Stephanie Irene Bice (née Asady; born November 11, 1973) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for
Oklahoma's 5th congressional district
Oklahoma's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It borders all of the other congressional districts in the state except the 1st district. It is densely populated and covers almost all of Oklahom ...
Iranian American
Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship.
Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busine ...
to be elected to Congress. Bice represented the 22nd district in the
Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...
to an American mother (Paula Sue Vanhooser, of Dutch heritage) and an Iranian-born father (Hosein "Joe" Asady). Asady came to the United States at a young age to study computer science. He received a BS degree from the
University of Central Oklahoma
The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO or Central State) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with more than 17,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founde ...
in 1973 and became an American citizen in 1975. Asady is the founder and CEO of a network technology company.
After graduating from
Oklahoma State University
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
with a bachelor's degree in marketing and a minor in international business, Bice worked for eight years in financial oversight, business strategy and marketing for her family's technology company in
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, an ...
. She later helped lead a boutique
digital marketing
Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the Internet and online based digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services. Its development dur ...
agency in Oklahoma City as vice president of business development.
Oklahoma Senate
Elections
Bice was first elected to the
Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.
Tenure
Bice represented the 22nd district in the
Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution. She served on the Subcommittee on General Government and Transportation, and the Business, Commerce & Tourism, Finance, Public Safety committees. In 2016, the Senate Republican Caucus elected Bice Assistant Majority Floor Leader.
Bice was the Senate sponsor of House Bill 1269, a law that provided relief to people who were serving felony prison sentences for crimes that are now misdemeanors. Instead of automatically granting retroactive relief to all eligible inmates, state lawmakers directed the Pardon and Parole Board to establish an accelerated, single-stage commutation docket to review eligible cases.
Bice sponsored SB 142, which required informed consent for nursing home patients and their families regarding the use of powerful antipsychotic drugs. The measure deals with the overuse of powerful antipsychotic drugs for nursing home patients who have not received a psychiatric diagnosis or given informed consent. The measure was signed into law in May 2019.
Bice was a sponsor of State Question 792, which overhauled Oklahoma's liquor laws by allowing grocery stores to sell full point beer and wine.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
2020
In April 2019, Bice announced her candidacy for
Oklahoma's 5th congressional district
Oklahoma's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It borders all of the other congressional districts in the state except the 1st district. It is densely populated and covers almost all of Oklahom ...
in the
2020 election
This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 January:
**Cro ...
. The 5th district had been a Republican stronghold for over 40 years until Democrat Kendra Horn was elected in 2018.
In June 2020,
Oklahoman.com
''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larg ...
reported that the Bice campaign sent a mailer including the Oklahomans for Life logo without the organization's permission. Bice said, "I understand Oklahomans for Life wasn't endorsing in this race and wanted to make clear that I am pro-life and have stood with Oklahomans for Life".
Bice placed second in the June 30 Republican primary behind
Terry Neese
Terry Neese (born December 1, 1947) is an American businesswoman and politician. She was the first woman nominated by a major political party for the seat of Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma in 1990 and a candidate for Oklahoma's 5th congression ...
, a businesswoman who was the Republican nominee for
lieutenant governor of Oklahoma
The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma is the second-highest executive official of the state government of Oklahoma. As first in the gubernatorial line of succession, the lieutenant governor becomes the new governor of Oklahoma upon the death, res ...
in 1990. As no candidate won 50% of the vote, Bice and Neese advanced to a runoff. Bice defeated Neese in the runoff and Horn in the general election. She focused her campaign on immigration and affordable healthcare.
Bice is the first Iranian American to be elected to Congress.
2022
Bice defeated primary challenger Subrina Banks in the Republican primary and Democratic candidate Joshua Harris-Till and Independent David Frosch in the general election.
Tenure
In late 2020, Bice was identified as a participant in the Freedom Force, a group of incoming Republican members of the House of Representatives who "say they're fighting against
socialism
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
in America".
On January 6, 2021, Bice voted to object to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.
On January 20, the day of Joe Biden's inauguration, Bice was one of 17 newly elected House Republicans to sign a letter congratulating him and expressing hope of bipartisan cooperation.
In March 2021, Bice voted against the
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to ...
.
On May 19, 2021, Bice was one of 35 Republicans who joined all Democrats in voting to approve legislation to establish the
January 6, 2021 commission
The National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex, known colloquially as the January 6 commission, was an unsuccessful proposal to create a commission that would have investigated the January 6 Un ...
Bice graduated from Putnam City High School in Oklahoma. She married Geoffrey Bice in 1996. They have two daughters and live in
Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest ...
. Bice is
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
and attends St. Eugene Catholic Church in Oklahoma City.
Electoral history
2022 congressional election
2020 congressional election
2018 Oklahoma Senate election
2014 Oklahoma Senate election
Bice was unopposed in the 2014 general election.
See also
*
Women in the United States House of Representatives
Women have served in the United States House of Representatives, the lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being the upper house, upper chamber, since the 1916 election of Republican Party ...
*
List of Arab and Middle Eastern Americans in the United States Congress
This is a list of Arab Americans and Middle Eastern Americans in the U.S. Congress. This list would include North Africans in the United States who identify as Arab as well as non-Arab Middle Eastern Americans.
The first Arab American to serve ...