Oklahoma Hosts Southern Legislative Conference

I recently attended the Council of State Government‚s Southern Legislative Conference, held in Oklahoma City this year.

CSG is a nationwide nonpartisan organization serving state elected and appointed officials. Oklahoma is among 15 states in the Council‚s southern region.

Conferences like this provide great opportunities to collaborate with legislators from other states, hear solutions on common issues and bring back the best ideas to Oklahoma.

I currently serve on the CSG South Human Services and Public Safety Committee, which discussed policy during the conference. I also attended a variety of sessions focused on state government. In addition, I had the opportunity to hear well-known Oklahomans who addressed conference attendees, including Dan Rooney and J.C. Watts.

Lt. Col. Rooney is an Air Force fighter pilot, professional golfer, best-selling author and the founder and CEO of Folds of Honor, which provides educational scholarships for families of fallen military members. Watts is a former U.S. congressman, retired professional football player, and currently a minister, speaker and author. I enjoyed hearing each man share some stories and leadership lessons with us.

Also informative was the discussion of several recent Supreme Court decisions. Dobbs v. Jackson Women‚s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade, restoring states‚ rights to determine abortion policies. Oklahoma v. Castro-Huerta grants Oklahoma joint jurisdiction with federal and tribal governments in criminal cases involving non-Native Americans on tribal land – an update to the court‚s 2020 ruling in McGirt v. Oklahoma.

On a final note, I want to explain a bill I passed during my first year in office, Senate Bill 575, which became law in 2019. Known as the Parents‚ Bill of Rights, this provides for informed, written consent to be given by a parent or legal guardian for each school year allowing medical professionals, including mental health, to assess a student via telemedicine. A child may not be assessed without informed consent, and a parent must be present during the online assessment.

This was developed by Teresa Huggins, CEO of Stigler Health & Wellness Center, and Bob Carter, CEO of Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center in Poteau, who saw the need to serve people in rural areas with limited access to care. I was excited to run this bill, knowing how much it was needed to improve healthcare for people in our district. I have seen recent reports indicating many other states are now adopting similar policies, and more and more doctors nationwide are utilizing this method.

This bill was overwhelmingly supported in the House by 87 members and passed unanimously in the Senate with a vote of 46-0. With the governor‚s signature, this legislation to help rural Oklahoma had the support of 134 elected officials and now a growing number of physicians. This is an excellent policy written by our local healthcare professionals, and I was disappointed to hear someone attacking it with misleading information.

If you ever have questions about legislation or I can help you in any way, please contact me at (405) 557-7375 or Randy.Randleman@OKHouse.gov.