On Wednesday, the Oklahoma Youth Expo officially started.
OYE is the world’s largest junior livestock show. Every March, more than 7,000 4-H and FFA members bring more than 13,000 head of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and ag mechanics projects to Oklahoma City to exhibit.
Goodlucktoallthehard-working FFA and 4-H students from around the state!
The House heard 163 measures this week, and I had two bills pass on the House floor.
House Bill 1891 was passed on Wednesday, standardizing language across the littering statutes. It would make the prosecution and clean-up of illegal roadside dumps easier.
Itwouldalsosetuparewardfund in each county to give local control tohandlingtheseissuesandprovide better funding. Under HB1891, violators pay for enforcement.
The second bill I passed on the House floor was House Bill 1897.
It merges the Oklahoma Emergency Telephone Number Act into the Oklahoma 9-1-1 Management Authority Act. It would combine the definitions into one act and provide one central location to gather all the information about the 911 governance and oversight.
It removes the local meetings mandated language from the Oklahoma EmergencyNumberActtouse themoremodernlanguage,adopted in 2016, listed in the Oklahoma 9-1-1 Management Authority Act.
On another note, the House approved House Bill 2177, authored by Rep. Kevin West and Rep. Jim Olsen. It prohibits healthcare professionals from providing, attempting to provide, or providing a referral for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender reassignment surgeries for minors.
The House has a fundamental responsibility to protect the safety of Oklahoman children.
There are multiple activities that children are prohibited from participating in until they have reached an age defined by statute, even with parental consent. For example, gambling and purchasing alcohol or cigarettes are all prohibited for kids, regardless of parental permission.
Children cannot fully grasp the impact of their choices, so why are we allowing them to make these life-altering decisions? These lifechanging decisions need to be left to those who are at or above 18 years old and have mentally, emotionally, and physically matured enough to know the lasting consequences of their actions.
I voted in favor of this bill to protect children from making this decision until they reach 18. HB2177 allows exceptions for minors with a medically verifiable disorder.
Again, thank you for electing me to serve District 49.
It is truly an honor and privilege to represent you at the State Capitol. Please do not hesitate to contact me at 405-557-7383 or josh. cantrell@okhouse.gov.
Rep.JoshCantrell,aRepublican, serves District 49 Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Carter, Love and Marshall counties.