More than 80 members of the Oklahoma Legislature have been named members of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau 100 Percent Club for a 100-percent voting record with the organization during the 2017 legislative session.
“Oklahoma Farm Bureau is thankful to have excellent representation as we continue to fight for our members at the state Capitol,” said Tom Buchanan, OKFB president. “We applaud these lawmakers for their efforts to protect agriculture and rural Oklahoma.”
Legislators were scored on three measures including SB 147, SB 326 and SB 593. Authored by Senate Pro Tem Mike Schulz and Rep. Casey Murdock, SB 147 allows municipalities to waive the three-mile setback for concentrated animal feeding operations. SB 326 by Sen. Eddie Fields and Rep. John Pfeiffer prohibits the importation and possession of exotic swine in Oklahoma. Legislators too were scored on SB 593, which encourages wind energy development by removing a loophole allowing individuals to register for construction of a private airport to prevent the development of wind turbines.
Members of the House of Representatives also were scored on HB 1374, a bill allowing municipalities to increase ad valorem taxes to fund public safety districts, upon voter approval. Although it included an exemption for agriculture land, OKFB opposed the bill as defenders of low ad valorem taxes in Oklahoma. Senators were not scored on the bill, as it did not receive a floor vote.
Senators with a 100-percent voting record with OKFB include Mark Allen, Randy Bass, Stephanie Bice, Larry Boggs, Josh Brecheen, Bill Brown, Julie Daniels, Kim David, Tom Dugger, Eddie Fields, Kay Floyd, Jack Fry, AJ Griffin, David Holt, Darcy Jech, Chris Kidd, James Leewright, Bryce Marlatt, Kevin Matthews, Greg McCortney, Dan Newberry, Lonnie Paxton, Roland Pederson, Anastasia Pittman, Adam Pugh, Dave Rader, Mike Schulz, Ron Sharp, Wayne Shaw, Frank Simpson, Jason Smalley, John Sparks, Rob Standridge, Gary Stanislawski, Anthony Sykes, Roger Thompson, Greg Treat and Ervin Yen.
Representative receiving the award include Greg Babinec, Rhonda Baker, Scott Biggs, Kevin Calvey, Dennis Casey, Bobby Cleveland, Josh Cockroft, Jeff Coody, Tim Downing, Travis Dunlap, Jon Echols, George Faught, Scott Fetgatter, Avery Frix, Tom Gann, Kyle Hilbert, Justin Humphrey, Dell Kerbs, Ben Loring, Jason Lowe, Kevin McDugle, Lewis Moore, Casey Murdock, Jason Murphey, Carl Newton, Terry O’Donnell, Charles Ortega, Scooter Park, John Pfeiffer, Mike Ritze, Sean Roberts, Michael Rogers, Todd Russ, Mike Sanders, Earl Sears, Chuck Strohm, Tess Teague, Steve Vaughan, Kevin Wallace, Josh West, Rick West, Rande Worthen, and Harold Wright.
Founded in 1942, Oklahoma Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization of farm and ranch families united for the purpose of analyzing issues and formulating action to achieve educational improvement, economic opportunity and social advancement in each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. As the state’s largest general farm organization, OKFB is committed to improving the lives of rural Oklahomans through advocacy, education and member benefits. To learn more, visit www.okfarmbureau.org.
