-- Rebecca "Rusti" Howard (via Linda Pfeffer) Feb. 3, 2016

Senate Review by Senator J.J. Dossett

Shortly after being sworn into office, I began meeting with fellow members and Senate staff to prepare for the legislative session. Learning about the committee structures, the various state agencies, Senate rules, decorum, and familiarizing myself with all of the aspects of the budget are things that could easily take weeks, if not months. I had just over one week to prepare myself so I could hit the ground running when session began this past Monday.

Being a professional educator, I was very pleased to be assigned to both the Senate Education Committee, which considers policy legislation, as well as the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, which deals with the funding side of the equation.

As a combat veteran and current member of the Air National Guard, I was also very gratified to be assigned to the Senate Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs. In addition, I will serve on the full Appropriations Committee and on the Pensions Committee as well.

Not all committees met this past week, as the Senate Floor Leader was completing the work of assigning more than 700 measures to various committees. By next week, there will be multiple meetings with numerous bills to consider.

Of course the main focus during the first week is the governor’s State of the State Address, where she discusses where we’ve been, the current status of our state, and her policy and budget priorities for the coming session.

Although I am relatively new to the Legislature, I am aware that the public policies and fiscal proposals the governor presents are not automatically adopted—the Constitution designates that the responsibility of writing and voting on legislation and creating and approving a balanced budget belongs to the legislative branch.

While my fellow members and I may disagree on the best way to accomplish it, I do applaud the fact that one of the governor’s top priorities was to increase Oklahoma’s investment in education and ensure our teacher salaries are more competitive.

One thing I want to share with you about the Oklahoma State Senate is that all the members have been very cordial and welcoming. Certainly there are political differences within the chamber, but these men and women also know that at the heart of it, we are all Oklahomans, and each of us wants to make our communities and our state the best we can. I share that goal.

I welcome your comments on state government and the issues before us. Please feel free to contact me by writing to Senator J.J. Dossett at the State Capitol, Room 521-A, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105; call me at (405) 521-5566.

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(2/5/2016)

Alright trail lovers and volunteers, the time has come. Thanks to the hard work of City Manager, Pam Polk, we have received a $25,000 grant to go towards park amenities and general trail funding. A big thank you to her for her collaboration and dedication to our vision. Now, it's time to get our hands dirty!

Trail-building days will be February 20th and February 27th from 9:00 am -- 2:00 pm. I will be sending out emails and getting in touch with committed volunteers.

If you haven't signed up to volunteer yet, don't miss out on this excellent opportunity to usher in a new era of health and wellness. It's time to do more than consume, it's time to contribute!! To sign up to volunteer, PM me your name, email address and phone number. I will not spam you.