Senator Jake Merrick

05/17/2022

Immediate Release: May 19, 2022

Piedmont High School junior serves as Senate page

OKLAHOMA CITY – Piedmont High School junior Titus Johnson has completed a week of service as a page for Sen. Jake Merrick, R-Yukon. Johnson served at the Capitol during the 15th week of session from May 16-19.

Pages serve vital functions during the busy legislative session, attending Senate committee meetings and daily sessions of the full Senate. The group toured the Oklahoma History Center, the newly renovated state Capitol, and met with Gov. Kevin Stitt and Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat. The pages also participated in a mock legislative committee meeting along with a floor session, called Pageville, where they got first-hand experience presenting and debating current bills from this legislative session.

Johnson is a member of the academic team, cross country team, and is the Student Council president. He is the founder of Passion for Vets, a member of the Piedmont Area Veterans association, and a committee member for the Vets Fest event. After high school, he plans to attend either the United States Naval Academy or the United States Military Academy.

He is the son of Piedmont residents Trinity and Emily Johnson.
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CUTLINE – Sen. Jake Merrick, R-Yukon, joins Piedmont High School junior, Titus Johnson, who served as a page for the Senate during the 15th week of the legislative session from May 16-19.

For more information contact: Sen. Merrick: (405) 521-5592 or [email protected]

05/05/2022

Immediate Release: May 5, 2022

Epic Charter School senior serves as Senate Page

OKLAHOMA CITY – Epic Charter School senior, Samara Pedford has completed a week of service as a page for Sen. Jake Merrick, R-Yukon. Pedford served at the Capitol during the 13th week of session from May 2-5.

Pages serve vital functions during the busy legislative session, attending Senate committee meetings and daily sessions of the full Senate. The group toured the Oklahoma History Center, the newly renovated state Capitol, and met with Gov. Kevin Stitt and Senate Pro Tempore Treat. The pages also participated in a mock legislative committee meeting along with a floor session, called Pageville, where they got first-hand experience presenting and debating current bills from this legislative session.

Pedford is a musician and writes and sings her own songs. She also plays tennis and piano and enjoys writing poetry and books. After high school, she plans to own a bookstore and become an influential musician.

She is the daughter of Oklahoma City residents Toby and Lori Pedford.

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CUTLINE – Sen. Jake Merrick, R-Yukon, joins Epic Charter School senior, Samara Pedford, who served as a page for the Senate during the 13th week of the legislative session from May 2-5.

For more information contact: Sen. Merrick: (405) 521-5592 or [email protected]

04/07/2022

Immediate Release: April 7, 2022

Southwest Covenant High School senior serves as Senate page
OKLAHOMA CITY – Southwest Covenant High School senior Grant Mosshart has completed a week of service as a page for Sen. Jake Merrick, R-Yukon. Mosshart served at the Capitol during the ninth week of session from April 4-7.

Pages serve vital functions during the busy legislative session, attending Senate committee meetings and daily sessions of the full Senate. The group toured the Oklahoma History Center, the newly renovated state Capitol, and met with Gov. Kevin Stitt and Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat. The pages also participated in a mock legislative committee meeting along with a floor session, called Pageville, where they got first-hand experience presenting and debating current bills from this legislative session.

Mosshart is the Student Council vice president, a member of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation’s Teen Leaders in Philanthropy and plays piano. He actively volunteers at his church and the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. In his free time, he enjoys following the stock market and investing. After high school, he plans to attend Hillsdale College and major in economics and theology and minor in History. He then plans to attend Yale Law school, and then earn his Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

He is the son of Yukon residents Joey and Shelli Mosshart.

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CUTLINE – Sen. Jake Merrick, R-Yukon, joins Southwest Covenant High School senior, Grant Mosshart, who served as a page for the Senate during the ninth week of the legislative session from April 4-7.

For more information contact: Sen. Pederson: (405) 521-5592 or [email protected]

