Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 8, 2025

HB 1935: Criminal procedure; crimes; limitation; effective date.

HB 1935 amends Oklahoma's statute of limitations for prosecuting certain criminal cases. It shortens the time limit for prosecuting embezzlement of public funds (including school district funds) and specific financial crimes from 7 to 5 years after discovery. For sexual crimes against children, prosecutions can now continue until the victim's 45th birthday, while cases involving DNA evidence preserved at the time of the crime may proceed even after standard time limits expire. The bill also prohibits relying solely on recovered memories from therapy in such cases and sets a 3-year limit for wildlife crimes and fraud.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExtends prosecution window for child sexual abuse until victim's 45th birthday, prioritizing victim access to justice and aligning with criminal justice reform goals.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 8, 2025

HB 2705: Sexual assault victims; directing law enforcement agencies to inform sexual assault victims of the status of certain evidence; codification; effective date.

HB 2705 requires Oklahoma law enforcement agencies to inform sexual assault victims about the status of forensic evidence in their case upon the victim's request. Specifically, victims must be told whether DNA was tested, if the DNA profile was entered into the state DNA database (CODIS), and if a match was found with another case. The law does not compel agencies to provide this information without a request and explicitly excludes details that could interfere with ongoing investigations. This law, effective November 1, 2025, directly affects sexual assault victims and law enforcement agencies handling such cases.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires law enforcement to inform sexual assault victims about evidence status, enhancing victim transparency and rights within criminal justice system.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 7, 2025

HB 1995: Crimes and punishments; definitions of sex crimes; designating school resource officers as employees of a school system; emergency.

HB 1995 expands Oklahoma's definition of rape to include sexual acts between students aged 16-19 (while under school custody) and school employees (including resource officers) who are 18 or older. It explicitly designates school resource officers as school employees for these provisions and adds similar protections for foster children under 19 and secondary school students concurrently enrolled in higher education with staff. The law specifies that such acts are rape under Section 1111, with penalties including minimum 3-year prison terms (25 years for victims under 12). It also updates related provisions in Section 1123 regarding lewd acts with children under 16.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExpands rape definition to protect minors from school staff, strengthening legal accountability and victim protections in criminal justice context.92% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill enhances student safety by defining staff-student sexual acts as rape and designating resource officers as school employees, protecting educational environments.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 7, 2025

SB 76: Parole; authorizing parole revocation by certain entity. Effective date.

SB 76 clarifies Oklahoma's parole revocation process by explicitly authorizing both the Governor and the Pardon and Parole Board to revoke parole for violations, rather than relying solely on the Department of Corrections. It requires parolees arrested for violations to be jailed immediately, halting parole time and earned credits until a revocation decision is made. The bill also creates a new option: parolees may be placed in specialized correctional programs (intermediate sanctions facilities) instead of facing full revocation for minor violations, at the Department's discretion. This law, effective November 1, 2025, directly affects people on parole in Oklahoma who violate terms, and the state agencies managing parole.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeIntroduces specialized correctional programs (intermediate sanctions) as an alternative to incarceration, promoting rehabilitation-focused parole management.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 623: Protection from Domestic Abuse Act; requiring service in certain location; requiring initial attempt of service of protective orders upon defendant within specified time frame. Emergency.

SB 623 requires that protective orders in domestic abuse cases be served to the accused person within 24 hours of issuance, with priority service available 24/7 when the defendant's location is known. It mandates electronic service between counties via sheriff's offices and allows sheriffs to use private process servers or other law enforcement if initial service fails. The bill directly affects domestic abuse victims (by expediting protection) and law enforcement (by changing service protocols), while ensuring orders have statewide validity for cross-jurisdiction service. These changes aim to improve the speed and reliability of serving protective orders to enhance victim safety.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeExpedites protective order service for domestic abuse victims, enhancing victim safety and court efficiency within criminal justice system.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 5, 2025

HB 1364: Crimes and punishments; sexual obscenity; making certain acts unlawful; effective date.

HB 1364 prohibits the nonconsensual sharing of AI-generated sexual images or real images of someone in a sexual act or showing intimate body parts without their consent. It defines "artificially generated sexual depiction" as images created using AI or photo editing that appear authentic but did not occur in reality. Violating this law is a misdemeanor (up to 1 year in jail or $1,000 fine) for first offenses, and a felony (up to 10 years in prison and sex offender registration) for repeated violations (three or more images within six months). The law applies to both real images and AI-generated content, with exemptions for criminal investigations and public exposure.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeProhibits nonconsensual sharing of intimate images, defining new criminal offense to protect victims' privacy rights under criminal justice framework.95% confidence ✓ TechnologySupports TechnologyProhibits nonconsensual sharing of AI-generated intimate images, protecting privacy against tech-enabled exploitation and aligning with data privacy safeguards.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

vetoed · Oklahoma · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 37: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation; authorizing response to certain events; creating revolving fund. Effective date.

SB 37 would have authorized the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) to independently respond to mass casualty events caused by violent crime (defined as incidents injuring ≥3 people, requiring unusual emergency resources, and causing a sudden surge of casualties) without needing a local law enforcement request. It created a "Mass Casualty Revolving Fund" in the state treasury to cover OSBI costs for these investigations, funded by state appropriations, federal grants, or other designated sources. The fund would allow ongoing, unrestricted spending for OSBI's role in coordinating with local agencies during such events. This bill was vetoed by the Governor on May 5, 2025, so it did not become law.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesCreates Mass Casualty Revolving Fund funded by state appropriations for OSBI investigations, directly allocating budget resources to public safety program.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeCreates Mass Casualty Revolving Fund to enable OSBI response to violent crime incidents without local request, directly funding law enforcement capacity for criminal justice response.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

Track

passed · Oklahoma · House May 5, 2025

HB 1594: Crimes and punishments; assault and battery; clarifying scope of certain unlawful act; effective date.

HB 1594 clarifies that certain assault and battery charges do not apply when death results from the act. The bill amends Oklahoma law to remove language that previously included cases involving death under specific assault/battery definitions. This change directly affects criminal cases where prosecutors might have sought charges under this statute for incidents resulting in death, narrowing the scope of the offense. The amendment specifies this clarification applies to cases where death occurs, not to other assault-related charges.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeClarifies assault/battery scope to exclude death cases, preventing misapplication of charges and aligning with accurate criminal justice enforcement.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

Track

passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 28, 2025

HB 2017: Bullying; aiding suicide; crimes and punishments; prohibiting certain communications through an online platform; schools; modifying provisions of the School Safety and Bullying Prevention Act; effective date.

HB 2017 updates Oklahoma's anti-bullying and online harassment laws to better protect students. It adds "aiding suicide" as a criminal offense (Section 1) and expands definitions of electronic harassment to include threatening online communications directed at specific individuals (Section 2), with misdemeanor penalties for first offenses and felony for repeat violations. The bill also modifies school safety policies under the School Safety and Bullying Prevention Act (Section 3), requiring schools to update anti-bullying policies annually, report incidents to parents within 24 hours, and prohibit retaliation against staff who report incidents. These changes directly affect students, schools, and online platforms by strengthening legal consequences for targeted online harassment and improving school response protocols.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeAdds criminal penalties for aiding suicide and online harassment, strengthening criminal justice enforcement in school safety context.95% confidence ✓ EducationSupports EducationBill strengthens school safety policies under Bullying Prevention Act, adding protections against online harassment and aiding suicide to protect students, directly advancing educational environment safety.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

Track

signed · Oklahoma · Senate Apr 28, 2025

SB 595: Jail standards; creating the Oklahoma Jail Standards Act. Emergency.

SB 595 creates the Oklahoma Jail Standards Act, requiring all city and county jails to meet new safety, health, and operational standards. It mandates annual inspections by the State Department of Health, sets specific requirements for inmate food, sanitation, medical care, staff training (4-8 hours yearly for direct-contact staff), and inmate classification, and requires facilities to develop written policies for emergencies and medical services. The bill directly affects all county jails, sheriff's departments, and facility administrators, while allowing temporary tent jails to operate under different rules. The Act also clarifies that medical care must cover illnesses or injuries from arrest through incarceration, and includes exceptions for short-term holding facilities under 12 hours.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeMandates improved jail standards including medical care, sanitation, staff training, and inspections, directly advancing corrections reform and inmate safety standards.90% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareMandates medical care standards for inmates in jails, strengthening healthcare provision within correctional facilities as part of operational requirements.80% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice