Month: May 2021

Thank you to the OK House! We appreciate you! Big thanks to Representative Kevin West for authoring this bill and presenting it on the floor. You can read the full press release from Representative Kevin West here. There is one final hurdle that this bill has to go through. It needs to be signed by the Governor. Here is what to do!

1. Send a thank you email to your State Senator and Representative if they voted yes on SB 658. You can check the House votes here, and the Senate votes here.
2. Call Governor Kevin Stitt’s office at 405-521-2342 and ask that he support parental rights by signing SB 658! Then send an email to him using this link.
3. Donate to OKHPR. We rely on your generous donations to work on legislation that protects parental rights in health choice. We appreciate all donations, big or small!

Lastly, Sign the petition against Vaccine Passports. SB 658 only protects students. It is a great first step but we need to codify health choice for all! This petition urges the Governor to protect adults from vaccine passports, mandates, and discrimination in Oklahoma. We are close to 10k signatures! 

You can share the petition on social media using the hashtags #KidsFirst, #WhatAboutAdults, and #SupportSB658. We don’t have a PR team, so we rely on you guys to help us get the word out!

After that, forward this email on to your friends and family and ask them to do the same!

Thank you to the OK Senate! We appreciate you! Big thanks to the leadership of Senators Treat, David, and Standridge. SB 658 now goes back to the OK House for its last hearing. This bill addresses many health choice concerns of parents; read the full bill here. In a few words, this bill prevents vaccine mandates and discrimination and supports parental rights.

Action Alert!! Needs to be completed ASAP!

All members need to contact your State Representative and ask that they vote YES on SB 658! Here is exactly what to do.

1. If you are not sure who your State Representative is, use this link.  Once you enter your address you need to scroll ALL the way down to “State House”. This will be the final legislator that is listed. Do NOT contact your U.S. House Representative; they work in Washington D.C. and will not be voting on this bill! This is a common mistake. 
2. Make a quick call to your State Representative. You can say something along the lines of “My name is _______. I am a constituent and I am calling to ask that Representative __________ vote yes on SB 658. Thank you”
3. After you have called, send a quick email. All representative emails follow the format firstname.lastname@okhouse.gov. If you need any help identifying your Representative’s email, you can email us at info@okhpr.com and we will be happy to assist you!
4. In the subject line of your email type “FROM YOUR CONSTITUENT: Yes on SB 658!”
5. In the body of your email write a short and polite message asking your Representative to vote yes on SB 658. Pick only one talking point. You can talk about how confusing enrollment notices are whenever exemption information is excluded. If you have pictures or screenshots of unclear enrollment notices, please include those. Tell your legislator about your child’s experience wearing a mask at school, your concerns over the Covid-19 vaccine being mandated or creating two segregated classes of students, the vaccinated and the unvaccinated. In summary, this bill prevents vaccine mandates and discrimination and supports parental rights.
6. Finish your email with your full name and address. Your Representative’s assistant will use this information to verify that you are registered to vote in the district.
7. Send a quick thank you email to rob.standridge@oksenate.gov, greg.treat@oksenate.gov, and kim.david@oksenate.gov. Senator Standridge authored and presented the bill in the Senate. Senators Treat and David are Senate leadership who made sure the bill received a hearing in the Senate. We are very appreciative that they agreed to hear this measure and they also voted in favor of it! Sending a thank you will take no more than five minutes of your time and it is very important when building relationships with legislators. We want to show that we appreciate their courage and hard work!
8. Lastly, send this action alert to your spouse, friends, family and share it on social media! Help us get the word out!

We had a great mini-capitol day today advocating for SB 685. New language will protect health and mask freedom while strengthening parental rights through transparency from our schools. This bill will be heard in the Senate on 5/25  so call and email BOTH your state senator and state representative to ask for a yes vote for health freedom and transparency that strengthens parental rights and choice. You can find your Senator here, and remember to both call & email!

Read the full language of SB 658

GOOD NEWS! After much discussion, input, and feedback from many sources, ORU is discontinuing their “Safe Pin” policy we previously alerted you to and, as of June 1st, masks will be voluntary for all faculty, staff, and students on campus. Thank you to all who took the time to send feedback to the university and pray over this issue. Your voice makes a difference!

Listen to the full statement from ORU here.

Many have been wondering what is happening with SB 658 and asking for an update… We have wonderful news!

SB 658 was assigned to a Senate conference committee. This conference committee decided to reject the house amendments and instead put forward a new set of amendments. These new amendments are as follows:

• The State Department of Education shall provide and ensure that each school district in this state provides, on the school district website and in any notice or publication provided to parents, the complete Oklahoma law regarding immunization requirements and exemptions for school attendance
•  *New* A board of education of a public school district or a technology center school district, the board of regents of an institution within The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education, the governing board of a private postsecondary educational institution, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the State Board of Education or the State Board of Career and Technology Education shall not:
  • Require a vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of admittance
  • Implement a mask mandate for students who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. 
  •  Require a vaccine passport as a condition of admittance to or attendance of the school or institution
• *New* A board of education of a public school district or a technology center school district may only implement a mandate to wear a mask or any other medical device if specific requirements are met and creates a process for parents to appeal to remove the mandate.

Read the full text of the bill here.

Now that the bill is changing again, it must be heard in the senate and then heard in the house again before it can head to the governor’s desk to be signed. 

Here is how to take action to support SB 658!

1. Email your STATE senator asking them to co-author SB 658 and to vote yes when it is heard on the Senate floor. If you do not know who your Senator is, use this link to find them. Your Senator’s email will follow the firstname.lastname@oksenate.gov format. If you need any help finding your senator or their email, please email us at info@okhpr.com and we will be happy to help you!
2. In the subject line of your email type “FROM YOUR CONSTITUENT: Yes on SB 658”
3. In the body of your email briefly explain why you support this bill. You can talk about how confusing enrollment notices are whenever exemption information is excluded. If you have pictures or screenshots of unclear enrollment notices, please include those. Tell your legislator about your child’s experience wearing a mask at school, or your concerns over the Covid-19 vaccine being mandated or creating two segregated classes of students, the vaccinated and the unvaccinated.
4. If your Senator has not coauthored this legislation, ask them to become a co-author to show his or her support. You can see which Senators are co-authors here.
5. At the end of your email, include your full name and address. Your Senator’s Legislative Assistant will use this information to verify that you are registered to vote in the district.
6. Share this link with your friends and family and ask them to reach out to their Senator.
7. Join us at the Capitol on Monday, May 24th at 1 PM! We will be speaking with legislators about this bill. You can register to join us and get more information by clicking the button below. You can also use this time to pick up OKHPR gear. Make sure to place your order ahead of time and use the code ‘pickup10’ to receive 10% off as a thank you for saving us on shipping costs!

To stay up to date on this bill and other health choice legislation make sure you are an official OKHPR member by clicking the button below!