Senators Take Oath of Office

Twenty-five newly-elected and returning members of the Oklahoma State Senate were officially sworn in during a ceremony Tuesday afternoon in the Senate chamber. The oath of office was administered by Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Joseph M. Watt.

The 2004 Senate class includes 15 new members and 10 members who were re-elected. This marks one of the largest groups of new members in recent years, with 14 of those seats open during the election cycle due to the state’s constitutionally mandated term limits.

Senate President Pro Tempore Cal Hobson, D-Lexington, remarked that the ceremony was both exciting and somber.

“Serving the people of Oklahoma is both a thrilling experience and an awesome responsibility,” Hobson said.

The Senate leader pointed out that some of those taking the oath of office on Tuesday were doing so for the first time and for others it was for the last time.

Senate Appropriations Chairman Mike Morgan, D-Stillwater, was among those beginning their final four year term in the upper chamber.

“It is hard to believe how quickly those eight years have gone by. I am proud of what we’ve accomplished and I’m really looking forward to the next four years,” Morgan said. The Senator’s brother, the Rev. Trace Morgan of Stillwater, delivered the invocation for the ceremony.

The 48-member Oklahoma Senate consists of 26 Democrats and 22 Republicans.

Sen. Glenn Coffee of Oklahoma City will serve as Republican leader of the Senate for the next two sessions.

“We have an excellent group of new members and we’re all looking forward to meeting the challenges ahead and working together on behalf of Oklahoma,” Coffee said.

Both the House and the Senate will return to the Capitol on January 4, 2005 for a one-day organizational meeting. The first regular session of the 50th Oklahoma Legislature will convene on February 8, 2005.

Re-elected members sworn in on the 16th include the following:

District 5: Jeff Rabon – D, Hugo
District 7: Richard Lerblance –D, Hartshorne
District 15: Jonathan Nichols – R, Norman
District 17: Charlie Laster – D, Shawnee
District 21: Mike Morgan – D, Stillwater
District 27: Owen Laughlin – R, Woodward
District 35: James A. Williamson – R, Tulsa
District 37: Nancy Riley – R, Sand Springs
District 43: Jim Reynolds – R, OKC
District 45: Kathleen Wilcoxson – R, OKC

Newly elected members sworn in include:

District 1: Charles Wyrick, D-Fairland
District 3: Jim Wilson, D-Tahlequah
District 9: Earl Garrison, D-Muskogee
District 11: Judy Eason McIntyre, D-Tulsa
District 13: Susan Paddack, D-Ada
District 19: Patrick Anderson, R-Enid
District 23: Ron Justice, R-Chickasha
District 25: Mike Mazzei, R-Tulsa
District 29: John Ford, R-Bartlesville
District 31: Don Barrington, R-Lawton
District 32: Randy Bass, D-Lawton
District 33: Tom Adelson, D-Tulsa
District 39: Brian A. Crain, R-Tulsa
District 41: Clark Jolley, R-Edmond
District 47: Todd Lamb, R-Edmond

For more information contact:
Senate Communications Office - (405) 521-5774