Representative Tammy Townley

R

District 48

Hi, I’m Tammy Townley and I represent the people of Oklahoma’s 48th District.


representative

News & Announcements

Jul 1, 2024
Recent Posts

Townley to File Bill Updating Procedures for Tied Elections

Rep. Tammy Townley, R-Ardmore, today announced her intention to file a bill next session updating election procedures in the event of a tied election. Townley represents House District 48, which includes Carter County. She said the bill was inspired by the outcome of the June 18 primary election for Carter County Sheriff. A recount on June 28 confirmed both candidates received 2,569 votes. Current statute does not allow for runoff elections when only two candidates run for a position. Title 26, Section 8-105 states any race that remains tied after provisional ballot analysis and a recount must be decided by a lot held by the county election board. Ultimately, the winner of that race was chosen via a random drawing of a name from a bucket. "I had no idea that we still had archaic practices like this on the books," Townley said. "I had assumed, as I suspect many others did as well, that this race would proceed to a runoff. I was shocked to learn that a race could be decided by a game of chance rather than by voters." Townley said after learning the election result could be determined by a random drawing, she immediately began considering other alternatives to propose in the bill. "I've heard from many of my constituents in Carter County who are frustrated with the way this race has to be decided because of an outdated statute," Townley said. "I started working to draft the bill the same day I learned there could be a drawing." Townley said the bill, which has not yet been filed, would provide several options in the event of a tied race and would be at the discretion of the county election board secretary to decide how to proceed. While Townley is still developing the bill, she said that the opportunity for a runoff election would be included in the list. "It's 2024. We have the technology and resources available to organize a runoff election in the event of a tied race," Townley said. "We must make every effort to ensure elections are decided by voters, not by luck." The bill will be filed for consideration in the next legislative session, which begins Feb. 3, 2025.

May 3, 2024
Recent Posts

Constituent Request Bill Modernizing Pool Regulations Signed by Governor

Legislation updating regulations of Oklahoma's public pools and spas for the first time since the 1970s has been approved by the governor. Rep. Tammy Townley, R-Ardmore, was contacted by two constituents who own an apartment building in Ardmore after they faced numerous barriers of red tape while renovating the building's public pool last summer. She proposed House Bill 4035 to eliminate those outdated regulations. "Tourism is the third largest entity in Oklahoma, and House Bill 4035 will allow for more streamlined updates to Oklahoma's public pools and resorts all over the state," said Townley, who chairs the House Tourism Committee. "All of Oklahoma deserves to have beautiful resorts and parks that attract their visitors to stay and enjoy with their families. I'm glad this measure has been signed quickly to help the process become less burdensome." "We spent the months between February and August 2024 attempting to get the Oklahoma State Department of Health to issue a permit to build the replacement pool," the constituent, Frank Feiock, said. "In desperation, we contacted Representative Tammy Townley of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Tammy made a few calls to the appropriate officials and got the pool permit process moving again. Not only that, Tammy introduced new legislation to update the pool permit process." Under HB4035, the State Dept. of Health will oversee the regulations of public pools and spas, but exemptions exist for pools in private residences or managed by a Homeowner's Association. The State Commissioner of Health can establish safety rules, fees and penalties for non-compliance. Construction permits and operation licenses cost $50.00 for municipalities with a population of 5,000 or less. Public pool owners must use designated forms for permits, adhere to safety codes, possess an annual license, and allow inspections. HB4035 was authored in the Senate by Sen. John Haste, R-Broken Arrow. "This legislation updates outdated and burdensome language which allows the Oklahoma Department of Health to properly regulate public pools without unnecessary red tape," Haste said. HB4035 was signed into law April 22 and takes effect Nov. 1.

Oct 26, 2023
Recent Posts

Committee Hears Study on Economic Impact of State Parks

A study on the economic impact of Oklahoma State Parks have on their communities met Monday before the Oklahoma House Appropriations & Budget Natural Resources Subcommittee. The study was organized by Rep. Tammy Townley, R-Ardmore. Townley opened the meeting by expressing her gratitude for everyone participating in the study. "I hope this study will bring awareness to the fact that we need improvements in capital infrastructure. It is all of our desire to see want to see Oklahoma growing and thriving," Townley said. "Oklahoma State Parks are a vital part of our state and have the potential to create more growth." Townley reminded attendees that the tourism industry is the state's third largest economic driver and should be invested in regularly. Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt told the committee that state parks welcomed 11.5 million people in 2021, generating $15.5 million in state taxes and $9.3 million in local taxes. Additionally, she mentioned that visitors spent $354.3 million in local communities during their stays. Zumwalt asked the members to consider what the goal of state parks are in their communities. "I would argue that probably in the beginning it was recreation and conservation, but at this point we need to look at it as a source of economic activity because it absolutely is," she said. Zumwalt said deferred maintenance has resulted in the closing of one state park during her one-year tenure and that right now other parks are facing issues that are currently preventable, including deteriorating roads, gas lines that need to be replaced, and rotting buildings and infrastructure. "Right now the funding doesn’t match the need," Zumwalt said. "The growing list of unresolved issues has reached an emergency state." Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department Director of State Parks Sterling Zearley said Oklahoma state parks have approximately $350 million capital needs statewide and only continues to grow. "We need the Legislature's help to make sure we can fund these state parks appropriately not just now, but 10, 15, 20 years down the road when my grandson's old enough to start going out to them," Zearley said. He pointed to the Roman Nose Group Camp, which was originally built in the 1960s and has not been updated since, but the surrounding area cannot afford to lose the $7.8 million spent by park visitors in the community. Zearley said immediate funding of $50 million will allow the department to address critical maintenance needs over the next year, but a total of $350 million is critical to the continued operation of state parks; otherwise, numerous parks are at risk of closure due to unsafe infrastructure.