Republican Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill Friday that renames a stretch of a state highway after former President Donald Trump.
“Section of State Highway 287 beginning at the municipal limits of Boise City extending southeast to the Oklahoma-Texas border in Cimarron County shall be designated as the ‘President Donald J. Trump Highway,'” the Senate Bill 624 signed into law by Stitt reads.
Oklahoma governor signs bill naming portion of highway after Trump https://t.co/LPtCBjbIZ2 pic.twitter.com/40PU1OPXqF
— The Hill (@thehill) June 2, 2021
The highway renaming has become one among many approved changes, as the bill contains a large number of other bridge and highway renaming proposals.
The legislation initially stalled in the state Senate when Democratic Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd brought up a provision in the law requiring that a person be deceased for at least three years before a bridge or highway can be named in their honor. The exception was made only for Medal of Honor recipients, according to The Oklahoman.
The GOP lawmakers reportedly pushed for an amendment revoking this requirement, thus allowing the state to name the portion of the highway after Trump, The Oklahoman reported. (RELATED: Biden To Mark 100-Year Anniversary Of Tulsa Race Massacre With Oklahoma Visit)
Some legislators wanted to name a highway after former president Trump. But statute dictated that a person must’ve passed away before a road is named for them. So what did we do? We just repealed that statute! Amazing what this body can accomplish when we really want something.
— Forrest Bennett (@ForrestBennett) May 25, 2021
“[The] statute dictated that a person must’ve passed away before a road is named for them. So what did we do? We just repealed that statute!,” Republican Oklahoma state Sen. Forrest Bennett wrote in a tweet. “Amazing what this body can accomplish when we really want something.”