Timmons advocates for affordable housing, education, and healthcare

Residents living in District 97 in Oklahoma City have a newly elected state representative who said she is already hitting the ground running.  

Alitia Haynes Timmons was elected over two weeks ago and said on her list of priorities are affordable healthcare, housing and education.     

Timmons is no stranger to the Oklahoma City Capitol building.  

Before becoming a state representative, she spent time as a former lawyer and judge.  

Timmons said seeing marginalized folks being treated unfairly is what lit the initial fire under her. 

“I saw, people being mistreated in my neighborhood by elected officials, ignored, issues that were being passed that directly affected my ability on a national and state level to move forward in my own life,” said Timmons. 

Timmons said it was issues like being able to afford education.  

She said she watched underfunding of over 400 million dollars in the last 30 years at Langston University.    

“That's one of my concerns. where, where has that money gone? Why has it not been given to them? I saw that they got $10 million and then OSU got $250 million or thereabouts and that's a huge disparity,” added Timmons.   

She said affordable healthcare is also on her radar. 

Timmons adds Oklahoma has the highest infant mortality, maternal rate in the country.

She said underserved communities in Oklahoma are being underfunded in terms of healthcare and resources for healthcare.  

Timmons said, “That’s shameful,” about what is happening with healthcare.  

She said affordable housing and helping to resolve the issue of homelessness is also on her list as a top priority.  

Timmons added there are too many resources for homelessness to still be an issue.  

Timmons said she been researching issues that have come before the legislature to see what has passed and did not pass. 

She said she is also wanting to draft her own legislation as well as collaborate with others.  

The session starts in February but Timmons added she has been at the capitol almost every day since being sworn in.