OKC Standard

Last week, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Charles McCall (R-Atoka) commenced their State and Federal Partnership Series: ‘Serving Oklahoma 101.’ These panel-style conversations featured discussions on the roles of state and federal leadership, their differences in responsibility, and how various levels of leadership can collaborate to address Oklahoma’s priorities.

“What a great week,” said Sen. Mullin. “I am grateful to Speaker McCall for joining me and to those who hosted us, and to the constituents who took time out of their day to show up and engage in meaningful conversation. I truly believe we accomplished our goal of educating Oklahomans on their representation and equipping local leadership with the tools to best meet their local and federal needs. I am energized by the response we received and look forward to similar events in the future. It’s an honor to get up every day and work on behalf of our great state, so I appreciate ways to improve upon this work and deliver even more results for hard-working Oklahomans.”

“These meetings have been a perfect example of how state and federal relations can work to the benefit of all Oklahomans,” said Speaker Charles McCall. “Throughout these public meetings, Sen. Mullin and I have been able to provide citizens with an inside look into the work their government is doing for them, but more importantly, we’ve been able to listen to their issues and get new ideas on how to solve them. As a proponent of more transparency and accountability in government, I’ve been pleased with the productivity of these meetings, and look forward to more opportunities to bridge the state and federal gap in the future.”

The first stop on the tour included a panel discussion hosted by the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. U.S. Senator Mullin and Speaker McCall discussed topics such as state versus federal response to border issues, transportation concerns, budgets, inflation, and education among others. Sen. Mullin thanked Alane Zannotti, President & CEO of the Stillwater Chamber for her hospitality.

“It makes perfect sense that Chamber host an event like this in order to connect the business community with our local, state, and federal leaders," said Stillwater Chamber President & CEO Alane Zannotti.

Shangri-La Resort in Afton hosted the second panel event on Wednesday where discussions covered energy policy, Oklahoma’s tech industry growth, GRDA regulations, waterway policies, and relationships with Tribal nations.

The tour concluded on Thursday at Northeastern State University (NSU) in Muskogee where discussions began with a breakdown of differences between state and federal senators’ responsibilities. The dialogue also covered federal regulations influencing Mullin's decision to run for office; working relationships with Tribal nations; funding for state projects; and gubernatorial roles.

“Northeastern State University has been educating people since it was founded by Cherokee Nation in 1851," said NSU President Rodney Hanley.

The statewide tour spanned from last Tuesday through Thursday across three locations: Stillwater, Afton, Muskogee—each event open for public participation followed by audience Q&A sessions.

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