Chris Benge (born September 9, 1962) is an American Republican

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

of Oklahoma, who served as the 33rd

Oklahoma Secretary of State The Secretary of State of the State of Oklahoma is the chief clerical officer of Oklahoma and a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary of State is the only appointed constitutional member of the executive branch of the Oklahoma ...

from 2013 to 2016. Benge was appointed to serve as Secretary of State by Oklahoma Governor

Mary Fallin Mary Fallin (; née Copeland; born December 9, 1954) is an American politician who served as the 27th governor of Oklahoma from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was elected in 2010 and reelected in 2014. She was the first and s ...

on November 8, 2013. Benge served as the Oklahoma House of Representatives as the

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

, a position he took over after

Lance Cargill Lance Cargill (born September 13, 1971) is an American lawyer and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Cargill served as Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives from January 2, 2007, to January 28, 2008. He resigned ...

resigned in January 2008. Benge was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1998. His term ended due to term limits in 2010.

Early life and career

Benge was born and raised in southwest Tulsa. He graduated from Webster High School in 1980 and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in business. Benge has managed a business, Benge Painting Company from 1981 to 1997. Benge received his associate degree from Tulsa Community College.

Political career

Benge was first elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 1998, narrowly defeating Shelby Satterfield, an incumbent Democratic candidate. The first piece of legislation authored by the Tulsa lawmaker and signed into law was the "Prisoners Public Work Act". The legislation allows public agencies to enter into a contract with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections to utilize offender labor. Prior to becoming Speaker of the House, Benge served as a House appropriations chairman and on one occasion criticized Gov. Brad Henry for proposing $18.8 million in bonds for common education ad valorem reimbursement. As Speaker of the House, Benge presided over the

52nd Oklahoma Legislature The Fifty-second Oklahoma Legislature was the meeting of the legislative branch of the government of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City from January 3, 2009, to January 4, 2011, during the second two years of the second administration of Governor Brad Henr ...

. During this time, he pushed for energy reform in Oklahoma, stressing the need for the U.S. to wean itself from foreign oil rather than any concern about climate change. Benge announced in January 2010 that his agenda for the upcoming session included reforming the workers' compensation system, promoting the use of natural gas as a vehicle fuel, modernizing state government through the use of more technology and creating a plan to deal with an expected shortfall. Benge authored six bills signed into law by Governor Brad Henry from the 2009 legislative session.

District

House District 68 encompassed southwest Tulsa and a portion of Tulsa County outside of the city. It also included a small portion of Creek County. The district is a mix of urban Tulsa neighborhoods and Tulsa suburbs."House Districts, Congressional and Other Maps"

Oklahoma House of Representatives
. 10-14-09

Election history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benge, Chris 1962 births 21st-century American politicians Living people Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Oklahoma State University alumni Politicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma Secretaries of State of Oklahoma Webster High School (Tulsa, Oklahoma) alumni Speakers of the Oklahoma House of Representatives