State senators are sworn in differently than House members after positive cases revealed

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Supreme Court Chief Justice Noma Gurich administered the oath of office to new and reelected state senators during a series of ceremonies in a Senate chamber that was in the midst of renovations on Monday.

To maintain social distancing and avoid having a large crowd in the Senate chamber in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, the senators and their guests were rotated in small groups into the Senate chamber for the ceremony.

Because of the renovations, the floor was covered in plastic, and the chamber well and voting board also were covered.

Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, was in quarantine after being exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, so he did not attend the oath of office ceremony, according to his office.

Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, took the oath of office with her husband standing next to her.

“I have just been kind of pinching myself all day — like is this a dream or is it real?” Dossett said. “And now it is real because I have the (legislative lapel) pin.”

She resigned from her job as a teacher last Thursday.

That was a sad day for her, but she said she is “moving on to a new chapter but never forgetting where I came from, which was a classroom, and the reason I am here, which is the students and the teachers in those classrooms,” Dossett said.

She joins her brother, Sen. J.J. Dossett, D-Owasso, in the upper chamber.

She replaces Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa, who could not seek another term to Senate District 35 due to term limits.

Sen. Cody Rogers, R-Tulsa, defeated incumbent Allison Ikley-Freeman, D-Tulsa, in the race for Senate District 37.

“It is an awesome moment,” Rogers said. “It is eye opening. It means a lot.”

Sen. Dave Rader, R-Tulsa, was sworn in for his second term in Senate District 39.

He said the experience was an incredible honor and quite humbling.

“It is emotionally deep,” Rader said. “Then you think again what a great country it is that allows people to throw their hat in the ring and go try to be part of the government. It is just a wonderful, wonderful country.”

Sen. Joe Newhouse, R-Tulsa, took his second oath of office to serve Senate District 25 after running unopposed.

“I am very excited about this,” Newhouse said. “In this first term I have learned quite a bit. I have learned to be a better listener, I think, to many different viewpoints.

“I am going to try to take those experiences and translate that into even more action in the second term.”

Also taking the oath was Sen. Blake Cowboy Stephens, who defeated incumbent Sen. Wayne Shaw, R-Grove, in the primary and won the general election.

Stephens, R-Tahlequah, made an unsuccessful bid for governor two years ago.

“It is fantastic,” Stephens said. “I am extremely excited about being here, serving our people, making a difference.”

A Senate ceremonial swearing-in ceremony later in the day was canceled last week due to concerns about COVID-19.

After a ceremonial swearing-in ceremony in the House of Representatives last week, it was learned that one member had tested positive and was sworn in separately.

Another member who attended the ceremony without a mask also tested positive.

John Estus, a spokesman for House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said five employees have reported active positive cases of the coronavirus.

“None have been at the Capitol since testing positive, and none were at the Capitol on Wednesday when oaths were administered because it was a state holiday,” he said. “Contact tracing is underway, and proper notifications are being made to the appropriate parties by health and House officials.”

Estus said he had no reports of additional members testing positive.

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Gallery: State representatives sworn in at Oklahoma Capitol as pandemic affects ceremony