Representative Mark Lawson

R

District 30

Hi, I'm Mark Lawson and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 30th District.


representative

News & Announcements

Jun 14, 2024
Recent Posts

Representatives Commend Governor's Line-Item Veto of Education Budget Limits Bill

A group of legislators on Friday praised the governor's line-item veto of Sections 15 and 16 of Senate Bill 1122, which would have placed spending limits on the State Department of Education (SDE) for its Fiscal Year 2025 budget, which goes into effect July 1. The statement is issued by Reps. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid; Chris Banning, R-Bixby; Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle; Rusty Cornwell, R-Vinita; Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont; David Hardin, R-Stilwell; JJ Humphrey, R-Lane; Tom Gann, R-Inola; Jim Grego, R-Wilburton; Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa; Mark Lepak, R-Claremore; Cody Maynard, R-Durant; Jim Olsen, R-Roland; Clay Staires, R-Skiatook; Kevin West, R-Moore; and Rick West, R-Heavener. "We'd like to thank Governor Stitt for his thoughtful line-item veto of Sections 15 and 16 of Senate Bill 1122," they said. "These portions of the bill would have done nothing to improve the education of Oklahoma students and instead would have significantly damaged the Department of Education's ability to carry out its mission." The lawmakers said Section 15 of SB1122 would have required SDE to apply for every federal grant, while Section 16 would have included provisions that forbid SDE from using any money to secure media interviews or public relations, or for other public promotional purposes. The group noted that no other agency is subject to these restrictions. State agencies are granted the autonomy to decide which grants to apply for and almost every state agency spends money to communicate to the public about particular programs or services offered. Section 16 would have singled out and severely limited SDE in this function. The lawmakers spoke about the Teacher of the Year program, teacher recruitment efforts, certain financial disclosures, and other public relations messages that would have been hampered should this measure have been signed into law. On Friday afternoon, the governor issued Executive Order 2024-12, which prohibits all state agencies, rather than inequitably highlighting a specific agency, from entering into sole source contracts with public relations, marketing, or communications firms and vendors, as well as requires all PR vendors be procured through a 30-day request for proposal.

Mar 22, 2023
Recent Posts

STATEMENT: Speaker, Lawson Applaud Pinnacle Plan Announcement

Oklahoma House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, and House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Human Services Chair Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, today released the below statements after the announcement that the Oklahoma Dept. of Human Services will exit supervision of the 23 Pinnacle Plan metrics not impacted by COVID-19. "Today is a great day for Oklahoma. This accomplishment is the culmination of years of hard work by our DHS leadership, staff and foster families, and the state owes them each a debt of gratitude. To be recognized by national experts as having a model foster care system is a huge achievement. Oklahoma’s children and families deserve nothing less than the absolute best we can offer, and House Republicans will continue to work with the governor and DHS to identify best practices for our kids, our families and our state moving forward."  – House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka "In the years since the Pinnacle Plan was implemented in Oklahoma, DHS leaders and the Legislature have partnered to improve our state's foster care system, protect our children and strengthen Oklahoma's families. Today's announcement is incredible news for our foster children and their families. Oklahoma is fortunate to have had so many fantastic foster families, support organizations and state employees rise to the occasion, and our placement as a model system is a testament to how hard we've worked to turn around our foster care system. Our commitment to improving services for our foster children must not waiver. All children deserve a safe, stable home and a loving family. I applaud the diligence of our DHS leaders and my colleagues in the Legislature who took what was once a failing system and made it one of the best in the nation."  – House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Human Services Chair Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa

Mar 20, 2023
Recent Posts

STATEMENT: Lawson Commends Progress on DDS Waitlist

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa, who chairs the House Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee on Human Services, today applauded the work of the Oklahoma Dept. of Human Services (DHS) for their work to clear the Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) waitlist, which provides resources to people with a primary diagnosis of intellectual disabilities through home and community-based waivers. DHS announced in a press conference Monday that approximately 150 individuals will begin receiving aid following the Legislature's historic $32.5 million appropriation to eliminate the DDS waitlist. At the time of the appropriation, over 5,100 families were on the waitlist. That number is currently 3,933. "The effort to eliminate the Developmental Disabilities Services waiting list has been an all-hands-on-deck effort for many years," Lawson said. "Some families have been waiting over a decade to receive this support, but were stuck in limbo due to a backlog caused by a lack of state funding. Finally, thanks to last year's appropriation, more and more Oklahomans with developmental disabilities will soon receive the relief they need to live a life of dignity and ensure these families have every tool available. I'm glad this process is finally underway and hope the amazing staff at DHS will work quickly to provide these services to Oklahomans in need."