Senator Julie Daniels and Representative Mark McBride Receive okPORK Outstanding Legislator Award

OKLAHOMA CITY – August 2, 2019) On August 2, 2019, okPORK honored Senator Julie Daniels and Representative Mark McBride with the Outstanding Legislator Award during the 60th annual Oklahoma Pork Congress.

In 2010, the Oklahoma Pork Council established the Outstanding Legislator Award to honor members of the Oklahoma legislature for supporting Oklahoma’s pork industry. Since joining the Oklahoma Legislature, both Daniels and McBride have continually stood behind the pork industry in support of farmers. 

okPORK had the most productive legislative session in organization’s history. The most notable accomplishment of this session was House Bill 2373, which established caps on non-economic damages in agricultural nuisance lawsuits.  

As authors of HB 2373, Daniels and McBride were clear choices to receive the 2019 Outstanding Legislator Award. 

“I enjoyed working with [Oklahoma Pork Council] to rein in non-economic damages in agricultural nuisance lawsuits,” Daniels said. “The success of your industry is a critical component of our state’s economy.”

Sen. Julie Daniels was elected to the Senate in 2016. She currently serves as the chairperson of the Judiciary Committee and on the Appropriations, Health and Human Services and Rules Committees in the Senate.

With her legal background and role as chair of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Daniels was the perfect choice to carry HB2373 in the Senate. 

McBride was elected to the House of Representatives in 2012 and currently serves as the chairman of the Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Education and on the Business and Commerce and Energy and Natural Resources Committees.

His understanding of business issues and the threats on-going legal action to pose to all of agriculture convinced him this was an essential piece of legislation for Oklahoma’s pork producers and all agricultural producers in the state.

Executive Director of okPORK Roy Lee Lindsey said, “The Oklahoma Pork Council greatly appreciates the work of Rep. Mark McBride and Sen. Julie Daniels in authoring HB2373 and helping us protect the future of our industry.”