Sen. McCortney to continue as majority leader

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada, will continue in his role as majority floor leader of the Senate for the 59^th Legislature.  Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat announced he had reappointed McCortney to the post, which is the second-highest ranking leadership position in the Senate.   

“Serving as majority leader has been a tremendous honor.  It’s certainly one of the most challenging responsibilities I’ve ever had, but it’s also been a wonderful opportunity for me to better serve this district, our state and the Senate,” McCortney said.  “My goal remains the same – to improve the processes and work flow within the chamber to help our members complete the work of the people in the most timely and orderly way possible.”

The majority floor leader and his team, which will include Sen. Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, and Sen. Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville, as assistant floor leaders, are charged with assigning bills to the Senate’s various committees, determining the agenda for floor votes, and managing the progress and action of the floor throughout the session. The majority leader and his team must read every bill filed each session, including amendatory language as the measures move through the process.

In his first session as majority leader, McCortney instituted changes to improve work flow efficiency within the upper chamber.

“We have hundreds of bills moving through committees in just a few short weeks, and yet for years, few, if any committee meetings took place the first week of the session,” McCortney said. “That changed last year, and we were able to hit the ground running.  I’ll continue to refine these processes in the coming session based on our experiences this past year.”

As majority leader, McCortney is also an ex officio member of all Senate committees.    

The Senate will meet for an organizational day on Jan. 3, and the first session of the 59^th Legislature will formally convene on Feb. 6.

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Greg McCortney at 405-521-5541 or email Greg.McCortney@oksenate.gov.