By: Journalist Hayden Grubbs (OU)
Rep. Ashland Crites (NWOSU) presented the “Building Reading Comprehension” act Thursday for the House of Representatives.
They showed immense passion for their act as well as passion for the future of Oklahoma. Being an English education major themselves, this topic is very close to Crites’ heart.
The response to this act by the house was divided. It quickly inspired heated debate from both sides.
“My initial thoughts on the bill were pretty positive,” Rep. Ren Giusti (OU) said. “I believe it had a lot of potential.”
This passion was also shared amongst those who did not want to see the act pass.
“I thought it was a good bill, and I was planning on voting in favor of it,” Rep. Aristotle Orsini (TU) said. “Public Schools are underfunded as is. They don’t have money sitting around to hire a specialist in any field.”
This sentiment of funding was a major issue across the board. Many felt that the act had a good core to the heart of it, but were not sold fully on how this bill would become a reality. In a close vote of 29 in affirmation and 34 in negation, ultimately, the fate of the act was to be not passed.
However, this setback does not mean that the author is discouraged by any means. The humanities field is seen as undervalued by the author and they wish to draw this to attention to help Oklahoma reading comprehension rates.
“A more educated future I think is the most important thing,” Rep. Crites said.
Crites said they had a positive view of the experience.
“The response was great, the body was really engaged,” Rep. Crites said. “They had some really good improvements and suggestions I’m excited to implement and bring back.”
Lastly, when further pressed about the fate of the act, Crites had an insightful opinion on the nature of O.I.L.
“Ultimately O.I.L. is not about whether a bill passes or fails, it’s about bringing legislation the body will respond to,” Crites said. “You can always bring a legislation back or fix it and send it to a real representative.”