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OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. David Hardin, R-Stilwell, and Tim Turner, R-Kinta, held an interim study before the House Public Safety Committee examining pay for correctional officers, support staff and administrators at the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Hardin chairs the committee and had an almost 40-year career in law enforcement.  "Having a strong and dependable corrections workforce is an important part of maintaining public safety across our state," Hardin said. "We need to understand the challenges the Department of Corrections faces in recruiting and retaining employees, as well as what is working in Oklahoma and elsewhere. The information gathered through this study gives us a clearer understanding of those challenges and a stronger foundation for considering how we address them moving forward." Turner, a member of the committee, spent more than two decades in law enforcement. "Every day, our correctional officers walk into an environment that most Oklahomans will never experience," Turner said . "They face dangerous situations, unpredictable behaviors and tremendous responsibility. Yet far too often, their compensation does not reflect the risks they take or the sacrifices their families make. And we cannot forget our support staff. From medical personnel and administrative employees to maintenance workers, food service staff, and everyone who keeps these facilities operating, they are essential to our mission. Adequate pay is not simply about rewarding employees. It’s about recruitment, retention, safety and accountability." The lawmakers invited Justin Farris, director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections (ODOC), to give an overview of the department, current pay and challenges to recruiting and retaining correctional officers, administrators and support staff. "Staffing levels at ODOC are critical," Farris said . "We have recognized this for a long time" Farris said when he began as a correctional officer in 1999, each prison had two to three correctional officers per housing unit. Now, there is one officer per unit, traditionally. "This is not at all how we want to operate, which is why I'm here today. I'm here not only to highlight our dedicated and hard-working staff but also to advocate for them. They are an integral part of public safety, and really the thankless part that often goes unnoticed. Yet they are no less dedicated to protecting public safety and building a stronger Oklahoma than any other law enforcement agency in our state." Farris said over the last several years the department has worked to improve the culture of the work environment, and they are seeing the result of that. "Retention rates are up, but we need a pay raise for all of our employees to keep up with this," he said. "We're not only losing our security staff to other states and entities that pay more, we're also losing experienced support and administrative staff to other state agencies that offer higher salaries for positions with less supervisory responsibility." Farris said a pay raise would help stabilize the workforce and undergird the improvement efforts the department has undertaken. Since 2023, the department hired over 3,300 employees agencywide. However, they lost more than 3,100 during the same period. That leaves the department with a gain of just 194 employees. Currently, agencywide, the department has 641 open positions. Jeannine Morton-Brown, director of Human Resources with the department, showed the disparity of pay between Oklahoma and surrounding states. Correctional officers between tiers two and four earn on average between 18% and 21.7% less than peers in surrounding states including Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Texas. Only in tier two is the state higher in pay than Arkansas. It is less in all the additional surrounding states. She also discussed the gap in DOC pay versus other state agencies. Donald Thurmond, who serves as the chief of security at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and Jackie Brannon Minimum Security Unit in McAlester, asked study attendees to ask themselves what $21.48 an hour – the starting pay for most Oklahoma correctional officers – would purchase in today's economy. He then graphically explained what an officer is asked to do for that wage. "We ask them to supervise individuals convicted of violent crimes," he said . "We ask them to intervene in fights. We ask them to confront individuals armed with homemade weapons. We ask them to respond when an inmate attempts to take their own life. We ask them to remain professional when they're threatened, cursed at, spit on or assaulted, and we ask them to protect the lives of the very people who may have just attempted to hurt them for approximately twenty-one dollars and forty-eight cents an hour." Thurmond said he's watched good, experienced correctional officers walk away from careers they love because they could not afford to stay. Additional presenters included Mike Thompson, director of the nonprofit Safe Inside Project, who discussed improving life and work behind prison walls, and Mary Babcock, director of Human Resources for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She described efforts the department has pursued that has resulted in better compensation, better retention of staff and an overall safer environment for officers and inmates. Turner closed the study saying , "Respect must reflect in our actions, our budgets and ultimately in our paychecks of those that are serving behind those walls. These employees aren't asking to become wealthy. They're asking to earn a fair wage and provide for their families and know the state they serve values their sacrifices. As we move forward to the next legislative session, I hope we remember the testimony that we've heard today and we recognize that adequate compensation isn't just an employee issue, it's a public safety issue, it's a retention issue and a responsibility that we have as state leaders." The entire study can be viewed on the House website under News & Media, live proceedings, then search the calendar for Oct. 21 Public Safety starting at 1:02 p.m.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, was among a group of Oklahomans who traveled recently to the Louisiana State Penitentiary to view firsthand the Angola Prison Rodeo, the only remaining prison rodeo in the United States. "The purpose of this trip was to gain ideas about what they are doing and how we might apply some of this knowledge as we make an attempt to revive our own prison rodeo at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester," Grego said. "Angola really has their stuff together," he added. "This is so much more than just a rodeo. It is an event drawing 10,000 visitors to each sold-out rodeo." Grego said one estimate shows a total local impact of $1 million for each rodeo held at the prison. Traveling with Grego was his wife, Sandy; Braedon and Kristie Oquin, the latter serves as the chair of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo Restoration Committee; Kevin Beaty, committee vice chair; Willis Pettit, warden of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester; Michael Davis, CEO and president of Oklahoma Finance Authorities; and Josh Beaty. The group had the opportunity to visit with the commissioner and the first deputy of the Louisiana Department of Corrections, Grego said, as well as the warden at the state penitentiary, known as Angola. Grego said for many years, the Oklahoma State Penitentiary held a rodeo that was very popular with inmates and their families as well as staff. It drew visitors from across the nation to Southeast Oklahoma. "The rodeo was discontinued due to a lack of funding and deterioration of the grounds," Grego said. The last rodeo at the prison was held in 2009. Grego has authored legislation the last few years to create a revolving fund to restart the rodeo, but the bills have not made it through the full legislative process. Grego said the measures have support, including from the Department of Corrections, which previously committed to putting $1 million toward the project. Both the City of McAlester and the McAlester Chamber of Commerce are supportive as well, Grego said. The Oklahoma Department of Tourism and recreation also previously committed to promoting the rodeo if it were to again operate. Grego said many professional cowboys also have expressed an interest in holding events at the McAlester prison once the rodeo grounds are restored. He said the Oklahoma Department of Commerce agreed the event would have a positive economic impact on McAlester and surrounding areas of Southeast Oklahoma. "This could bring a return on investment to the Department of Corrections and the state and local economy, and we could all reap the economic reward it would bring," Grego said.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, held an interim study examining wrong-way driving in Oklahoma and how emerging technology could help prevent serious and fatal crashes. Miller, chair of the House Appropriations and Budget Transportation Subcommittee, said the study examined Oklahoma’s current efforts, gathered input from other states and explored opportunities to build upon work already underway. "Oklahoma has been using foundational countermeasures to address wrong-way driving, and maintaining those efforts remains essential," Miller said. "As transportation technologies evolve, we have an opportunity to build on that foundation with new tools to detect wrong-way drivers and alert motorists in their path." The study included testimony from Victims of Impaired Drivers, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) and transportation officials from other states. Jeff Murrow, executive director of Victims of Impaired Drivers, discussed the impact wrong-way crashes have had on Oklahoma families and efforts to develop earlier warnings for motorists traveling in the path of a wrong-way driver. Murrow said wrong-way crashes resulted in 121 fatalities in Oklahoma from 2020 through 2025. ODOT and OTA officials outlined Oklahoma’s current mitigation efforts, which include pavement markings, oversized signs, reflective markers and wrong-way detection systems. ODOT has deployed wrong-way detection systems at 97 locations across the state. Officials also discussed challenges associated with more advanced systems, including maintenance, staffing, cost and the need for human verification when an alert is triggered. OTA also discussed a prototype system it has developed to detect wrong-way vehicles and evaluate whether drivers correct their course before entering the roadway. The committee also heard from the Arizona Department of Transportation about its wrong-way driving program. Arizona began with a pilot corridor in 2018 and has since expanded its use of thermal detection technology across the state. Arizona officials emphasized the importance of integrating detection technology with existing traffic operations, law enforcement and long-term maintenance. "Understanding the path other states have taken, including their successes and challenges, helps us consider what makes sense for Oklahoma," Miller said. "This study helped us better understand what is working today and where we can build on those efforts as emerging transportation technologies develop, giving us a clearer direction for our next steps." Miller said information gathered during the study will help guide further conversations about wrong-way driving prevention and the potential role of state policy.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, on Tuesday held an interim study before the House Agriculture Committee examining biochar production and its potential applications in Oklahoma. Study participants first had to learn what biochar is. Dr. Lori Han, with the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at the University of Oklahoma, explained biochar is a carbon-rich material made from biomass that undergoes a thermochemical conversion process known as pyrolysis. A simpler way to say this is a once living material, exposed to high heat, becomes a material with new properties.  It is not charcoal, she explained. Instead, it comes from agricultural waste such as crop residue, manure and litter or nut shells. It also can come from trees and shrubs and other wood waste. The product then can be used to improve soil health and water retention, among other uses – turning a negative into a positive, Han said. Dobrinski said he became interested in biochar because of it's promise to transform invasive species, such as eastern red cedars, into something beneficial. "These trees consume enormous amounts of water and have a great potential of becoming fuel for wildfires in areas that experience frequent drought," Dobrinski said. "This causes public safety and conservation issues. We must remove these threats in order to stop the next devastating wildfire and preserve precious resources such as water. If we can create value and benefit at the same time, we want to learn all we can about that. That's the basis of this study." Eric Perner, a licensed professional petroleum/mechanical engineer and the chief operating officer at Rebellion Energy Solutions out of Tulsa, spoke of using eastern red cedars to produce biochar for orphan-well plugging, land restoration and regenerative agriculture in Oklahoma. The benefits of plugging abandoned oil and natural gas wells, Perner said, is mitigating methane gas emissions (super pollutants), protecting groundwater, eliminating public exposure to health and safety risks, increasing property values and allowing for incremental land use. Perner said he's witnessed the restoration of land and the return of native species, such as butterflies and birds, in places where biochar has been applied. He even suggested that data centers and other large energy consumers potentially could make use of biochar to offset water and energy usage at a minimal cost to taxpayers. He said there is so much opportunity that warrants further pursuit. Susan Bergen, chief executive officer of Bergen Enterprises and Prairie Dirt Solutions in Norman, discussed her company's industrial biochar production. They convert wood waste headed for landfills into biochar, which then becomes materials for school playgrounds, landscaping mulch or sawdust. Bergen said the material improves soil function, including aeration, has water-holding capacity, infiltrates and supports organic matter and can be used in crop production and feedstock. She said biochar even has been shown to remove pollutants from water, and the production process creates its own energy.  Matt Chandler, a founder and the CEO of Infinite ECO, detailed opportunities to convert eastern red cedar removal into biochar production, creating additional value from Oklahoma's existing cedar-clearing efforts. Chandler explained Oklahoma already pays to cut and clear invasive species like eastern red cedars every year. If the state doesn't convert the wood into a usable product, however, we're missing an economic opportunity. The state also buys materials every year when instead it could convert wood and agriculture waste into biochar that could be sold or used near where it is made. Cedar char could pay its own way through product sales and carbon credits, he said.? The Terry Peach Water Restoration Act, for example, which was updated through House Bill 2988 and goes into effect statewide Nov. 1, already has $5 million appropriated and has removed almost 16,000 acres of red cedars. The federal government spent about $23.6 million in Oklahoma from 2017 to 2024 on brush management. There's also private funding to consider. The wood from these projects currently is piled, burned or scattered. By turning it into biochar, the state could save or even make money, and could enjoy benefits such as stormwater and erosion control, stabilizing roadbeds, removing pollutants and more, Chandler said. It's a Dust Bowl-sized problem that will take effort from multiple sources to attack in a way that becomes regenerative going forward, he said, but it is possible. The study can be viewed on the House website under News & Media, Live Proceedings, then search calendar for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 20 for the specific study.

Oklahoma lawmakers examined the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), nutrition initiatives and home-delivered meal services during a combined interim study Thursday, exploring ways to improve program integrity, expand access to nutritious food and strengthen outcomes for Oklahoma families. The study combined three topics requested by Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, Rep. Emily Gise, R-Oklahoma City, and Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay. The lawmakers said the study provided an opportunity to examine both immediate challenges associated with federal SNAP changes and longer-term approaches to improving nutrition and food access. "Food assistance is about more than putting food on the table," Pae said. "We need to understand whether these programs are working as intended, whether taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly and whether Oklahomans are getting the resources they need to build healthier, more independent lives. These conversations will help inform the work ahead as we prepare for the upcoming legislative session." "Home-delivered meals are just one example of how a targeted service can address multiple problems at a time," Gise said. "For some Oklahomans, access to nutritious meals can help them manage health conditions, remain independent and avoid costly institutional care. We should continue examining the outcomes of these programs and identify opportunities to make them work better for the people who truly need them." Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) Director Jeffrey Cartmell said the agency prevented more than $5 million in erroneous benefit payments after tripling new employee training time, implementing additional quality-control checkpoints and reviewing more than 75,000 cases over the past year. The state’s most recently federally certified SNAP payment error rate was 11.04%. Cartmell said the agency anticipated a rate between 6.5% and 8.5%, though final figures remained subject to additional reviews . Cartmell explained that incomplete applications, additional verification requirements and repeated requests for documentation can increase the agency’s workload even as participation declines. However, he emphasized that program performance should be evaluated not only by processing metrics but also by whether families become more stable and move toward greater independence. "Our agency has four goals, four pillars that we hold near and dear to what we believe," Cartmell said . "The third one of those is that Oklahoma should have the strongest pathways to prosperity—not the strongest safety net, not the most benefits, the strongest pathways for prosperity. And once we really start measuring programs like SNAP, not on outputs, but on outcomes, we can get closer to that." Alexina Cather, director of policy and communications for Wellness in the Schools, discussed research on school nutrition and the relationship between healthier meals and public health outcomes. According to Hunger Free Oklahoma estimates, more than one in four Oklahoma children do not get the food they need and nearly seven in 10 public school students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Cather said , "Meal quality isn't a side issue"—instead, she described it as a "public health lever." She highlighted research suggesting improved school nutrition standards helped reduce obesity rates among children living in poverty. Cather also discussed nutrition initiatives in California, Michigan and New York, along with opportunities for Oklahoma to build on existing school meal programs. The latter half of the study focused on home-delivered meals, highlighting the potential to improve health outcomes, support independent living and reduce the costs associated with institutional care. Tara Searles, director of business development for Mom’s Meals, described the company’s medically tailored meal services and their potential to help older adults, people with disabilities and individuals managing chronic health conditions. Searles also discussed a potential pathway for eligible SNAP participants to purchase medically tailored, home-delivered meals. Searles said Mom's Meals has delivered more than 630,000 meals to more than 8,500 clients in the state over the previous 12 months. Additionally, the organization employs around 180 people and purchased over 97,000 locally sourced ingredients in 2025 alone. Jeff Barteau, CEO of Homestyle Direct, described the company’s work providing meals to Oklahoma Medicaid beneficiaries through the Advantage Waiver Program. "For an older or disabled Oklahoman living alone, the inability to prepare reliable, appropriate meals is often the first thing that makes their home unsafe," Barteau told the committee. Barteau said home-delivered meals can help address food insecurity while supporting individuals who want to remain in their homes rather than entering institutional care. He pointed out that an annual cost of one home-delivered meal per day is about $2,200, less than 3% of the $82,000 cost to provide care for someone living in a nursing facility. Sara Marlow Fulks, advocacy and public policy officer for Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, discussed the role food banks play in addressing food insecurity. She said Oklahoma’s two food banks served more than 2 million summer meals in 2026, with most distributed through noncongregate options that allow families to take meals home. "SNAP truly is the first line of defense when it comes to serving food insecurity," Fulks said . "It's the most dignifiable way to serve our food insecure neighbors." Fulks also highlighted the proposed Farmers Against Hunger initiative, a $2 million pilot program developed with the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and Oklahoma Pork Council. If funded, the initiative is estimated to provide 3 million pounds of locally raised meat to families in need while supporting Oklahoma farmers and processors. "This is an innovative, common-sense approach to fighting hunger," Gise said. "It supports Oklahoma agriculture while putting nutritious food on the tables of families who need it most." Leslie Young, program director for Double Up Oklahoma, described how the program helps SNAP participants purchase fresh fruits and vegetables by providing incentives for eligible purchases. Young said the initiative has helped hundreds of thousands of SNAP customers purchase produce. She pointed to a three-month follow up where participants had increased their fruit and vegetable intake by almost one serving per day. "This study demonstrated that addressing food insecurity requires more than one program or one organization," Roe said. "By bringing together people working on different parts of that challenge, we can better understand what is working, where the gaps are and what improvements may be worth considering in the next legislative session."

OKLAHOMA CITY – Following a landmark year for education policy, a bipartisan group of Oklahoma legislators from both the House and Senate today announced the formation of the Oklahoma Reading Caucus, focused on sustaining and expanding recent progress in early literacy and student outcomes. The caucus will center its work on maintaining the momentum from this year’s legislative efforts to strengthen reading instruction—drawing inspiration from the widely recognized “Mississippi Miracle,” a model that has led to dramatic gains in student literacy through evidence-based policy and classroom support. The caucus will be co-chaired by: Mike Lay, R- Jenks Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa Ally Seifried, R-Claremore Mark Mann, D-Oklahoma City "Every child should be reading proficiently by the end of the third grade, and we will support the evidence-based policies necessary to achieve that goal," said Rep. Mike Lay, House co-chair. "This year, Oklahoma took meaningful steps to improve our state’s reading outcomes and now our job is to make sure that progress continues." Sen. Ally Seifried, Senate co-chair, added, "We have seen other states make tremendous progress by committing to strong, consistent policy grounded in the science of reading. Oklahoma has taken important steps in the right direction, but our work is far from finished. This caucus is about building on that progress and following through on our commitment to Oklahoma students." The Oklahoma Reading Caucus will prioritize: Methodical implementation of the improved Strong Readers Act Data monitoring of outcomes, both short and long term Any needed legislative modifications to the law to further improve outcomes Promoting school districts seeing results Learning from high-performing states to inform Oklahoma policy By bringing together lawmakers from both chambers and both parties, the caucus aims to create a durable, collaborative framework for education policy that transcends political cycles and keeps students at the center. "Improving literacy is one of the most important things we can do for Oklahoma’s future," said Rep. Suzanne Schreiber. "This caucus is committed to working together and delivering results that last." "Wanting all of our students to be able to read on grade level is not a partisan issue," said Sen. Mark Mann. "Any good legislation will require tweaks along the way, but we want to make sure any changes to the law are grounded in data and putting students first." The caucus will convene regularly and engage with educators, parents, and national experts to guide its work and ensure policies translate into meaningful impact for children across the state.

Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Todd Gollihare, R-Sapulpa, considered Tuesday the current driver's license suspension policies within the state and the resulting economic impact on the workforce and families. "We want processes to work well for people who want to do the right thing and are striving to do the right thing," West said . "We do not want unnecessary barriers, and for those who are not striving to do the right thing, we want the consequences to be fair and administered properly." "As a former chief U.S. probation officer for Oklahoma’s Northern District, I saw firsthand how suspending driver’s licenses for missed court dates or unpaid fees can put people in a no-win situation," Gollihare said. "A suspended license disrupts their ability to work and support their families, and these policies can unintentionally push more people toward public assistance programs. This was an important conversation on a complex issue, and I look forward to working with Representative West and stakeholders to find a balanced solution." Lauren Krisai, executive director of Justice Action Network, shared that licenses may be suspended for many reasons, including failure to pay, failure to appear and financial responsibility. Licenses may also be suspended for driving offenses such as DUIs, though that was not the focus of Tuesday's study. "There are a lot of hidden economic costs of suspending a license," Krisai said , adding that it prohibits people from legally driving to work, school and the grocery store. She later added that the ripple effect also affects employers and manufacturers if an employee can't get to work. Jeremy Hutchinson, director of strategic initiatives for Unify.us, asked the committee, "What kind of policy is that that we impose a sanction a punishment and then beg please ignore this and go to work and take your kids to school and try to be a responsible member of society?"  Krisai highlighted House Bill 29 in Ohio, which retroactively eliminated suspensions for failure to pay traffic tickets. The bill, which was supported by the Ohio Manufacturers' Association, Ohio Association of Municipal/County Court Clerks, and numerous county chambers and local businesses, allowed over 7,000 people to fully regain their legal driving status. Michael Olson, policy counsel for Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, said if 180,000 people with suspended licenses stopped driving, Oklahoma's workforce would reduce by nearly 9%. He added that during the 2008 recession, Oklahoma's labor force dropped by 2%, and said a 9% drop would present "a massive problem for the state." Fines and Fees Justice Center Regional Director Sarah Couture said that the average length for driver's license suspension for failure in Oklahoma to pay is three years and two months. "Debt-based driver's license suspension costs people their livelihoods, it cuts economic growth, it undermines public safety and it does not compel payment of debts," Couture said . "Ending debt-based license suspension increases employment, increases the tax base and overall GDP, and improves public safety." Couture estimated a net fiscal tax revenue benefit of over $42 million if Oklahoma passed comprehensive driver's license suspension reform. "An increased workforce would also logically result in reductions of state expenditures on public benefits like Medicaid, SNAP and other social welfare problems due to increased earnings in populations often affected by driver's license suspensions," she said . At the conclusion of the study, West thanked speakers and attendees for participating in the conversation. "We are in a maze that we have created that makes it very difficult for people who are wanting to do the right thing to do the right thing," West said , later adding, "This is something that we can address, and it will help the people of the state of Oklahoma. It will help the businesses of the state of Oklahoma, and it will help change families in this state."

