Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House Apr 30, 2025

HB 1579: Juvenile bureaus; salaries and expenses; limitations; effective date.

HB 1579 sets salary limits for juvenile bureau staff in Oklahoma counties, capping directors' pay at 90% of Class A county officer salaries and other employees at 85%. It requires juvenile court judges (with county commissioner oversight) to establish expense limits for bureau operations and mandates that all bureau costs - salaries and expenses - be funded through county budgets or dedicated sales taxes. The bill also specifies that county excise boards must appropriate funds for bureau staffing and operations, consistent with other county officer budgets. Additionally, it clarifies that district attorneys represent juvenile bureaus in lawsuits, unless conflicts arise. The law became effective November 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCapping juvenile bureau staff salaries and requiring county budget funding limits restricts resource allocation for juvenile justice services.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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 No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 23, 2025

HB 2012: Public health and safety; harm-reduction services; deleting sunset date; effective date.

HB 2012 removes the July 1, 2026, expiration date for Oklahoma's harm-reduction services program, making it permanent. It authorizes government agencies, religious institutions, nonprofits, for-profit companies, and tribal governments to provide services including needle distribution, HIV/hepatitis testing, referrals for addiction treatment, and safe needle disposal. Providers must register with the State Department of Health and report quarterly on services delivered, such as the number of people served, needles distributed, and test results. This bill directly affects people who use injection drugs by expanding access to health services aimed at reducing disease transmission and overdose risks.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill permanently authorizes harm-reduction services including addiction treatment referrals, aligning with criminal justice reform by reducing recidivism through rehabilitation rather than punishment.95% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill makes harm-reduction services permanent, authorizing needle distribution, HIV/hepatitis testing, and addiction referrals - directly advancing public health access and prevention services.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✗ Voted No ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 22, 2025

HB 1689: Crimes and punishments; making certain acts unlawful; effective date.

HB 1689 amends Oklahoma's larceny law for lost property, establishing penalties based on the item's value: misdemeanor fines/imprisonment for items under $1,000, and escalating felony penalties up to 8 years for items valued at $15,000 or more. It specifically adds that removing retail shopping carts with intent to deprive the owner (or possessing such carts) is unlawful, punishable as a misdemeanor with up to 1 year in jail or $1,000 fine. The bill directly affects individuals who find lost property without making reasonable effort to return it or who remove shopping carts from retail parking areas. It takes effect November 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization by creating new offenses (e.g., retail cart removal) and increasing penalties for property crimes, aligning with 'increases mandatory sentences' indicator.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 17, 2025

HB 1861: Crimes and punishments; providing statutory reference for prostitution-related offense; effective date.

HB 1861 amends Oklahoma's prostitution-related offense penalties in Section 1031 of the statutes. It creates a new felony charge for engaging in prostitution while knowingly infected with HIV (Section B), increases penalties for child prostitution (Section C), and escalates violations near schools/churches to felony status with fines up to $7,500 and up to 5 years in prison (Section D). The bill directly affects individuals committing these specific prostitution-related offenses under the defined circumstances. It takes effect November 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill expands criminalization by creating new felonies for HIV-positive prostitution, increases penalties for child prostitution, and escalates near-school/church violations to felony status with harsher sentences.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 1, 2025

HB 1362: Crimes and punishments; unlawful immigration; making certain acts unlawful; penalties; emergency.

HB 1362 makes it a crime for non-U.S. citizens (defined as "aliens") to enter or remain in Oklahoma without legal authorization to be in the United States. First offenses are misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail or a $500 fine; second offenses or offenses committed during other crimes are felonies punishable by up to two years in prison or a $1,000 fine. The law requires convicted individuals to leave Oklahoma within 72 hours and mandates law enforcement to collect biometric data and check federal databases. It also preempts local governments from enacting conflicting immigration policies and creates an alternative to prison: if conditions are met (no prior violent crime, not charged with another felony), courts can order deportation instead of incarceration.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization of immigration violations with enhanced penalties (misdemeanors/felony), opposing reform by increasing punitive measures.90% confidence ✗ ImmigrationOpposes ImmigrationCriminalizes unauthorized presence with fines/jail, mandates removal - directly restricts immigration enforcement per bill's penalties and requirements.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 1, 2025

HB 1593: Criminal procedures; authorizing peace officers to dispute reports of misconduct; codification; effective date.

HB 1593 prevents prosecutors from disqualifying peace officers as witnesses based on unproven misconduct allegations. It allows officers who are placed on a "Do Not Call" list for alleged misconduct to dispute the claim by filing a petition with the Attorney General. An administrative law judge will hold a hearing to review the allegations, and if the misconduct claim isn't proven by a preponderance of evidence, the officer must be reinstated as credible. Courts must then consider the judge's findings when evaluating the officer's testimony. This bill directly affects peace officers and changes how misconduct allegations impact their ability to testify in criminal cases.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill weakens accountability by requiring proof to disqualify officers for misconduct, reducing oversight of law enforcement conduct.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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