By Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy CEO Joe Dorman
As the 1st Session of the 60th Oklahoma Legislature approaches, there is much work occurring at the State Capitol.
Congratulations to Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle. for being elected the next President Pro Tempore of that body, and to Rep. Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow for being elected as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
When the Legislature convenes for the regular session again on Monday, February 3 at noon, lawmakers will begin the process of debating, amending, and passing legislation. The four months of the legislative session will involve advocates from many walks of life and a myriad of interests engaging with policymakers to share ideas on multiple sides of each piece of legislation.
The advocates who understand the rules and procedures have a tremendous advantage in this pursuit as they know the deadlines and the rules which are used to operate the process. To help with that, the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy (OICA) created a conference which teaches those who attend the nuances of the process.
This Legislative Learning Lab is designed to not only be a deep dive into the process, but also as a way for likeminded advocates to network and build alliances. It is not necessary to be a child advocate to attend, as almost all of the instruction is solely on how the process works.
Our team has assembled a powerful slate of speakers and panelists. We will kick things off on Wednesday, January 29 with Dr. Bob Blackburn speaking about the political history of Oklahoma; essentially how we got where we are based on the circumstances which have shaped our state.
Following that, I will present a dialogue explaining the structure of and versions of bills heard by the Legislature, along with the overall framework of our current legislature. Over lunch, current legislative leaders, including Speaker Hilbert, Democratic Senate Leader Julia Kirt, Democratic House Leader Cyndi Munson, and a member of the Republican Senate leadership will speak about the 2025 session.
We will have a conversation with Cherokee Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr., and Chairman Rocky Barrett with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation about Oklahoma state-tribal relations. We will have a conversation with former Gov. Frank Keating and former Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Chip Keating about the structure of Oklahoma’s Executive Branch. We will finish the first day with a panel conversation with several Capitol reporters who cover state politics.
Thursday, January 30 begins with a presentation by Senate Appropriations Chair Chuck Hall; he will discuss the state budget and how the process works for allocating dollars for services. Attendees will hear from lobbyists representing A&A Advocates and the Lepard Group discussing how they work on legislation. We will end the morning by hearing about the committee structure and rules governing both legislative bodies.
Over lunch, a panel conversation will give attendees a chance to discuss effective strategies for building coalitions to support or oppose legislation. There will be a presentation on ethics rules governing campaigns and elected officials, and then Justice Noma Gurich will discuss Oklahoma’s Judicial Branch.
After this, we will hear about polling, data analytics and the impending use of artificial intelligence in government, presented by former Sen. Kyle Loveless. We will also have a conversation about how Oklahoma’s Attorney General interacts with the legislative process, along with closing remarks of how to effectively engage in citizen lobbying.
If you would like to attend, we still have space available. You can register at https://www.oica.org/events and we also will have the option to attend virtually if you are unable to attend one or both days in person. We hope you will join us and learn the strategy of being a stronger advocate.
