Crimes and punishments; expanding scope of acts that require service of minimum percentage of sentence. Effective date.
SB 631 expands Oklahoma's "85% rule" to require inmates convicted of 23 specific serious offenses to serve at least 85% of their prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole. This applies to crimes including first-degree murder, rape, child exploitation (such as child pornography or trafficking), human trafficking, aggravated assault on someone defending another, and discharging a firearm into occupied buildings. The bill eliminates parole eligibility for these offenses until 85% of the sentence is served, removing options like earned credits that could shorten sentences. It directly affects individuals convicted of these listed offenses, ensuring they serve a longer portion of their sentences. The law takes effect November 1, 2025.
Bill status
vetoed
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
Mar 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Vetoed
May 2025
Introduced Feb 3, 2025
Vetoed May 29, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons
What changed between versions
Floor (House)
→
Floor (Senate)
·
4 edits
MODERATE
This bill amends Oklahoma's sentencing laws to require convicted individuals to serve at least 85% of their prison sentences before becoming eligible for parole. It expands the list of serious offenses that trigger this requirement and removes eligibility for earned sentence credits for those convicted of these crimes.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope of offenses requiring minimum sentence service from 22 categories to 23 categories by adding 'discharging a firearm at or into a dwelling or building used for public or business purposes' to the list of qualifying offenses.
REQUIREMENT
Added a new offense requiring 85% minimum sentence service: discharging a firearm at or into a dwelling or building used for public or business purposes (Section 1289.17A).
ELIGIBILITY
Modified eligibility criteria by removing the ability for convicted individuals to earn sentence credits that would reduce their sentence below the 85% minimum threshold.
TIMELINE
Changed the effective date from November 1, 2025 to February 11, 2025, and updated the committee report date to February 11, 2025.
TECHNICAL
Minor formatting and organizational changes between House and Senate versions, including renumbering of offense categories and committee report attribution.
Floor votes
How they voted
This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
33
Key actions
8
Committee
6
May 29, 2025
Introduced
Filed with Secretary of State
upper
May 29, 2025
Vetoed
Veto overridden: Ayes: 68 Nays: 17
lower
May 29, 2025
Vetoed
Veto override message received
lower
May 29, 2025
Vetoed
Veto overridden: Ayes: 38 Nays: 7
upper
May 12, 2025
Vetoed
Vetoed 05/08/2025
upper
May 1, 2025
Committee
Referred for enrollment
upper
May 1, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 71 Nays: 17
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
CR; Do Pass Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee
lower
Apr 8, 2025
Lower · Passed
Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass Criminal Judiciary
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Judiciary
lower
Mar 13, 2025
Introduced
First Reading
lower
Mar 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
Engrossed to House
upper
Mar 12, 2025
Committee
Referred for engrossment
upper
Mar 12, 2025
Upper · Passed
Measure passed: Ayes: 37 Nays: 7
upper
Feb 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported Do Pass Public Safety committee; CR filed
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
First Reading
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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