House Speaker-Elect Kyle Hilbert announced a change to the House committee structure that will allow for more time and deliberation of bills at their initial consideration. At the same time, he also named leaders of committees, including those dealing with Oklahoma’s energy issues.
House committees will now have a two-tiered structure with committees and oversight committees, which will allow legislation to be more thoroughly vetted and deliberated at the committee level before bills reach the floor. The process will now be similar on the policy side as to how the committees are currently structured for appropriations.
“Each year, the Legislature considers thousands of bills and committees are where the majority of deliberative work should be done to build consensus around language and needed changes,” said Hilbert, R-Bristow. “The more thorough work we can do in the beginning of session, the more likely we are to have a clear, transparent process that allows good bills to become law.”
Hilbert announced the following committees, including chairs and vice chairs:
- Energy & Natural Resources Oversight: Chair – Rep. Brad Boles, R-Marlow; Vice Chair – Rep. John Pfeiffer, R-Mulhall
- Agriculture: Chair – Rep. Kenton Patzkowsky, R-Balko; Vice Chair – Rep. Rick West, R-Heavener
- Utilities: Chair – Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene; Vice Chair – Rep. Mark Chapman, R-Broken Arrow
- Wildlife: Chair – Rep. John George, R-Newalla; Vice Chair – Rep. Rusty Cornwell, R-Vinita
- Energy: Chair – Rep. Nick Archer, R-Elk City; Vice Chair – Rep. Ken Luttrell, R-Ponca City
Under Appropriations
- Natural Resources: Chair – Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton; Vice Chair – Rep. Carl Newton, R-Cherokee
- Transportation: Chair – Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond; Vice Chair – Rep. Jason Blair, R-Moore
Under Commerce & Economic Development Oversight
- Transportation: Chair – Rep. Ronny Johns, R-Ada; Vice Chair – Rep. Jonathan Wilk, R-Goldsby
