, the people, have gone through and the many challenges we have before us. I look forward to serving you in the State Senate for the next four years. If I can be of service to you or your family, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can reach my office at 405-521-5630 or Roland.Pederson@oksenate.gov.
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