Students see proposal’s final step
An idea from high school students is now a state law. And several Shawnee High School students worked on the proposal got to see it signed into law during a special ceremony at the state Capitol.
“It was like a privilege to come up here and watch him sign it,” said Korbin Williams, who will be a sophomore later this year at Shawnee High School.
The governor actually signed House Bill 2705 into law last week. But he held a ceremonial signing Tuesday in the Blue Room at the Capitol so the students – some of whom attended legislative committee meetings earlier this year – could watch the final step.
HB 2705, by Rep. Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, and Sen. Charles Laster, D-Shawnee, requires drug-and-alcohol abuse-and-prevention education to be included in all prenatal care offered to expectant parents in Oklahoma. The measure took effect when the governor signed it.
The bill “just make imminent sense and it will save lives and improve lives,” Henry said.
“We just wanted to make a difference in our state,” said Gabrielle Spradling, who will be a junior when she returns to classes later this year. “We thought that this was very important – that the parent understand what alcohol and drugs can do to their children.”
Spradling and Williams belong to the Shawnee Youth Coalition, which has about 100
Braxton Henderson, who will be a freshman, said it was motivational to watch the governor sign the measure into law.
It showed that “we teenagers can actually help our community,” he said. “Now we can come up with something else.”
Steele said he wanted as many of the Shawnee students, who now are on summer break, to come to the Capitol for the bill-signing ceremony.
“We wanted to make sure that they understood that their ideas are important,” he said. “We believe that young people can and do make a difference when they share their ideas and work together in a positive direction to move our state forward.”
- Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau
House members give awards to verbose lawmakers
With this year’s legislative session winding down, members in the House of Representatives took time out Wednesday for some joviality.
The annual “Mouth of the House” awards – handed out usually to lawmakers who talk the most or come up with the best verbal phrase – were given to Reps. James Covey, D-Custer City, and Charlie Joyner, R-Midwest City.
Covey, the Democratic floor leader, was given the award for consistently inquiring whether the language in bills and amendments dealt with the subject of the measure.
Joyner was recognized for his comment made during debate on a measure that would give the team owners financial incentives.“What we’re doing here is corporate welfare,” Joyner said. “The legislators are going to be asked one more time to bend over and grab their ankles.”
Joyner and Covey each were given a crown and were asked to speak from the podium, but each time either tried they were drowned out by previous winners of the award.
The presentations were made by previous “Mouth of the House” winners Reps. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, and Randy Terrill, R-Moore..
- Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau
