State House GOP picks leadership for upcoming session

House Republicans Elect Leadership for 58th Legislature

O’Donnell Named Speaker Pro-Tem-Elect; Dills Named Caucus Chair

OKLAHOMA CITY – The House Republican Caucus this week elected its leadership for the 58th Legislature. The legislative session convenes Feb. 1, 2021.

Elected by the Caucus to serve as speaker pro-tempore-elect was State Rep. Terry O’Donnell, R-Catoosa. He replaces State Rep. Harold Wright, R-Weatherford, who was term-limited this year.

“I’m grateful to have been selected to fill this leadership role in the House,” O’Donnell said. “I look forward to working closely with the caucus and the speaker’s office to advance meaningful legislation that will make Oklahoma the best place to live and do business, and to help ensure members follow House rules and appropriate decorum.”

O’Donnell has served the House as majority whip since the 56th Legislature and served as the chair of the Energy & Natural Resources Committee the past two years. He also is a member of the House Appropriations & Budget and the Judiciary Committees as well as a member of the House and Senate Joint Committee on Appropriations & Budget.

State Rep. Charles McCall, R-Atoka, is speaker-elect as no one else filed for that position. This would be his third term as speaker.

Both the pro-tem and speaker positions will have to be approved by the full House when it meets for Organizational Day, Jan. 5. This day is required by the state Constitution to certify newly elected members and formally elect House leadership.

Also elected this week was State Rep. Sheila Dills, R-Tulsa, to serve as Caucus Chair.

“What an honor to be selected to this leadership position by my many peers in the House Republican Caucus,” Dills said. “This team over the past few years has passed many important legislative reforms that have put our state into a more secure position to weather whatever storms may arise. Just this year, when facing an economic downturn and a global pandemic, we were able to protect state services for Oklahomans and make prudent decisions to move our state forward in many areas. I look forward to the opportunity to lead this caucus as we tackle equal challenges in the coming legislative sessions.”

Dills was first elected to the House in 2018. During the 57th Legislature, she served as assistant majority floor leader and is on the following committees: Common Education, Health Services & Long-Term Care and Tourism. She also is a member of the House Appropriations and Budget Committee for Human Services.

Other elected caucus leadership positions include:

• Vice Caucus Chair, state Rep. Rusty Cornwell, R-Vinita.
• Caucus Secretary, state Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont

Cornwell and Crosswhite Hader also were elected in 2018.

Cornwell served as the vice chair of the House Business and Commerce Committee and as a member of the Veterans and Military Affairs and Wildlife Committees as well as the Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee for Finance.

Crosswhite Hader served as vice chair of the Administrative Rules Committee and as a member of the Agriculture & Rural Development and Public Safety Committees as well as the Appropriations & Budget Subcommittee for Transportation.

Dills replaces former caucus chair, State Rep. Tammy West, R-Oklahoma City. Cornwell and Crosswhite Hader replace State Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, and State Rep. Carol Bush, R-Tulsa, in their respective positions.

The House Republican Caucus will have its largest majority ever in the upcoming session with 82 members.