Representative Lonnie Sims

Hi, I'm Lonnie Sims and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 68th District.


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News & Announcements


Mar 14, 2024
Recent Posts

Representatives Issue Joint Statement After Death of Nex Benedict

OKLAHOMA CITY – A group of Oklahoma House representatives today released a statement about the death of Nex Benedict. The Owasso High School student's death was ruled an overdose according to the state medical examiner. Benedict died one day after being injured in an altercation inside an Owasso High School bathroom. "The tragic suicide of Nex Benedict is a harsh reminder of the power that words have. As public officials and policy makers, we have a sacred obligation to ensure that as we do the work of the people, we do so with respect and dignity. Every human life is precious and created in the image of God regardless of who they are or who they love. We call on all Oklahomans to join us in our commitment to being respectful and deliberate in our language." The statement is issued by Reps. Marcus McEntire, R-Duncan; Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City; Jeff Boatman, R-Tulsa; Mike Osburn, R-Edmond; Mark McBride, R-Moore; Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City; Mark Vancuren, R-Owasso; Lonnie Sims, R-Jenks. The lawmakers reminded the public that anyone feeling suicidal or experiencing thoughts of suicide should contact 988 or 911 immediately. LGBTQ youth also can call (866) 488-7386 or text "START" to 678-678 to reach the Trevor Project." 



Mar 5, 2024
Recent Posts

House Passes Revolving Fund for Arkansas River Levee Projects

Legislation creating a revolving fund for an Army Corps of Engineers project to improve the Arkansas River Levees has been passed by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.  Rep. Lonnie Sims, R-Jenks, presented House Bill 3288, which he co-authored with newly elected Speaker-Designate Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow. The bill creates the Arkansas River Levee Projects Revolving Fund for eligible levee projects that has or will receive in excess of $100 million in federal matching funds.  "Protecting over $2 billion worth of infrastructure in Sand Springs, West Tulsa and Tulsa County, our citizens and treasure are reliant on the defense of these levees," Sims said. “Should a failure occur, the state would be responsible for paying 12.5% of the FEMA disaster relief or over four times the current state and local match required to secure these federal funds.” Originally constructed in 1945, the Tulsa and West Tulsa levee systems consist of over 20 miles of levees, 1,800 relief wells, and seven pump stations. In 2020, $137.4 million in federal dollars were approved but required a state and local match to secure. “With the historic rise in construction costs since the pandemic, this match requirement is now estimated to be $67 million,” Sims said. “We simply can’t afford to wait any longer to safeguard our future.” HB3288 passed the House 95-1 and now moves to the Senate, where it is authored by Sen. Cody Rogers, R-Tulsa. 



Feb 22, 2024
Recent Posts

Sims Passes Two Bills Before House Committees

Rep. Lonnie Sims, R-Jenks, passed two bills out of House committees on Tuesday.   The House Public Safety Committee approved House Bill 3820, which creates a “whole-of-government” approach to disaster planning, mitigation, preparedness, and response across state agencies by creating the Oklahoma Interagency Resilience Coordination Council.  This council led by the Office of Emergency Management will provide strategic direction to resilience efforts across the state and provide an annual report to the legislature on risk mitigation needs, progress, and priorities across Oklahoma to minimize future impact of natural disasters. The deadline for the first report is October 2025. "When I led an interim study on the Arkansas River Flood Event back in 2019, we learned Oklahoma didn’t just have a flooding problem, we have a natural disaster problem," Sims said. "Improved coordination between state agencies would help our state better prepare for, respond to and even mitigate the risk of future disasters."  HB3820 passed committee unanimously and now moves to the House floor for consideration.  House Bill 1522, heard in the House Insurance Committee, creates the Consumer Health Choice Empowerment Act. The measure would expand choice to healthcare consumers by requiring insurance carriers to provide the “average allowed amount” for comparable health services. Empowered with this information, the consumer or patient would then be able to shop for often more local out-of-network providers willing to charge less than the carrier’s in-network average allowed amount for the same service.  Sims, who has a background in insurance, told the committee that seven other states have already implemented this program with several others introducing similar legislation to do so this year. One specific example mentioned was the state of New Hampshire who implemented the system 3 years ago and has already saved more than $11 million. "Health insurance companies have become the de facto director of care for patients by telling them where they can or can't go for services and what doctors they can or cannot see," said Sims. "House Bill 1522 in a small way puts the power back in both the patients and their physicians’ hands when it comes to personal medical decisions."  HB1522 passed the House Insurance Committee 4-2 and is now eligible to be heard on the House floor.