Sterling Zoe Rubottom.
Chatter, coughs and dad-jokes filled the Senate Assembly in the Oklahoma State Capitol building in the evening of Nov. 13, awaiting Lieutenant Governor Lacey Hickey’s gavel to hit the wood and begin the first Joint Open Session.
“Would someone please fetch the Honorable Senate?” said Speaker of the House Andrew LaFramboise (OU).
Thirteen minutes past schedule, the room was soon joined by red-badged delegates, rounding out the 16 schools represented in the 50th fall session of the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature (OIL).
“Time is the one thing we are given that we always lose,” began Corey Shirey, a senior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and this year’s OIL Governor. “My challenge to you this week is do not allow this time to be wasted. Use words that make an impact. Use words that defend what you believe. Use words that will cause good.”
Out of the 500-plus pages of submitted bills, Shirey mentioned a few of the topics that stood out to him, including the death penalty and conversion therapy— implicitly referring to bills OU-004 by Senator Curtis, TU-002 by Senator King and NWSOSU-501 by Senators Lucas, Nutley and Willson and others.
Session begins on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. and concludes on Sunday at 7.p.m. The House and Senate bills to be heard cover a variety of hot topics, including prison reform, women’s rights, taxation, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental advocacy, domestic abuse, education system, labor unions and the healthcare system.
To wrap up the first joint session, Gov. Shirey introduced this year’s OIL sponsor Reverend Dr. George Young Sr., an OK state senator and chairman of the legislative black caucus.
Young is an Oklahoma Christian University and Phillips Theological Seminary alumni and author of “Christology: A Look at Practical Christianity.”
Having grown up in the 50s in Memphis, Tennessee, Young recognized the weight of issues our nation still faces today.
“I’m betting on you. I’m believing you can make a world much different than the one I was in,” said Young. “Grab a hold of right now and realize how significant this moment is. Your ability to serve is more than just an opportunity, it is an obligation.”