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This week, I recognized my brother-in-law, Col. John Donoghue, as Veteran of the Week before the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

He's dedicated 30 years to serving as a Special Forces Green Beret Officer in the United States Army. During this time, he had 11 combat deployments, with four to Afghanistan, three to Iraq, two to Pakistan, and two to Panama during Operation Just Cause, which led to the removal of Dictator Manuel Noriega.

I am grateful to Col. Donoghue and all those who serve our country and keep us safe. Our family is proud of his service, and it was an honor to recognize him on the House floor.

On Tuesday, we honored the 29th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. The House remembered the tragic event with a special presentation. We had the opportunity to hear from Blayne Authur, Oklahoma's Agriculture Secretary, who tragically lost her mother that day. Her sister and aunt accompanied her.

House and Senate sergeants who assisted in the recovery efforts after the bombing were recognized on the House floor. Acknowledged were House sergeants Bobbie Barnett, Joe Bullock, Harvey Weathers, and Nita Williams; House Chief of Security John Dawson; and Senate sergeants Rusty Higby and Stewart Meyer.

I want to express my deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and neighbors of those who lost their lives or were injured in the terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to those who responded to the call for help.

Earlier this week, Speaker McCall and Chairman Wallace hosted a press conference to announce the launch of the House Budget Transparency Portal. The portal went live on Tuesday morning and is accessible to anyone online. It lets you view real-time information on the House, Senate, and Governor's budget.

The total budget for the House is $12.63 billion, a decrease of 4.21% from last year's budget of $13.18 billion. This is a transparent and commendable budget. However, we will be working with the Senate to finalize a mutually agreed upon Budget. We will have more details on the budget process in coming weeks. 

You can visit the House Budget Transparency Portal by following this link: https://tinyurl.com/HouseBudgetPortal2024.

It is such an honor and privilege to represent you at the State Capitol. I want to encourage any constituent with questions or concerns regarding legislation to reach out to my office at (405) 557-7358 or at john.kane@okhouse.gov.

John Kane, a Republican, serves House District 11 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Tulsa and Washington counties.