Jon Echols | |
---|---|
Majority Floor Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives | |
Assumed office January 2017 | |
Preceded by | Charles Ortega |
Assistant Majority Whip of the Oklahoma House of Representatives | |
In office January 2013 –January 2015 | |
Member of the OklahomaHouseofRepresentatives from the 90th district | |
Assumed office November 14,2012 | |
Preceded by | Charles Key |
Personal details | |
Born | December 3,1979 |
Political party | Republican |
Education | University of Oklahoma (BA) Oklahoma City University (JD) |
Jon Echols (born December 3,1979) is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from the 90th district since 2012. [1] [2] He is the Majority Floor Leader. [3]
In 2016,Echols asked Sheriff Regalado's Office to make a change to a "key standard to bid on a lucrative jail medical contract" so that his company could bid. "Echols and two of his business partners at Turn Key Health Clinics, based in Oklahoma City,each contributed $1,000 to Regalado’s campaign for sheriff in April. [4] Turn Key Health Clinics was founded by Representative Jon Echols. [5] He is the co-founder and president. Turn Key Health contracts for "medial services in the Oklahoma County Jail." The Oklahoma County Jail has made headlines for its series of deaths. [6] [7] [8] [9] Turn Key Health has been "the target of lawsuits in at least three states where patients have died under the care of its medical staff. A former Turn Key nurse told Oklahoma Watch that inadequate staffing left patients with substandard care." [10] Echols has said that "he works for the company’s CEO mostly outside of Oklahoma to minimize perceived conflicts of interest." [11]
In 2023,Echols was the House author on Senate Bill 840 (co-authored by Sen. Greg McCortney,R-Ada),a bill that "deals with name,image,likeness —the new endorsements phenomenon known as NIL." Echols marked it as "high-priority." [12] The bill would allow "for colleges and universities to back opportunities for NIL;allows schools to set parameters to prevent NIL activities from interfering with school or team activities;allows schools to be compensated for use of logos or facilities;prohibits students from securing NIL compensation using a school logo;allows schools to require that athletes take financial literacy and contract courses;doesn’t require that athlete compensation be in line with market value;and does not count scholarships as compensation." Some "lawmakers who opposed the measure lamented the apparent end of the amateur student athlete and the beginning of an era in college sports that allows 17-year-olds to enter into multimillion-dollar endorsement deals." [13] [14]
In mid-April 2023,Echols steered SB 519 through committee. It "would give charter schools right of first refusal for leasing Commissioners of the Land Office property." During the committee vote,as Speaker Pro Tem Kyle Hilbert of Bristow,"had to be tracked down to break a 5-5 tie and keep the bill moving." [15]
In October 2023,Echols voiced support for Israel in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war,saying that Israel is in its rights to "wipe" Hamas out,but pointed out that Hamas is "not our Muslim brothers and sisters." [16]
In 2024,he voted in favor of a bill that would require adults to show and ID before accessing porn sites. [17]
In March 2024,a bill was introduced that aimed to overhaul the Oklahoma law that gives "residents the power to file initiative petitions about legislative issues. With the required number of legally sufficient signatures,the initiative triggers a public vote." The bill that would change that process,authored by Speaker McCall,was defended by Echols,who said opposing arugments were 'faux outrage' and that people are wanting to 'freak out' over it. Opponents say that the bill threatens the people's right to petition in a state where the processes are already some of the hardest in the country. They say it threatens the voice of the people and puts power more in the hands of wealthy elected officials [18]
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