Jon Echols

John Echols grew up in Oklahoma City. His mother was an attorney and special education teacher, while his father, David Echols, is an attorney and a member of the Oklahoma City Community College Board of Regenets.{{cite news |last1=Hancock |first1=Andrea |title=Former House Rep. Jon Echols announces bid for AG |url=https://nondoc.com/2025/02/26/jon-echols-announces-oklahoma-attorney-general-bid/ |access-date=February 27, 2025 |work=NonDoc |date=February 26, 2025}} He graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in political science and from Oklahoma City University School of Law with a Juris Doctor.{{Cite web |publisher=Oklahoma House of Representatives |title=Representative Jon Echols |url=https://www.okhouse.gov/representatives/jon-echols |access-date=February 26, 2025}}

Echols co-foundered Turn Key Health Clinics in 2009 and is the company's president. Echols has said that "he works for the company’s CEO mostly outside of Oklahoma to minimize perceived conflicts of interest."{{Cite news |last=Bryen |first=Whitney |date=February 22, 2023 |title=Oklahoma sheriff, jail health care provider seek public money to increase staff after two women died |url=https://www.kosu.org/local-news/2023-02-22/sheriff-jail-health-care-provider-seek-public-money-to-increase-staff-after-two-women-died |access-date=June 8, 2023 |publisher=KOSU |agency=Oklahoma Watch |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=February 22, 2023 |last=Stafford |first=Wayne |title=Half million dollar proposal seeks more health professionals at Cleveland County jail |work=KOKH-TV |url=https://okcfox.com/news/local/half-million-dollar-proposal-for-more-health-professionals-at-cleveland-county-jail-cleveland-county-sheriff-rod-cleveland-cleveland-county-district-1-commissioner-turn-key-health-clinics-representative-jon-echols |access-date=February 26, 2025}} He also worked for the law firm Crowe and Dunlevy.

Echols ran for the 90th district of the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2012 to succeed Charles Key.{{cite news |last=Rolland |first=Megan |url=https://oklahoman.com/article/3847383/oklahoma-county-legislative-incumbnets-unchallenged |title=Oklahoma County legislative incumbents unchallenged |work=The Oklahoman |date=April 13, 2012 |access-date=February 26, 2025}} He won the election and was reelected until he was term limited in 2024. From 2016 to 2024, he served as the majority floor leader of the house and he holds the record for longest serving majority leader.

Echols received the 2015 Distinguished Service Award for Higher Education from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the Council of College and University Presidents.{{Cite web |date=February 6, 2015 |title=Representative Jon Echols honored for his support of Higher Ed |publisher=Oklahoma City Community College |url=https://www.occc.edu/news/2015/echols-distinguished-service-award/ |access-date=June 14, 2024 |website=occc.edu |language=en-US}} He would go on to receive the award in 2020 and 2021 as well.{{Cite web |date=October 14, 2020 |title=House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols Receives Higher Education Distinguished Service Award |url=https://okhighered.org/2020/10/dsa-echols-2020/ |access-date=June 14, 2024 |publisher=Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education |language=en}}{{Cite news |date=December 10, 2021 |title=Echols earns Distinguished Service Award |work=The Journal Record |url=https://journalrecord.com/2021/12/echols-earns-distinguished-service-award/ |access-date=June 14, 2024 |language=en-US}}

In 2016, Echols asked Sheriff Vic Regalado's office to change a bid requirement on a medical contract for the Tulsa County jail so his company, Turn Key Health Clinic, could bid. Echols said he asked for the change so that in-county companies would have a fair opportunity to make bids.{{Cite news |last=Branstetter |first=Ziva |date=July 14, 2016 |title=Sheriff changed bid requirement after meeting with lawmaker seeking contract |url=https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/sheriff-changed-bid-requirement-after-meeting-with-lawmaker-seeking-contract/ |access-date=June 14, 2024 |website=The Frontier |language=en-US}}

In 2023, Echols was the House author on Senate Bill 840 (co-authored by Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada), a bill that "deals with name, image, likeness — the new endorsements phenomenon known as NIL." Echols marked it as "high-priority."{{Cite news |date=April 3, 2023 |last=Krehbiel |first=Randy |title=College athletes' name, image, likeness bill is first Senate measure passed by Oklahoma House |work=Tulsa World |url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/college-athletes-name-image-likeness-bill-is-first-senate-measure-passed-by-oklahoma-house/article_893aa550-d234-11ed-99a1-bbf1ccde3908.html}}

In October 2023, Echols voiced support for Israel in the Gaza war, calling Hamas a terrorist organization and saying that Israel is in its rights to "wipe" Hamas out, but pointing out that Hamas is "not our Muslim brothers and sisters"and differentiating between Hamas and Palestinian civilians in Gaza.{{Cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Scott |author-link2=Jason Dunnington |last2=Dunnington |first2=Jason |last3=Echols |first3=Jon |title=Your Vote Counts: Domestic Violence |url=https://www.newson6.com/story/652be82d46edeb06524712d7/your-vote-counts:-domestic-violence |access-date=2023-10-16 |website=KOTV-DT |language=en}}

In 2024, Echols introduced House Bill 4156, a state immigration law creating the crime of "impermissible occupation." Attorney General Gentner Drummond helped draft the bill.{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=Lionel |title=Oklahoma's anti-immigration bill inches closer to becoming law; legal challenges expected |url=https://www.kosu.org/politics/2024-04-19/oklahomas-anti-immigration-bill-inches-closer-to-becoming-law-legal-challenges-expected |access-date=February 26, 2025 |work=KOSU |date=April 19, 2024 |language=en}}

{{see|2026 Oklahoma elections}}

On February 26, 2025, Echols officially launched a campaign for Attorney General of Oklahoma.{{cite news |last1=Ramos |first1=Lionel |title=Former House Rep. Jon Echols files to run for Oklahoma State Attorney General |url=https://www.kgou.org/politics-and-government/2025-02-25/former-house-rep-jon-echols-files-to-run-for-oklahoma-state-attorney-general |access-date=February 26, 2025 |work=KGOU |date=February 25, 2025 |language=en}}

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Category:1979 births

Category:Living people

Category:Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives

Category:21st-century members of the Oklahoma Legislature

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