Senate committee approves nomination of Tyler Schneifman

A Senate committee voted 11-0 to approve the nomination of Tyler Schneifman, a farmer from Garber, Oklahoma, after a brief hearing that included a presentation of his agricultural background and a procedural clarification about district representation.

Senator Petersen introduced Schneifman to the committee, calling him "a great candidate" and outlining his upbringing on a fifth-generation farm, his involvement in FFA and speaking competitions, and his May 2017 economics degree from Oklahoma State University. "He's just a great candidate and I urge you yes vote," Petersen said in closing remarks.

Tyler Schneifman, who identified himself to the committee, described his operation as a diversified family farm. "My name is Tyler Sniffman. I'm from Garber, Oklahoma, North Central part of the state," he said, and went on to detail that the farm grows wheat, double crops, soybeans and corn; sells seed wheat regionally; operates a Pioneer seed agency and a logistics/trucking entity; and runs a cattle operation with a branded heifer development program. He said he was "extremely thankful for this opportunity" and looks forward to serving.

Senator Hicks asked a procedural question about a committee packet, noting it appeared District 1 was not listed on the sheet provided to members. Secretary Arthur responded that he had contacted Chris Bridal in the governor's office and that the omission appeared to be a transposed number on the history-and-function sheet; Arthur said the counties are listed elsewhere in the materials and that appropriate representation would be in place if the nominee moved forward. "My guess is that just a number probably got transposed," Arthur said.

After no further questions, the committee proceeded to a roll-call vote. Members recorded in the transcript as voting "Aye" included Senators Boehlert, Burns, Green, Grelner, Hicks, Kern, Logan, Prieto, Woods, Vice Chair Peterson and Chair Murdoch. The clerk announced "11 ayes and 0 nays," the chair declared the nomination passed and adjourned the meeting.

Note on name spelling: the transcript contains variant spellings of the nominee's surname; this article uses the standardized spelling "Tyler Schneifman."