What a week it has been at the Capitol as it marked the halfway point of session, where all House bills had to be heard on the floor to remain eligible this session. We ended up sending over 450 bills to the Senate for consideration.
As you can imagine that work involved late nights with third readings stretching into the early morning hours before starting again the next day.
Next week, we will begin hearing Senate bills in the House. Those proposals will go through the same process as the House bills, starting in policy committees, then moving to oversight committees, before becoming eligible for consideration on the House floor.
I had the privilege of presenting a measure on behalf of Speaker Kyle Hilbert this week, which successfully passed on the House floor.
House Bill 4430 clarifies that Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants employed by the state are not required to carry separate malpractice insurance.
Because these professionals are already protected under the Government Tort Claims Act, malpractice insurance is unnecessary.
As a veteran nurse practitioner, this measure is near to me, and I am happy that it passed unanimously in the House.
I am excited that Speaker Hilbert appointed me to serve on the Human Services and Public Safety Committee of The Council of State Governments Southern Office this year.
This role will allow me to represent Oklahoma and collaborate with legislators from 15 other states.
While serving in this role, I will attend the Southern Legislative Conference in Lexington, Kentucky, from July 11-15th. I am so thankful for this opportunity and excited to represent our district and state in this capacity.
In other Capitol news, we had the privilege of hosting Developmental Disabilities Awareness Day. The annual event serves as a great channel to highlight the experiences of individuals living with developmental disabilities Nonprofit Advocacy Day also took place this week where we learned about the meaningful work that so many Oklahomans do to empower our communities.
And lastly, the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance joined us at the Capitol on Thursday. This organization includes field agents, applications engineers and manufacturing specialists.
I hope you are enjoying our spring weather and taking time to be with those you love this week!
As always, I am continually praying for you as well and invite you to reach out to me if you need anything.
I truly value being your voice at the Capitol!
If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at cynthia.roe@okhouse.gov, or you can call my office at (405) 557-7365.
