Kris Steele (born July 11, 1973) is a United States politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma who served as state representative. Steele served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives as the Speaker of the House, a position he took over after the 2010 elections. He presided over the 53rd Oklahoma Legislature.
Steele, served as Speaker Pro Tempore, under Chris Benge. He was chosen as Speaker-designate in 2009.[1] Elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives on November 7, 2000,[2] he was term-limited out of office in 2012.
Steele is now the executive director of The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM) in Oklahoma City.
Early life and career
Born in Ardmore, Oklahoma on July 11, 1973, Steele graduated from Broken Bow High School in 1992 and earned a B.A. in religion from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1996. Since graduating from OBU, Steele has served as a Baptist minister and public school teacher.[3]
Political career
Steele was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives on November 7, 2000,[2] He filed five bills in the 2001 session; two became law.[4]
Steele became House Speaker Pro Tempore when Chris Benge took over as Speaker of the House following Lance Cargill's resignation in January 2008.[5][6]
The Shawnee lawmaker had several pieces of legislation signed into law from the 2009 session, including the "Health Care for Oklahomans Act" and "The Silver Alert Act".[7]
Steele introduced a 2012 proposal to reject a pay raise for statewide officials and judges.[8][9]
Steele presided over the 53rd Oklahoma Legislature and under his tenure oversaw the enactment of tort reform, the elimination of social promotion in public school after the third grade, the elimination of the ability of teachers to appeal termination to district courts as trial de novo, corrections reform that expanded the eligibility of low-risk, nonviolent inmates for community sentencing and electronic monitoring programs, pension reform, agency consolidation and the Justice Reinvestment Initiative.
Post-state House career
Steele is the executive director of The Education and Employment Ministry (TEEM), a 501(c)(3) organization "dedicated to breaking cycles of incarceration and poverty through education, personal development and work readiness training".[10] He has criticized the Oklahoma penal system as being "awfully quick to look at incarceration as a solution. It tears families apart, it creates instability. It makes the situation much worse".[11]
Steele successfully campaigned for State Questions 780 (making low-level drug possession and property crimes misdemeanors) and 781 (creating a rehabilitation fund), which passed in 2016.[12] He has received the requisite signatures to put State Question 805, a constitutional amendment which would end sentence enhancements for non-violent crimes, on the ballot in November 2020.[11]
Personal life
When Steele was six, he was shot point-blank with a pellet gun in the head. After being in a coma for ten days after the pellet passed through his brain, he recovered but he now swings his left leg forward from his hip when he walks; his left arm and hand, though usable, curl from his elbow and his fingers often ball into a fist.[11]
Steele is married to Kellie Kursar and lives in Shawnee, Oklahoma. They have two daughters.
District
House District 26 encompasses a small northern portion of Pottawatomie County that includes the city of Shawnee.[13]
Election history
| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Steele | Republican Party | 5,315 | 63.47% | ||
| Joe Freeman | Democratic Party | 3,059 | 36.53% | ||
| Source:[14] | |||||
| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Steele | Republican Party | 8,608 | 68.71% | ||
| Pat Bateman | Democratic Party | 3,920 | 31.29% | ||
| Source:[15] | |||||
| Candidates | Party | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kris Steele | Republican Party | 6,162 | 54.60% | ||
| Terry LaValley | Democratic Party | 5,123 | 45.40% | ||
| Source:[16] | |||||
Sources
- ^ Harrison, Caitlin. "Representative appointed as new Oklahoma House Speaker," OU Daily, October 20, 2009 (accessed February 3, 2010).
- ^ a b 2000 Election Results Archived 2008-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma State Election Board (accessed February 3, 2010).
- ^ Kris Steele Complete Bio, Project Vote Smart (accessed February 3, 2010).
- ^ Bill Tracking Archived 2005-11-11 at the Wayback Machine Oklahoma House of Representatives (accessed February 3, 2010)
- ^ Hinton, Mick. "House Republicans choose Benge to become speaker designate", Tulsa World, February 4, 2008.
- ^ Hinton, Mick "House Speaker Lance Cargill steps down after not paying taxes", Tulsa World, January 28, 2008.
- ^ Bill Tracking Archived 2005-11-11 at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma House of Representatives (accessed February 3, 2010)
- ^ McNutt, Michael. Pay-raise rejection proposal gains approval from Oklahoma House, Tulsa World. Published February 16, 2012.
- ^ Associated Press. House panel OKs bill to quash Oklahoma pay hikes, Tulsa World. February 15, 2012.
- ^ "Our Mission". The Education and Employment Ministry. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ a b c Schulte, Bret (April 23, 2020). "A Republican Crusader Takes on Oklahoma's Prison Machine". POLITICO. Oklahoma City. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ "Oklahoma Election Results 2016". The New York Times. August 1, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
- ^ House Districts, Congressional and Other Maps Archived 2009-05-07 at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma House of Representatives Archived 2013-06-22 at the Wayback Machine. 10-14-09
- ^ 2006 Election Results, Oklahoma State Election Board. 10-14-09
- ^ 2004 Election Results Archived 2008-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma State Election Board. 10-14-09
- ^ 2000 Election Results Archived 2008-11-26 at the Wayback Machine, Oklahoma State Election Board. 10-14-09
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