Shelton Seeks Honor for former Rep. Opio Toure

Legislative Staff Release

Published: 11-Feb-2010

Lawmakers voted to honor the memory of former state Rep. Opio Toure today by naming a section of Interstate 35 in his honor.

“Representative Toure was a champion for the people of his district and for the causes of the underprivileged. He was a freedom fighter who spoke for those who didn’t have a platform to speak for themselves,” said state Rep. Mike Shelton, an Oklahoma City Democrat. “His loss is still felt in our community and I believe this is an appropriate way to honor his memory.”

Toure, who passed away in 2008, served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1994 to 2006.

An amendment authored by Shelton and attached to House Bill 2696 would designate the portion of Interstate 35 in Oklahoma City running between Northeast 23rd Street and Interstate 40 as the “Representative Opio Toure Memorial Highway.”

The bill passed out of the House Transportation Committee today (Thursday, Feb. 11) and now goes to the floor of the Oklahoma House.