Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 12, 2025

SB 861: Crimes and punishments; gang-related offenses; modifying reference to certain offense. Effective date.

SB 861 amends Oklahoma law to clarify that individuals committing gang-related offenses - such as those listed in Section 856 of Title 21 - as a condition of gang membership or while associated with a gang face a mandatory 5-year prison term added to any other penalties. It updates statutory references to align with existing definitions of "criminal street gang" and "gang-related offense" from Section 856. The bill, effective November 1, 2025, directly affects criminal street gang members who commit specified offenses, reinforcing penalties for gang-associated criminal activity. It makes no new policy changes but corrects outdated references in current law.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeAdds mandatory 5-year prison term for gang-related offenses as condition of gang membership, increasing sentencing severity.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 12, 2025

SB 813: Victim protective orders; modifying requirements for filing of certain petitions; requiring certain notice. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 813 updates Oklahoma's emergency protective order process for victims of domestic violence, stalking, harassment, rape, or related crimes. It requires peace officers to immediately provide victims with a petition form, assist in completing it, and contact a judge for emergency approval - then give victims a copy of the petition and a written statement confirming approval. The bill also mandates officers attempt to serve the order on the abuser, and if unable, file the petition with the court the next business day, with court clerks prioritizing service and assigning hearing dates. Additionally, it repeals a previous "Stalking Warning Letter" requirement and clarifies notice procedures to ensure victims receive timely information.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill streamlines victim protective orders for domestic violence/crimes, requiring officer assistance and immediate judicial approval - enhancing victim safety within criminal justice system.95% confidence | Rep's Stance Voted absent

signed · Oklahoma · House May 8, 2025

HB 2376: Criminal procedure; directing the District Attorneys Council to annually provide list of early termination applications; effective date.

HB 2376 requires Oklahoma's District Attorneys Council to annually provide a report to the Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker by November 30 each year. The report must include all applications for early termination of suspended sentences (under specific eligibility rules) and copies of any objections or responses from district attorneys. This applies to individuals with suspended sentences exceeding five years who meet probation and rehabilitation requirements, or who qualify for an earlier review through education, certification, or consistent employment. The bill creates a transparent reporting mechanism to track these requests and objections, without altering the existing early hearing eligibility criteria.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill mandates annual reporting on early termination of suspended sentences for rehab-qualified individuals, promoting sentencing reform and reducing recidivism through streamlined rehabilitation pathways.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 8, 2025

HB 1991: Criminal procedure; authorizing defendants to post bond in another jurisdiction under certain circumstances; effective date.

HB 1991 allows defendants held in Oklahoma county, municipal, or regional jails to post bond in another Oklahoma jurisdiction to resolve custody holds from that other county. Specifically, if a defendant has a hold from another county, they can post bond in the requesting county, and once proof of bond posting is provided, the hold is released. This changes existing procedure by enabling defendants to secure release from inter-county holds without waiting for the original county to process bond requests. The bill applies directly to defendants confined in Oklahoma jails facing out-of-county custody requests and takes effect November 1, 2025.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeEnables faster defendant release by allowing bond posting across jurisdictions, reducing unnecessary pretrial detention and aligning with criminal justice reform goals of minimizing jail populations.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports 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