03/16/2022

For Immediate Release: March 11, 2022

Senate News for District 22
by Senator Jake Merrick

When I first joined the Oklahoma Senate last year after winning the District 22 seat in a special election, we were already well into the 2021 session. But those final weeks were so intense, it helped prepare me for the rigors of a full legislative session. To say its been a whirlwind of activity is an understatement, but it’s been a fascinating process.
By the time the 2022 session began in February, some 800 new pieces of legislation had been filed. I understand in previous years, during the first week of session, many bills were still being assigned to committee, but that often made for some very late evenings in committee then later on the floor as bills progressed through the Legislature.
This year, we have a new majority floor leader, and he implemented a schedule aimed at curtailing those late evenings, which included making sure that when the Senate convened the 2022 session, all the bills were already assigned to committee and we were ready to hit the ground running with full committee agendas beginning with that very first week. Not only does this change better manage the Senate’s workflow, but I believe it also helps promote greater transparency by giving members and the public more time to review legislation.
March 3 marked the deadline for Senate committees to consider legislation filed by members of this chamber. Even missing a couple of days due to ice and sleet in late February, our floor leader and committee chairs kept everything moving and on track. By the time we hit that deadline, we’d approved nearly 400 pieces of legislation in committee, and of those we had already voted on more than 70 measures in the full Senate. As you can see from the numbers, not every bill that is introduced makes it through the process.
One of my measures that received committee approval and is awaiting a vote by the full Senate is SB 1761, which was informed by an interim study I held after last year’s legislative session. The measure was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee and it does a couple of key things to make sure the safety and well-being of Oklahoma’s children are better prioritized in cases of divorce.
This measure places a definition of child abuse in the sections of Oklahoma law dealing with family law and divorce. The bill also addresses a concern brought to me from citizens in this district, and that’s the need for a thorough investigation of any allegation of child abuse or domestic violence made before any decisions on custody or visitation are handed down. Constituents have shared that often this doesn’t occur, and the children either remain in an abusive situation, or custody is given to the parent who is actually the abuser.
I believe the changes outlined in my bill would have several positive impacts. This legislation would better protect the safety and well-being of Oklahoma children by mandating a thorough investigation to help make sure the child doesn’t wind up in the custody of an abuser. But in addition, it would also help protect a parent who has been falsely accused of child abuse.

The deadline for the full Senate to consider legislation that received committee approval is March 24. I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, if you’d like to look at Senate floor agendas, read or download legislation, or watch streaming video from floor sessions or committees, please visit the Senate’s official website at www.oksenate.gov.

If you have any other questions about legislation or other issues dealing with state government, please call my office at 405-521-5592, or email [email protected].
Thank you for allowing me to be your voice in the Oklahoma State Senate.

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02/01/2022

For Immediate Release: Jan. 28, 2022

Senate News for District 22
by Senator Jake Merrick

When I first sought the opportunity to represent my friends, neighbors and fellow citizens from Senate District 22 at the state Capitol, one of my top priorities was to promote legislation and public policy that would help strengthen Oklahoma families. You may recall that during the interim I held a study examining how to improve our court system and processes as they pertain to children in the foster care system.
As an adoptive parent, I know firsthand that there are many factors and individuals involved in court cases involving the placement and custody of children. There are custodial and noncustodial parents, foster parents, social workers, the courts, and then of course, there are the children. I believe the needs of those children, their safety and well-being, and providing the best environment possible, should always be the main consideration.
Along those lines, I wanted to share information with you about two bills I’ve filed for the 2022 legislative session, which convenes on Feb. 7, to better prioritize the needs of Oklahoma children and increase accountability in the judicial system.
Senate Bill 1761 will also be known as the Children First Family Court Reform Act. This bill pertains to any family court action concerning custody or visitation in which an allegation of child abuse or domestic violence is made. SB 1761 would require the court to do a thorough investigation of the accusations. Often this doesn’t occur and the children either remain in that situation or are given to the parent who is actually the abuser. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen. Under my legislation, if there is substantial evidence confirming that abuse or domestic violence against the party making the allegation or a family or household member of either party, then the abuser would not only lose custody of the child or children, but they would also be responsible for the cost of the investigation.
A second bill I’ve filed dealing with our courts is Senate Bill 1825, Kavita’s Law, concerning special judges. While district judges are elected by voters, special judges are appointed by district judges. In order to ensure greater accountability, my legislation would ensure that after their first term as an appointed special judge, they would have to be placed on a retention ballot for the citizens to decide whether they should be given another term. If the special judge chooses not to file and go on the retention ballot, they will have to sit out a term before they could be reappointed.
Both of these bills have been assigned to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
If you would like to learn more about these or other bills that have been filed for the 2022 session, review committee or floor agendas, or even listen to livestreams from committees or from the chamber, please visit our official website at www.oksenate.gov.
If you have any other questions about legislation or other issues dealing with state government, again, please call 405-521-5592, or email [email protected].
Thank you for allowing me to be your voice in the Oklahoma State Senate.

