Oklahoma Lawmakers Who Missed The Most Votes This Session

Rep. Leslie Osborn, a Republican from Mustang who chairs the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, led Oklahoma House members in the tally by missing 25 percent of floor and committee votes, according to the Tulsa World. The session ended on May 26.

Osborn said the reason for her absences was she was “constantly called off of the floor into meetings with fiscal staff.”

“I truly regret not being able to cast as many votes on policy measures,” Osborn said. “It was an absolutely overwhelming year with the amount of budget work that was going on.”

In the Senate, Republican Sen. Jack Fry of Midwest City ranked highest among senators, having missed 68.34 percent of the votes. He noted that his wife had health issues that “required my immediate attention.”

Fry was followed by Senate President Pro Tem Mike Schulz, R-Altus, who missed 37.5 percent of the votes.

“It is not uncommon for the pro tem or speaker to miss some floor votes because often times we are pulled away in budget negotiations,” Schulz said.

Other lawmakers who missed larger number of votes were Sen. Bryce Marlatt, R-Woodward; Sen. Randy Bass, D-Lawton; Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City; Rep. Mike Ritze, R-Broken Arrow; Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater; and Rep. Tommy Hardin, R-Madill.