Hickman Steering A Conservative Course
ANALYSIS: OK House Speaker Jeff Hickman steers conservative course
By Patrick B. McGuigan
OKLAHOMA CITY — When Rep. T.W. Shannon, R-Lawton, decided to run for the U.S. Senate, he remained in the state House but vacated the speakership.
Rep. Jeff Hickman, R-Fairview, took his place in the lower legislative chamber’s top job. While some thought, or hoped, he might moderate the Republican caucus, Hickman has steered a variety of Republican agenda items through the legislative process.
On matters ranging from substantive policies to House procedures, Hickman is crafting a strongly conservative path.
Arguably the biggest news at the Capitol so far this year is the move to repeal the Common Core curriculum in Oklahoma.
House Bill 3399, sponsored by Hickman, explicitly shifts the state away from the controversial standards and testing that have become a lightning rod for opposition across the political spectrum. He has stuck to the repeal path in the face of push a back from the state Chamber of Commerce.