DeWitt named Majority Floor Leader, other leadership changes made

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Dale DeWitt has been named the next Majority Floor Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

House Speaker Kris Steele named DeWitt, R-Braman, to the position Friday to replace outgoing Floor Leader Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa, who is leaving office later this month. DeWitt will become Floor Leader effective Dec. 1.

Rep. Dale DeWitt
R-Braman

“Dale DeWitt is a true leader whose talents and wisdom will serve Oklahoma extremely well as the House’s next floor leader,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “His effective work this year in crafting the House redistricting plan is something that united our entire chamber when it could have easily turned into something highly contentious and divisive. This is the type of positive dynamic I know Dale will bring as floor leader.”

As Floor Leader, DeWitt will be responsible for assigning bills to committees, scheduling bills for floor hearings and running business on the floor during session. In addition to serving as Floor Leader, DeWitt will continue serving as chairman of the House Redistricting Committee. He will also maintain his current membership on other House committees. The responsibilities of the position of Majority Leader, which DeWitt previously held, will be distributed among other House leadership positions.

“I am honored and excited to serve in this new capacity and pledge to do everything I can to serve the entire House,” DeWitt said. “I recognize this is a unique privilege and intend to treat it as one.”

Steele made a handful of other changes Friday to caucus responsibilities.

“These changes are all about putting the right people in the right place at the right time so we can build on the success of last session,” Steele said. “Our caucus is full of diverse talents and it is our responsibility to maximize those talents in the best possible ways.”

Rep. Harold Wright, R-Weatherford, was named Deputy Floor Leader. As Deputy Floor Leader, Wright will assist with the duties of the Floor Leader’s office.

Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City, was named chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services. Nelson has been leading the bipartisan group of House members that is reviewing the Department of Human Services.

“Given the importance of the work Representative Nelson is leading on DHS, it’s logical for him to serve as chairman of the committee most responsible for the agency’s budget. Having him in this role will be a big help to the House DHS reform group’s ongoing development of organizational, structural and resource allocation reforms for DHS,” Steele said.

Rep. Ron Peters, R-Tulsa, was moved to the chairman position for the House Committee on Energy and Utility Regulation.

“Ron’s valuable experience in the energy sector and as a committee chairman will serve the House extremely well as he takes on his new role,” Steele said.

Rep. Dan Sullivan accepts new job at GRDA

House Floor Leader Dan Sullivan today accepted a job as chief executive of the Grand River Dam Authority. Sullivan, R-Tulsa, issued the following statement on his new position:



“I have been humbled and honored to represent the voters of District 71 these past seven years. We have accomplished so much together in our effort to improve Oklahoma's business climate, most notably this year's historic reforms to our lawsuit and workers' compensation systems. I'm so proud of what we have done. Moving forward, I am excited for this new challenge and new opportunity with the GRDA and will always fondly remember the pleasure I have had serving in our Legislature.” – Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa


House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, today issued the following statement on Sullivan’s new position:


“The positive impact Floor Leader Sullivan has had on our Legislature and state is immeasurable. He is an extremely talented, effective public servant whose legal background and expertise are natural fits for GRDA. I know he will serve the mission of the organization well and continue to do great things for Oklahoma. I wish him all the best as he makes this transition and thank him for his wonderful contributions to our state.” – House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee

House Members Pass Lawsuit Reform Bills

The Oklahoma House of Representatives passed Senate Bills 862 and 865 today by Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa and Sen. Anthony Sykes, R-Moore, which would eliminate joint and several liability and require that juries receive accurate information regarding tax impact on awards. The measures are a critical part of the Republican lawsuit reform package supported by Governor Mary Fallin, House Speaker Kris Steele and Senate President Pro-Tempore Brian Bingman.

SB 862 removes a requirement that a defendant, in certain civil actions, will be jointly and severally liable for all damages if the defendant is found to be more than 50% at fault. Under current law, defendants can be held responsible for paying a higher portion of awards beyond the percentage of their fault to plaintiffs, based on their ability to pay. SB 862 would eliminate this practice. The measure passed the House by a 64-32 vote.

“I am extremely pleased by the House passage of these two measures,” said Steele. “Oklahoma lawmakers are taking the task of reforming our state’s legal system very seriously. SB 862 will protect and promote individual responsibility by providing accountability for those who cause injuries, while guarding against unfairly prosecuting individuals for the negligence of others. ”

"This legislation applies a common-sense standard to lawsuits, ensuring that each person is held responsible for his or her actions alone and not the actions of others," Sullivan said. "That is a reasonable approach which also reduces the incentive for individuals to file frivolous lawsuits."

The House also approved Senate Bill 865 by a vote of 65-30. It would instruct juries that no part of an award for damages for personal injury or wrongful death is subject to federal or state income tax and the jury should not consider income taxes when determining a proper compensation award.

NEXT STEP:

Both measures now proceed to Governor Fallin’s desk.

Rep. Nelson named by Speaker-elect Steele to Working Group to Reform House Rules

Reform of conference committee process to increase transparency

OKLAHOMA CITY – House Speaker-elect Kris Steele today announced the creation of a working group to consider procedural reforms that will make the legislative process more transparent.

“While we have made tremendous strides towards increased transparency in recent years, I believe we can build on those successes and give citizens greater access to the legislative process,” said Steele, R-Shawnee. “I believe increased public scrutiny and oversight is vital to a healthy democracy, and technological advances now allow us to be more user-friendly than ever. I am serious about bold reform and am confident the members of the working group will develop proposals that significantly change the way things are done at the Oklahoma Capitol.”

Among other things, the working group will consider rule changes that open the conference committee process to allow actual meetings and public votes on conference committee reports. In addition, the group will consider reforms that could end the practice of voting on “shell” appropriation bills that contain no actual budget numbers.

The members of the working group are as follows:

State Rep. Jeff Hickman, R-Dacoma

State Rep. Gary Banz, R-Midwest City

State Rep. Jason Nelson, R-Oklahoma City

State Rep. David Dank, R-Oklahoma City

State Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa

The committee will also consider putting in place a hard 24-hour rule that requires a House conference committee report to be filed and posted online for a full day before it can be considered on the House floor. Currently, there is no 24-hour rule during the final two days of session.

As part of that proposal, conference committee reports would also be posted online for member and public review with a link to previous versions of the bill available so changes can be more easily spotted.

Speaker-elect Kris Steele announced top leadership appointments today

State Rep. Dale DeWitt, R-Braman, will serve as House Majority Leader, a new position created to facilitate leadership meetings, assist in communication with the state Senate and Governor’s Office, and help guide the majority agenda through the legislative process.

State Rep. Dan Sullivan, R-Tulsa, will serve as the Majority Floor Leader and will oversee the daily floor activity of the House during. The Floor Leader will also assign bills to appropriate committees.

State Rep. Earl Sears, R-Bartlesville, will serve as chair of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee and will oversee the formation of the state’s budget for various agencies and departments.

State Rep. Skye McNiel, R-Bristow, will serve as Majority Whip and will head a team of assistants whips who will establish effective communication for the Republican caucus on a wide arrange of issues and work to advance legislation on the House floor.