Representative Forrest Bennett

D

District 92

Hi, I’m Forrest Bennett and I represent the people of Oklahoma’s 92nd District.


representative

Leadership

Assistant Minority Leader

58th Legislature

News & Announcements

Aug 29, 2023
Recent Posts

House Democrats Call on Speaker of the House to Form Special Bipartisan Committee to Investigate State Superintendent

OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, House Democrats called on the Speaker of the House to form a special bipartisan committee to investigate possible impeachment charges for State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters amid recent bomb threats at Tulsa area elementary schools believed to be linked to Walters' rhetoric about Tulsa Public Schools. “Oklahomans deserve a public school system where parents, students and teachers feel safe to go to school and the needs of our students are prioritized over dangerous political rhetoric,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater. House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City said the special bipartisan committee would investigate the current state superintendent to determine if his actions rise to the level of impeachment. “Allocating funds for public education should be free of corruption or political gain. There is already evidence of Walters’ corruption through misspent federal dollars along with discrepancies in his campaign finances. Paired with his toxic rhetoric that is impacting the safety of our schools, we believe it is more than enough to, at the very least, investigate him,” Leader Munson said. Rep. Provenzano mentioned that the rhetoric from the state superintendent has been harmful and potentially compromised the safety of school children. She also believes he is willfully neglecting his duty of office. “The rhetoric from the state superintendent has, up until now, been designed to distract and ?sow chaos. But now, elementary schools in the Tulsa area have received bomb threats as a ?result of disinformation shared by him. Our children deserve to be safe. The willful neglect of ?that duty, even in the highest offices in our state, cannot and will not be ?overlooked. Enough is enough,” Rep. Provenzano added. Leader Munson said, "We share in the growing frustration of Oklahomans across our state who want action to address their deep concerns for the future of public education. It is now time for action." -END-

Mar 16, 2023

BENNETT WINS PASSAGE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING BILL

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed HB2098 on Tuesday. The bill, authored by Rep. Forrest Bennett (D-OKC), would bring the state one more step toward long term affordable housing solutions in the state of Oklahoma. The legislation comes from a 2022 interim study conducted by Bennett and co-author Rep. Daniel Pae (R-Lawton) on the underlying causes of homelessness. “Folks find themselves experiencing or on the cusp of homelessness for a variety of reasons,” Bennett said. “And while we work to address the other concerns, making way for the development of available, attainable affordable housing should be a top priority for us here in Oklahoma.” One idea that came from the interim study, colloquially called “Homes for Homes,” has been the basis for this legislation. The idea is that when a person sells personal property, like a home, they would be able to donate up to 1% of the proceeds to a fund overseen by the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency. The fund could then ultimately be utilized by cities and towns and other entities when exploring funding mechanisms for the development of affordable housing.  “We think this is a winning idea for Oklahoma,” said Bennett. “The fund would be grown intentionally by charitable residents of our state, who would be rewarded for that generosity by being able to deduct the value of their gift from their taxable income.” Participants would be eligible for tax deductions up to 1% of the sale value, with a cap on property sales of $5 million.  “The idea of tax incentives is to encourage the kind of behavior you want to see – and creating a way for the state to support the development of much-needed affordable housing seems like the perfect behavior to encourage,” Bennett said regarding the program.  The bill, which passed 76-6 this week, now heads to the Senate, where it will be sponsored by Sen. John Michael Montgomery.

Mar 13, 2023

Bennett Earns Chairmanship at National Insurance Legislator Meeting

OKLAHOMA CITY –Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-Oklahoma City presided over his first meeting as Chairman of the Financial Services and Multi-Lines Issues Committee this weekend at the Spring meeting of the National Council of Insurance Legislators in San Diego, CA.  “I’m honored to earn this position and further my service to this great organization,” Bennett said of his appointment. “These committees, which are bipartisan and include legislators from across the country, are doing vital work to craft good policies in an area of legislation - insurance - that is especially complex,” he added. Bennett was tapped to lead the Financial Services and Multi-Lines Issues Committee, which sees a variety of topics that touch the insurance industry. “I can understand a person who might find themselves dozing off before I even finish saying the name of the committee, but we really did have some engaging conversations,” Bennett said of his inaugural meeting as Chairman. The committee heard a presentation on the insurance aspect of the emergent Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) industry. The committee also discussed potential model legislation for data privacy. “There is perhaps no industry where sensitive personal data is more relevant than it is in insurance,” Bennett said of the issue. “Whether that’s personal data given to insurance carriers for home and auto policies, or the sensitive corporate data that is used to determine commercial insurance rates, there’s plenty of exposure and not enough being done to protect consumers,” he added.  The National Council of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) was founded in 1969 to educate state legislators on insurance issues and provide a venue for state lawmakers and regulators to explore policy solutions to take back to their individual states. The organization meets three times a year in the spring, summer, and winter.  Of the work that NCOIL does, Bennett said, “insurance isn’t really a partisan issue – or it shouldn’t be – and this organization embodies that notion by focusing on facts and seeking solutions.”   -END-