Kidd honored as Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma Legislator of the Year

Sen. Chris Kidd, R-Waurika, was named the 2021 Association of County Commissioners of Oklahoma (ACCO) Legislator of the Year during the ACCO summer conference on July 14.

Kidd was chosen for his commitment to helping county government throughout his tenure as a state Senator.  During the 2021 legislative session, he authored and championed five measures to positively reform and update county government operations. The measures included:

• SB 677, which removed the requirement that a court clerk must first offer all or parts of judicial records set for disposal to the Oklahoma Department of Libraries’ Archives and Records Division for preservation as historical research materials. It also modified the time periods certain judicial records must be retained.
• SB 736, which allowed for the creation of a health district composed of two or more county boards of health, combining resources and increasing health outcomes.
• SB 840, which increased the purchase limit for counties from $15,000 to $25,000, by department.
• HB 1063, which authorized counties to employ information technology staff.
• HB 1064, which simplified the county salary schedule and increased base salary by $5,000.

“Growing up the son of a former county commissioner, I know first-hand how dedicated our county employees are to their jobs,” Kidd said. “It’s an honor to work to ensure commonsense laws are on the books to make their jobs easier – not harder – to serve the public. I’m humbled to receive the 2021 Legislator of the Year award, and I look forward to working with ACCO in the future to support county government and employees.”

ACCO works with 231 county commissioners in all 77 counties to prioritize the health, safety and welfare needs of all county citizens. The organization also serves as a statewide clearinghouse for leadership training, educational programming and other services to meet the needs of its member counties.