by Rep. John Pfeiffer
I recently received a Champion Award from Oklahoma Farm Bureau in recognition of my work in the Legislature to advocate for Oklahoma farmers and ranchers. I and the five other recipients were noted for going the extra mile to ensure the voices of agriculturalists are represented at the State Capitol and for guaranteeing our family farmers and ranchers can continue to feed the world while keeping rural Oklahoma a vibrant place to live.
As a fifth-generation farmer and rancher on my family’s land in Northern Oklahoma, I certainly appreciate the recognition on behalf of those who love the land and all it produces as much as I do.
Last week in the House, Brennon Kienholz, a senior from Perry High School, paged for me at the Capitol. Brennon and I have a lot in common as both of our families have been long-time farmers and ranchers in Noble County.
Brennon is the son of Jason and Davi Kienholz. He’s a member of the National Honor Society and on his school’s Honor Roll. He’s an FFA chapter president and this spring will receive his state FFA degree. He’s also involved in the Payne County Farm Bureau Youth Leadership Program.
After graduation, Brennon hopes to attend Oklahoma State University to major in animal science with the ultimate goal of moving back to the family farm to continue raising cattle. I wish him all the best in this very worthy pursuit.
While at the Capitol, Brennon got to sit in on committee meetings and floor sessions. He also worked with his fellow pages to hold a mock legislative session, in which they wrote, questioned and debated legislation and they elected their own leaders. This is a great way to learn about state government.
In the Legislature, we’ve finished our committee work on House bills. Now, we’ll be hearing multiple bills on the House floor each day until our third-reading deadline, March 27. By this date, we have to pass House bills to the Senate. Those that don’t pass are dead for the year.
Here’s a look at a few bills that passed oversight committees and should be heard soon on the floor.
House Bill 2163 would create a public access counselor position in the state attorney general’s office to review open records requests of state agencies when they’ve been denied or delayed. This will give private individuals, the media and lawmakers recourse and hopefully will speed up the process.
House Bill 2165 would clarify counties are authorized to enter into interlocal agreements for services offered by circuit engineering districts outside the bidding process. This has been the practice for the last 25 years, but the state auditor recently interpreted the statute a different way.
House Bill 2171 would ease the process for property owners and owner associations to remove unlawful restrictions from property records. This builds on legislation I co-authored last year, Senate Bill 1617, that allowed municipalities to remove illegal, often discriminatory, covenants from within their charters.
It’s an honor to serve the folks of House District 38. As always, if you have concerns about bills, or problems I can assist you in solving, please reach out to me at [email protected] or call my office at 405-557-7332.
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John Pfeiffer serves District 38 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Grant County and parts of Garfield, Kay, Logan and Noble counties.
