OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — House Speaker Jeff Hickman has restructured the House committees and appropriation subcommittees and announced the various chairs and vice chairs.
Hickman named longtime ally Earl Sears of Bartlesville to replace Norman Rep. Scott Martin as chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. Martin takes over as chairman of a new appropriations subcommittee that oversees funding for education.
Hickman increased from 23 to 29 the number of standing committees, but reduced the number of budget subcommittees. He said he considered the expertise of various members in the private sector, and he appointed a few Democrats as vice chairmen.
Those picked to chair budget subcommittees were Reps. Dennis Johnson, Doug Cox, Pat Ownbey, Leslie Osborn, John Bennett Sallisaw, Mark McCullough, David Dank, and Mike Sanders.