Oklahoma House Re-elects Speaker Hickman

Denney Elected as Speaker Pro Tempore

OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, the Oklahoma House of Representatives convened for Organizational Day and opened the First Session of the 55th Legislature by formally re-electing Rep. Jeffrey W. Hickman for a second term as speaker of the House.

“The challenges before us are great,” said Hickman, R-Fairview. “The democratic process will get noisy. There will be agreement about where we want our state to go, but disagreement about how we get there. It won’t be easy, but our founding fathers didn’t intend for it to be. Through all of this, I pledge to you as your Speaker, to serve with respect for each elected member of the People’s House, to be firm but fair, to ensure the majority can conduct the people’s business but that the rights of the minority are protected, realizing that majority and minority on many issues before us will not be divided by political party.”

Hickman is the 43rd House member to serve as speaker since Oklahoma was granted statehood in 1907 and the seventh Republican speaker in state history.

The House also took a full vote and elected Rep. Lee Denney to serve as speaker pro tempore. Denney is a veterinarian and has served as chair of the Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee for the past six years. She is the second woman in Oklahoma history to hold this office, both of which have been Republican.

“Oklahoma is blessed to have skilled legislators with overwhelming intelligence and talent, and for them to choose me to serve in this capacity is a great honor,” said Denney, R-Cushing. “I look forward to working with House Speaker Hickman, returning members and our new freshman class of legislators this upcoming session.”

The House will reconvene on February 2nd at noon to continue the First Session of the 55th Oklahoma Legislature.