Mike Osburn (born April 15, 1968) is an American politician who has served in the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state' ...

from the 81st district since 2016. He is

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

Political career

In 2023 he co-authored House Bill 1792 with Dave Rader that would lessen the penalties of dogfighting in the state of Oklahoma, which sparked pushback from animal rights advocates. Also in 2023,

Lonnie Paxton Lonnie Paxton (born August 8, 1968) is an American politician who has served in the Oklahoma Senate from the 23rd district since 2016. Oklahoma Senate Paxton was re-elected by default in 2020. In 2023, he authored Senate Bill 1006 which die ...

authored Senate Bill 1006 which died in the Senate. It would have also lessened the penalties for cockfighting in the state, similar to House Bill 2530, which also died in the same timeframe. HB 2530, pushed by

Justin Humphrey Justin J. J. Humphrey (born August 17, 1966) is an American politician from the state of Oklahoma. A Republican, he is a member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, representing state House District 19. He lives in Lane, Oklahoma, in the sou ...

, died on April 13, 2023, for the second year in a row. Tulsa District Attorney

Steve Kunzweiler Steve Kunzweiler is the current Tulsa County District Attorney. He has worked on shows for the ''Forensic Files'', ''See No Evil'' and ''60 Minutes''. He is on the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council. Career Early career Steve Kunzweiler ...

said he was glad cockfighting remained a felony. Humphrey was quoted as saying “You’re dang skippy I’ll take my kid to a chicken fighting before I’m gonna take them to see a drag queen." The April 2023 version of Osburn's bill "says dogfighting, arson and dozens of other crimes would only have a $500 fine," but Osburn denied the final version of the bill would not allow for this, claiming it was just "placeholder language." He was one of twenty early Oklahoma lawmakers who endorsed Ron DeSantis for the 2024 presidential election.

References

1968 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century Native American politicians Cherokee Nation state legislators in Oklahoma Living people Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives {{Oklahoma-politician-stub