4-H Day celebrated at State Capitol
I got a special honor last week. I was visited by two young officers in LeFlore County 4-H during 4-H Day at the Capitol.
Hannah Reed from Poteau shows rabbits. Zoey Chaplin from Wister recently showed a grand champion sheep at the LeFlore County Junior Livestock Show. Both of these young women are homeschooled, and they are just all-around great examples of future leaders. I’m glad they came by my office and said hello. 4-H is a great organization that teaches our kids many lessons from agriculture to leadership to hard work and being a responsible citizen.
In addition to getting to meet Hannah and Zoey, it was a double honor to have my House Bill 2991 recognized on the House floor during 4-H Day. This bill will give our 4-H kids an excused absence from school if they are taking part in a sanctioned 4-H project or event. The bill has passed committee on the Senate side and now awaits a vote on the floor of that chamber.
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Also this week, I got some good news for our instructors that work at the CareerTech skill centers inside our state prisons. As you might remember, these people work four 10hour days, but when prisons are on lockdown or have to be closed because of weather or other emergency events, they have to take their own personal administrative leave to be paid for 40 hours. After meetings with the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, CareerTech has said they will restore all annual leave hours to the affected instructors, and they will change this rule so this doesn’t continue to happen. Workers at the Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center in Hodgen are the ones who alerted me to this problem. They and the others who work in these centers will now get these hours back. That’s a good feeling.
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Also last week, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law a measure that will make abortion completely illegal in the state of Oklahoma except when it is the only thing that will save a mother’s life. This bill will fine any doctor performing an abortion up to $100,000, and they will face up to 10 years in prison. This is the most restrictive abortion law in the nation. Of course, it will be challenged in court, but we have every reason to believe it will stand. Protecting the lives of our innocent unborn babies is one of the most important things we can do.
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Remember to listen to me on KPRV Radio at 7:30 a.m. every Thursday for my legislative update.
As always, if I can help you with anything, feel free to call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7413 or e-mail me at rick.west@ okhouse.gov..
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West serves District 3 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of LeFlore County.