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In order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with diverse abilities, this site has been designed with accessibility in mind. Click here to view

12/23/2021

Merry CHRISTmas!

12/16/2021

Oklahoma State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105

For Immediate Release: Dec. 16, 2021

Senate News for District 22
by Senator Jake Merrick

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
In this time of love, hope and wonder, I wish all my fellow Oklahomans a Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the true reason for the season—the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, born to die for our sins so that we may have everlasting life. He is King of Kings, yet born not in a palace, but in a lowly manger, as told in the Gospel of Luke.
I would also like to remind you of another story from the Bible from the Gospel of Matthew, the Massacre of the Innocents. After the birth of Christ, Herod, king of Judea, fearing this child was indeed the fulfillment of the prophecies, ordered all male children two and younger in Bethlehem to be slaughtered. Mary’s husband, Joseph, was warned by an angel in a dream, and they fled to Egypt. But the blood of innocent babies was shed.
As we profess love of our faith, our families, the values that lift us up, and as we pause to remember and give thanks for the birth of Jesus, I urge you all to pray for an end of the brutal deaths of innocent babies that occur every day in this country. Since Jan. 22, 1973, the day the U.S. Supreme Court Roe V. Wade decision legalized abortion, more than 62 million abortions have been performed. It is indeed a modern-day Massacre of the Innocents.
I’ve filed Senate Concurrent Resolution 14, seeking to recognize Jan. 22 as the Day of Tears in Oklahoma, and encouraging Oklahomans to lower their flags to half-staff in mourning of the infant lives lost
I would like to emphasize that my position and mission is the absolute end of abortion in Oklahoma, without compromise. We are working to protect the inalienable rights of Oklahomans by protecting their right to choose with regard to vaccination status. In the same way, we must value and protect the rights of all living human beings, born and unborn, who are endowed by their Creator with the same inalienable rights. Say a prayer for those innocents and that our country will right this course and embrace and protect the sanctity of life.
If you have any other questions about legislation or other issues dealing with state government, again, please call 405-521-5592, or email [email protected].
Thank you for allowing me to be your voice in the Oklahoma State Senate.

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12/07/2021

10/22/2021

Oklahoma State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105

For Immediate Release: Oct. 22, 2021

Senate News for District 22
by Senator Jake Merrick

As many businesses, government entities and schools shifted more of their functions online during the COVID-19 pandemic, we gained an even greater understanding of the importance of reliable, high-speed internet service throughout our state.

The challenge for Oklahoma, and states throughout the country, is that rural communities and surrounding area simply do not have access to the same internet services as bigger cities. In fact, Oklahoma is ranked 47th in the nation in rural broadband access. This is an issue that requires our attention to ensure those who make their living and raise their families in rural communities are not left behind in an increasingly technological world, and it’s something the Legislature is actively working to address.

In 2020, the Legislature passed a measure called the Rural Broadband Expansion Act, which provided the framework for the creation of the state’s Rural Broadband Expansion Council, created to study rural broadband access in the state and determine the costs for improving access. The council includes representatives from the executive and legislative branches, the private sector, academic and rural stakeholders to develop a strategic plan to help our state get the biggest bang for our resources.

In support of those efforts, numerous bills were also filed during the past legislative session. House Bill 2928 requires broadband service providers to submit a report to the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and the Rural Broadband Expansion Council on their broadband network area coverage map to help us better ascertain current services and determine what the unmet needs are.

House Bill 2040 directs the Rural Broadband Expansion Council to develop a set of broadband incentive award guidelines to recommend to the Legislature.

Another bill enacted by the Legislature and signed by Governor Stitt was House Bill 1124, creating the State Broadband Deployment Grant Program. In 2020, the Federal Communications Commission authorized $7 million for our state for broadband expansion. With input from the Rural Broadband Expansion Council, the Oklahoma Department of Commerce has been directed to promulgate rules and procedures for the establishment of a competitive grant program to award funding to applicants seeking to expand access to broadband service in Oklahoma.

Additional funding for our state’s efforts to address internet needs in rural Oklahoma should also be available to Oklahoma as part of the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), aimed at helping state, local and tribal governments respond to the pandemic. Qualifying expenditures include investments in critical infrastructure including broadband access. A bipartisan, bicameral Joint Committee on Pandemic Relief Funding will vet proposals on how the state can best use its share of federal dollars and has a dedicated working group on Transportation, Infrastructure and Rural Development to look at proposals for using ARPA funds, including those helping Oklahoma expand broadband access in our rural communities.

