HB 2067 Oklahoma House · 2025 Regular Session

Crimes and punishments; creating the Oklahoma Crimes and Punishments Act of 2025; effective date.

HB 2067 creates a new process for convicted individuals in Oklahoma to seek relief based on newly available or undermining forensic scientific evidence. It allows people currently incarcerated, on parole/probation, or who have completed sentences to file petitions if such evidence was not available at trial or contradicts evidence used during their conviction. Courts must grant relief if the evidence is "favorable" (meaning it likely would have changed the trial outcome) and the applicant met reasonable diligence standards. This bill directly affects those seeking to overturn convictions through forensic evidence, without changing sentencing laws or creating new criminal offenses.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Feb 3, 2025 Last action Feb 13, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten by the Policy Committee to shift from a broad 'Crimes and Punishments Act' to a more specific 'criminal procedure' bill focused on allowing convicted individuals to seek relief based on new forensic scientific evidence that was unavailable at trial. This change narrows the scope to address wrongful convictions through scientific evidence rather than creating a general crimes framework.

Scope change

Changed from a broad crimes and punishments act to a specific criminal procedure bill focused on forensic scientific evidence petitions.

SCOPE

Bill title and subject matter changed from 'Crimes and Punishments Act' to 'criminal procedure' focusing on forensic scientific evidence.

DEFINITION

Added detailed definitions for 'favorable', 'forensic science', 'forensic scientific evidence', and 'scientific knowledge'.

ELIGIBILITY

Established specific eligibility criteria including incarcerated persons, those on parole/probation, and those who completed sentences.

TIMELINE

Set specific timelines for state response (60 days) and court hearings (30-90 days after filing).

REQUIREMENT

Added requirements for courts to consider whether scientific evidence has changed since the original trial date.

ENFORCEMENT

Created procedures for filing petitions, serving motions to state attorneys, and court authority to grant relief including vacating convictions.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 3, 2025

Introduced

First Reading

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors