OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, has been selected for the Aspen Institute Germany's Laboratories of Democracy Initiative, a transatlantic exchange program.

The Laboratories of Democracy Initiative brings together German and U.S. state legislators to engage with peers and other experts from across the Atlantic and build new transatlantic networks. Participants learn about policies and practices in each other’s countries, conduct site visits to see best practices and innovative solutions on the ground, and explore opportunities for transatlantic collaboration.

The 2023 program will focus on structural transformation and the revitalization of post-industrial areas. A total of 16 legislators, eight Americans and eight Germans, are selected for the program annually.

"This program presents a fantastic opportunity to discuss innovative strategies with my fellow participants and find potential avenues for collaboration across international and state borders," Pae said. "I'm honored to be selected and I look forward to sharing my viewpoint and experiences and hearing from my American and German colleagues."

The program includes several virtual sessions throughout the year, as well as two five-day meetings in Dusseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Participants will also collaborate on a joint publication to recommend multipartisan policies for the state level and for transatlantic cooperation. 

Pae serves House District 62 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, where he has represented west Lawton since 2018. Prior to his election to the House, he worked in municipal government in Lawton. 

In 2020, he was named a co-vice chair of the House State and Federal Redistricting Committee following the decennial U.S. census. In the 59th Legislature, Pae chairs the House Rural Development Committee and is vice chair of the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on General Government.