If you have any other questions about legislation or other issues dealing with state government, again, please call 405-521-5592, or email [email protected].

Thank you for allowing me to be your voice in the Oklahoma State Senate.

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Every 10 years, the Oklahoma Legislature is constitutionally required to redraw legislative and congressional district boundaries using the latest U.S. Census data. For more information about the Oklahoma Senate's redistricting process, visit www.oksenate.gov, or submit your redistricting questions at [email protected].

In order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with diverse abilities, this site has been designed with accessibility in mind. Click here to view

09/20/2021

Oklahoma State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73105

For Immediate Release: Sept. 14, 2021

Senate News for District 22
by Senator Jake Merrick

This past week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on my interim study examining permanency and timeliness for children and youth in foster care. The issue of permanency is a very complex issue, but one that seeks to minimize trauma for children who have already been through far too much pain and instability in their young lives.

I, personally, experienced the struggle of enduring a prolonged family court case when my wife and I fostered, and eventually adopted, our oldest daughter. Since then, I have connected with many parents – both foster and biological – who feel like they are caught in a hopeless cycle of court hearings with no end in sight. In the meantime, the children are left with no stable place to call home. As Cindy Lee, founder of the Halo Project, said in the interim study, “The system itself is traumatizing to the children.”

In some cases, after many failed attempts to help the parents make the necessary changes to regain custody of their children, the adoption process begins, only to have it stopped at the last minute. This delayed permanency further traumatizes the children as well as their foster families. While the Oklahoma state statutes (Title 10A-1-4-902) state that a district attorney “shall file a petition or motion for termination of the parent-child relationship and parental rights” prior to the end of 15 months of the 22 months a child has been in custody, this timeliness is rarely recognized. Sometimes cases remain open years after a child has been moved into foster care.

I believe there is tremendous interest across the state as to how we can best serve the children of Oklahoma and bring healing to families. This has been a priority for me personally as our family went through the adoption process, and we experienced first-hand how the endless chances and delays can negatively impact a child. While we heard testimony about improvements that have been made, as with any institution or any process, we know it can always be better. It’s important to constantly examine whether that process is efficient and whether it truly serves the people intended.

We heard about several issues of concern. Resources, specifically the lack of funding, impact specialized training and services that could dramatically improve outcomes for the children, their biological families and their foster families.

Foster parents present at the interim study shared how they had personally experienced the many delays with the court system. We also heard a presentation from Jari Askins, administrator for the courts, who shared that the pandemic had caused extreme delays in the number of trials able to be held on the termination of parental rights. She told us the chief justice had created a task force on this issue, including DHS, attorneys representing children and parents, district attorneys, and other stakeholders. I’ll be very interested to learn more about the work of this task force and any recommendations they may have to improve the process.

This interim study is only the first step, but I want to assure you there will be many more meetings as I continue to work with my fellow members and citizens to find a way to ensure some of our state’s most vulnerable children are not left in the foster care system for years without resolution. These children deserve permanent, loving and safe homes – not further trauma.

I also want to report on a recent press conference at the state Capitol. I had the opportunity to stand with and for nurses and health care professionals to protect medical privacy and individual rights to choose what is best for them and their family. I do not believe they should have their livelihoods threatened in an attempt to force them to give up their rights and accept a vaccination they do not feel is safe or right for them. I am joining a group of legislators who are calling for a special session in the month of September in an effort to help protect many from oppressive mandates that threaten their livelihoods.

In addition, I also believe parents have the same right to choose what is best for their children in school settings. Several schools have adopted mask mandates with a choice to opt out. I believe that’s the opposite of how it should be—schools should not mandate masks at all, but any child should be able to opt-IN if their parents believe that is in their child’s best interest. I will continue to fight for the parent’s right to choose what is best for their children.

If you have any other questions about legislation or other issues dealing with state government, again, please reach out to me at [email protected] or phone 405-521-5592. Thank you for allowing me to be your voice in the Oklahoma State Senate.


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Every 10 years, the Oklahoma Legislature is constitutionally required to redraw legislative and congressional district boundaries using the latest U.S. Census data. For more information about the Oklahoma Senate's redistricting process, visit www.oksenate.gov, or submit your redistricting questions at [email protected].

In order to provide equal access and equal opportunity to people with diverse abilities, this site has been designed with accessibility in mind. Click here to view

09/17/2021

We the People celebrate today the signing of one of the most important political documents of all time. Join me in renewing the pledge to faithfully support and defend the U.S. Constitution. Happy Constitution Day!