Know Your Legislator: Jeff Hickman

As we continue the Accountability Tour, it's time to turn our attention to more members of the House of Representatives in the great state of Oklahoma.  This blog has been on the cutting edge of sharing information with you regarding the Speaker of the House, Kris Steele, so now is the time to take a look at his 2nd In Command, Speaker Pro Tempore Jeff Hickman.

Representative Hickman lists the following on his House website:

Rep. Hickman was born in Alva on Nov. 28, 1973, and raised in the Cherokee and Dacoma areas. His parents are Steve and Cathy (Leamon) Hickman. He is married to Jana (Harris), who was also raised in District 58, in Freedom, Cherokee and Alva. They have two daughters, Taylor and Ashley and a son, Austin. Rep. Hickman is the fifth generation of his family to own and farm land in Alfalfa and Woods Counties.

As his profession, he lists "Farmer."

His work history, however, shows the following:

Former Press Secretary, University of Oklahoma, Office of the President, Norman
Former Vice President, Omni Media Group, Woodward

Worked as press secretary for David Boren and VP with Omni Media.  And of course, State Representative.

Hickman is an interesting cat, receiving accolades from a wide variety of groups in Oklahoma - some of whom you would expect to be supporting Democrats:

Top 10 Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior, University of Oklahoma
Letseizer Medal for top 3 student leaders, University of Oklahoma
OU President's Leadership Class
Farm Bureau; Association of Career & Technology Education Guidance
Oklahoma State Troopers Association
Oklahoma Sheriffs Association Legislative Awards
Selenite Crystal Festival "Honorary Prospector"
Cherokee High School Valedictorian

 If you have questions or concerns for the Oklahoma House of Representatives' 2nd in command, you can reach him here.

Who Is Kris Steele, Speaker of the House?

When you look at the Republican Party, there are two issues that stand out as lines of demarcation between "conservative" and "establishment:"

1.  2nd Amendment Support
2.  Lawsuit Reform

Gun control advocates have consistently filed suit against firearms manufacturers with the express purpose of using the courts to decrease our access to firearms, to create an environment where the cost of firearms skyrocket as a result of defense of said lawsuits and finally, to disarm citizens.  Using the judiciary to accomplish what cannot be done legislatively, liberal gun-haters attack both of the issues that are important to conservatives; namely, frivolous lawsuits and the right to keep and bear arms.

And now, we have a Speaker of the House who may be inconsistent on both issues.

Kris Steele has seen his star rise in the Republican Party right along with his increased public support for 2nd Amendment issues.  For example:
*In 2000, he voted with the Gun Owners of America merely 36% of the time.  (Source)
*In 2002, he received an "A" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund.  (Source)
*In 2008, he received an "A" rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund.  (Source)

In coming days, I'm going to take a look at these ratings, Speaker-elect Steele's views, his voting record, his quotes in the media to see whether or not his walk backs up his talk and since he's the Speaker-elect, he'll be driving the agenda.

And the two things on the Republican agenda are firearms and tort reform.