State Sen. Jessica Garvin is “still a little shocked” after being named the 2022 Republican Senator of the Year for her support of Oklahoma children this legislative session.
The award was presented by the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy which tracks how lawmakers voted on more than two dozen bills which are designed to improve the lives of Oklahoma’s children. Garvin received a perfect score on the organization’s legislative scorecard.
“There’s a lot of phenomenal Republican legislators and at first I thought it was a mistake,” Garvin said. “I’m still a little bit shocked.”
OICA Chief Executive Officer Joe Dorman applauded Garvin’s support of children’s issues.
“OICA appreciates the work of Senator Garvin when it comes to her pro-child votes, legislation authored and dedication to understanding youth issues,” Dorman said. “Senator Garvin has demonstrated time and again over the past two years of her service that supporting the children of our state has been one of her top priorities.”
Other southwest Oklahoma lawmakers received high marks for their support of OICA’s agenda. State Rep. Toni Hasenbeck (R-Elgin) received a 100 and was named a salutatorian. Rep. Trey Caldwell scored a 95 and was placed on the Chairman’s Honor Roll while Daniel Pae (R-Lawton) received a score of 105 and was honored as a valedictorian.
In the Senate, Brent Howard (R-Altus) received a score of 95 and was named to the Chairman’s Honor Roll. John Michael Montgomery (R-Lawton) received a score of 105 and was named a valedictorian.
Garvin authored Senate Bill 1462, also known as Ava’s Law, which will require anyone licensed to practice medicine and surgery in Oklahoma or duly licensed as Advanced Registered Practice Nurses, like Certified Nurse-Midwives, to provide information to pregnant mothers about infant CPR and basic first aid, including contact information for training programs, and also information about cord blood banking and donation. The new law goes into effect Nov. 1.
Kids and senior adults are the most vulnerable populations in Oklahoma, which has prompted Garvin to address issues that concern them.
“Often times, young people don’t have a voice and we must do all we can to ensure they are safe, healthy, and able to be their best selves. We approved several bills this session to help accomplish this, but our work is far from done. I’m looking forward to seeing what important issues we tackle next session on behalf of our next generation,” she said.
Garvin also served as the principal Senate author of HB 1616, also known as the Hope Shaffer Act, but the measure did not make it to the governor’s desk. The bill would have required parental consent for a student to ride in a driver education vehicle with another student.
Garvin and Dorman will continue to work on Senate Bill 1314 while lawmakers are out of session by holding an interim study. The bill, which did not make it out of committee, will require medical providers to screen children and adults for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) or trauma. If appropriate, the provider should refer the patient for services which may include counseling or other treatment. The bill would allow the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to reimburse doctors for the screenings.
“I feel like we need to be addressing some of these issues up front,” Garvin said. “This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. It’s an Oklahoma issue. Adults who experience trauma as a child are prone to commit trauma, reoffend or cause childhood trauma. We need to know what makes people tick and address the trauma.”
SB 1314 would allow the Oklahoma Health Care Authority to use results from the physician screenings to make necessary referrals.
To learn more about OICA’s 2022 Children’s Legislative Scorecard, visit https://oica.org/2022-childrens-legislative-agenda/#.