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 It makes no new policy changes but corrects outdated references in current law.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 · House May 5, 2025

HB 1001: Crimes and punishments; Lauria and Ashley's Law; minimum prison sentences; effective date.

HB 1001, known as "Lauria and Ashley's Law," requires individuals convicted of 23 specific serious crimes - including murder, rape, child exploitation, trafficking, and certain violent assaults - to serve at least 85% of their prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole. It prohibits earned credits or other reductions that would shorten sentences below this 85% threshold. The law applies to all offenders convicted of these designated offenses and takes effect November 1, 2025. It was signed into law by the Governor on May 5, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeRequires 85% minimum prison sentence for serious crimes, prohibits sentence reductions via earned credits, increasing mandatory incarceration and reducing parole eligibility.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 5, 2025

SB 369: Assault and battery; modifying scope of certain unlawful act. Effective date.

SB 369 expands the definition of aggravated assault and battery against law enforcement officers in Oklahoma. It specifically includes attempts to gain control of an officer's firearm or strangulation as qualifying offenses. The law applies to police officers, sheriffs, deputies, highway patrol officers, corrections personnel, and state/federal peace officers enforcing state laws while on duty. This change makes those specific acts punishable as a felony with penalties including up to life in prison or a $5,000 fine. The bill was approved by the governor on May 3, 2025, and is now in effect.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization of offenses against officers, increasing penalties to felony level with life sentences, aligning with 'oppose' indicators.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes 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 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 · Senate Apr 17, 2025

SB 871: Crimes and punishments; required service of minimum percentage of sentence; modifying statutory references to certain criminal offenses. Effective date.

SB 871 modifies Oklahoma's law against eluding police officers by updating penalty structures for different offenses. For first-time offenders, it increases the maximum fine for misdemeanor eluding from $2,000 to $5,000 and raises the jail term for second offenses to up to one year. If eluding endangers others, the offense becomes a felony punishable by 1-5 years in state prison; if it causes "great bodily injury" (defined as serious harm like permanent disfigurement or long-term disability), penalties increase to 1-7 years. The bill also clarifies legal language around these offenses and takes effect November 1, 2025. It directly affects drivers convicted of eluding police in Oklahoma.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases fines and jail terms for eluding police, raising penalties for offenses and expanding criminalization, opposing reform-focused criminal justice policies.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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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Mar 17, 2025

SB 748: Larceny; establishing certain offense and providing penalty. Effective date.

SB 748 amends Oklahoma's larceny laws for theft from retail or wholesale businesses, establishing tiered penalties based on the value of stolen merchandise and prior convictions. It increases punishments for repeat offenses (e.g., third theft under $1,000 becomes a misdemeanor with up to 1 year in jail), classifies thefts of $1,000-$15,000 as felonies with prison terms up to 8 years, and requires restitution to victims. The bill also allows aggregating multiple thefts within 180 days for sentencing and imposes a $500 fine or 30 hours of community service for stealing shopping carts. This directly affects individuals who steal merchandise from stores, with penalties varying by value, frequency, and prior record.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill increases penalties for theft, classifies more offenses as felonies, and aggregates multiple thefts for harsher sentencing, expanding criminalization and mandatory punishments.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Mar 12, 2025

SB 928: Assault and battery; creating misdemeanor and felony offenses. Effective date.

SB 928 creates new misdemeanor and felony charges for assaulting or battering county employees while they are performing their duties. It defines "county employee" broadly to include workers for counties and contracted firms. Simple assault/battery becomes a misdemeanor (up to 1 year in jail or $1,000 fine), while aggravated attacks become felonies (up to 2 years in prison or $5,000 fine). The bill also requires counties to post clear signage stating that felony charges may apply for such attacks. This law directly affects county employees and aims to strengthen protections for them during work.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeExpands criminalization by creating new assault offenses against county employees, increasing penalties, aligning with 'oppose' indicators.90% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentProtects county employees from assault, enhancing workplace safety protections for workers performing duties.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Mar 11, 2025

SB 780: Flag-related offenses; creating felony offense and providing penalties. Effective date.

SB 780 creates a felony offense for removing or taking down the U.S. flag from public property or private property (without permission) and replacing it with another flag. It directly affects individuals who handle U.S. flags on public or private property, including property owned by others. The bill imposes penalties of up to $3,000 in fines, up to three years in prison, or both for violations. The law becomes effective November 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new felony offense for flag removal, expanding criminalization without reform context. Aligns with 'oppose' indicator of increased criminalization.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✗ Opposes Criminal Justice

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