Cindy O'Laughlin is an American politician. She was elected to Missouri's 18th Senatorial District in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. Prior to being elected to the Missouri Senate, O’Laughlin served as a member of the

Shelby County R-IV School District Shelby County R-IV School District is a school district headquartered in Shelbina, Missouri. It serves Shelbina and Clarence Clarence may refer to: Places Australia * Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division * Clarence, New Sout ...

and the Treasurer of the Missouri Club for Growth.

Missouri Senate

In October 2017, O’Laughlin announced her candidacy for state senate. She won the Republican primary against three other candidates. She successfully ran against Democrat Crystal Stevens in the November election. O’Laughlin serves as the chair of the Missouri Senate Committee on Education and also the Missouri General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Education.

Tenure

On July 6, 2021, O'Laughlin visited the Schuyler County Courthouse in Lancaster. The goal of the visit was to let residents talk about current Missouri issues. Topics brought up included gun rights, broadband and road infrastructure. Residents also talked about

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

, which had been approved by Missouri the previous month.

Healthcare

O’Laughlin was an early opponent of state and national lockdowns as it related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and advocated for the state to allow visitors to return to nursing homes. An editorial by

The Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...

called her advice “dangerous.” In 2022, she opposed the Joe Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine requirements for health care workers.

Education

O’Laughlin serves as the chair of th
Missouri Senate Committee on Education
and also th
Missouri General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Education
She has sponsored legislation to expand

charter schools A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

and is a supporter of school choice. Prior to being elected to the Missouri Senate, O’Laughlin served as a member of the school board at her local public school and as an administrator at a local private school. In 2020, O’Laughlin sponsored legislation to require transgender high school athletes to compete based on their

assigned sex at birth Sex assignment (sometimes known as gender assignment) is the discernment of an infant's sex at or before birth. A relative, midwife, nurse or physician inspects the external genitalia when the baby is delivered and, in more than 99.95% of birt ...

Personal life

O’Laughlin has served as the

Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...

of Leo O’Laughlin, Inc. for nearly three decades. She and her husband own and operate a trucking company and ready-mix concrete business with Missouri locations in Shelbina, Macon, Marceline and La Belle. O’Laughlin has been a member of various civic organizations such as the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Shelby County Economic Development Board. She has also served on numerous statewide boards, such as the Associated Builders and Contractors and the Missouri Club for Growth. __NOTOC__

Electoral history

2018 Primary

2018 General Election

2022 General Election

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OLaughlin, Cindy 21st-century American legislators 21st-century American women politicians Living people Republican Party Missouri state senators Women state legislators in Missouri Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Missouri politicians