(Pictured: Representative Joshua Morgan in the House of Representatives chamber)
Jessica Zimmerman (OU), November 12, 2021
After a wonderful lunch of Chick-fil-A sandwiches, the freshman session of the House of Representatives was held. As the winner of the Best Freshman Award from the spring session, Representative Joshua Morgan (OBU) had the honor of chairing the house for this event. He shared some insight about this experience and OIL as a whole.
Representative Morgan said his last session was fun, but it does not compare to an in-person session. However, at this previous session, he still learned a lot about how to get the most out of OIL.
“I split my time between the court and the house. I went all in and it paid off really well.” Morgan’s advice to freshmen hoping to win the same award he did was simple.
“Whatever you can do to get your name recognized when they see it on a piece of paper, that’s what you should be doing.”
For Morgan, chairing the House of Representatives for an afternoon was “really fun”, even if it was nerve-racking. During Morgan’s time as chair, the House heard a single bill about mandatory pre-baby counseling. The voting and debate lasted for over two hours.
“A lot of the freshman bills from the spring got pq’d,” Morgan said. “[I was] happily surprised there was a lot of stuff happening during the freshman bill.”
Morgan said it shows that anything can happen in a legislative session.
“There was a motion to send the bill back to committee…the entire house turned into a committee.”
Morgan enjoyed the debate, but his favorite part was sitting at the front of the room with the microphone. He liked “being the most powerful person in the room”.
“People [were] asking me ‘on a follow up’ and ‘point of information’…I really enjoyed keeping the ball rolling. There really is a trick to keeping the momentum going.”
Remembering what to say did pose a challenge, but Morgan had great mentors by his side.
“Emmett Thompson and Speaker Shultz…two very qualified people that have done this many times. I could not have done it as well as I did without them there.”
Another important role model in Morgan’s OIL experience is Grace Minter, a member of Morgan’s delegation.
“I credit her with a lot…she put me in a position where I learned very quickly.”
For Morgan, the best part of OIL is the relationships he has built.
“I really love meeting new people. I joined oil very late, so I’m jealous of all the freshmen…they have seven more sessions left of this…I have one more after this.”