Rep. Derrick Hildebrant, R-Catoosa, chair of the Oklahoma Veterans and Public Safety Caucus, and Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby, an Air Force veteran, applauded the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ announcement that it processed a record-high 3,111,399 disability compensation claims in Fiscal Year 2026. "Veterans should not have to face unnecessary delays or barriers when seeking the benefits and care they have earned through their service, sacrifices, and dedication to our nation. We are grateful for all they and their families have given in defense of our freedoms," the lawmakers said. "This reduction in the claims backlog means more veterans and their families are receiving the timely support they deserve. Recognizing and honoring their sacrifices with meaningful, dependable service is significant progress for veterans across Oklahoma and the nation. "We deeply appreciate the men and women at the VA who are diligently working to serve those who have served our country. We will continue supporting efforts that make it easier for Oklahoma veterans and their families to access the benefits, health care, and services they have earned through their sacrifice and commitment to our nation." The VA reported that its FY2026 claims total exceeded the previous record of 3,001,734 claims set in FY2025. The department also reported that its benefits backlog has been reduced by more than 70%, while claims-processing accuracy has reached 94%, the highest level in two years.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Conservation Coalition of Oklahoma (CCO) has named Rep. Mike Dobrinski, R-Okeene, its 2026 Legislator of the Year. The award recognizes Dobrinski's leadership on conservation legislation, commitment to responsible natural resource management and continued partnership in advancing practical, science-backed conservation policies across Oklahoma.  Dobrinski was applauded for his significant contributions to conservation policy and his ongoing commitment to collaborative problem-solving. "Preserving and properly managing our state's natural resources for the benefit of our residents and future generations is incredibly important to the constituents I serve," Dobrinski said. "To be recognized for this work and my passion on behalf of all Oklahomans is an honor." Dobrinski was specifically noted for his active involvement in addressing woody plant encroachment, the fuel behind many Oklahoma wildfires, and a growing concern for Oklahoma’s water resources, native grasslands, wildlife habitat and agricultural productivity. His legislative efforts include authoring House Bill 2988 this year and serving as House author of Senate Bill 940 in 2025. Both address harmful woody species. Dobrinski also has worked closely with CCO to advance discussions on emerging energy technologies, sponsoring legislative interim studies examining advanced nuclear energy and geothermal energy. Continuing that partnership, Dobrinski is sponsoring an interim study on biochar scheduled for Oct. 20.  CCO also recognized Dobrinski for his accessibility, willingness to listen and thoughtful engagement on complex conservation issues.  “Representative Dobrinski has been a tremendous representative for his constituents and partner in efforts to protect natural resources for all Oklahomans with Conservation Coalition of Oklahoma,” said CCO Executive Director Matt Wright. “Whether we’re discussing legislation we support, raising concerns about proposals we oppose or exploring new approaches to conservation, he has consistently made himself available to listen and engage in meaningful conversations. We don’t have to agree on every issue to work together effectively, and that willingness to listen, ask challenging questions and work toward practical solutions is what makes good public policy possible.” The Conservation Coalition of Oklahoma is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing practical, science-backed conservation policies that protect Oklahoma’s water, wildlife, habitat and natural resources. Through education, collaboration and advocacy, CCO works with policymakers, Tribal Nations, conservation organizations, agriculture, industry and communities to promote responsible stewardship of Oklahoma’s natural resources.