Crimes and Punishment; Bus Passenger Safety Act; expanding scope of unlawful acts. Emergency.
SB 562 strengthens Oklahoma's Bus Passenger Safety Act by expanding criminal penalties for violence targeting buses and passengers. It defines "bus" broadly to include vans, railcars, and other public transit vehicles, and makes it a felony to seize control of any bus (up to 20 years in prison), intimidate drivers/passengers (up to 10 years), or use deadly weapons during such acts (up to 20 years). The bill also prohibits discharging firearms in buses or terminals without valid self-defense justification (up to 5 years). These provisions directly affect bus passengers, drivers, and transit staff by increasing legal consequences for threats and violence against them.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
May 2025
Introduced Feb 3, 2025
Signed May 27, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 6 comparisons
What changed between versions
Floor (House)
→
Floor (Senate)
·
3 edits
MINOR
The bill was revised to transition from a House version to a Senate version, updating the legislative session dates and committee report details. Substantively, the definitions for 'rolling stock transit vehicles' were expanded to include a broader range of vehicles like cars and vans, and the penalties for using a deadly weapon were increased to a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Scope change
The scope of the bill was expanded by redefining 'rolling stock transit vehicles' to include cars, vans, and other support vehicles, thereby extending the Bus Passenger Safety Act's protections and prohibitions to these additional vehicle types.
DEFINITION
The definition of 'rolling stock transit vehicles' was broadened to explicitly include buses, vans, cars, railcars, locomotives, trolley cars, ferry boats, and vehicles used for support services.
ENFORCEMENT
The penalty for violating the act by using a dangerous or deadly weapon was increased, with the maximum prison term raised to 20 years and the maximum fine raised to $20,000.
TECHNICAL
The header information was updated to reflect the Senate Floor Version, changing the session date to February 11, 2025, and updating the committee report attribution.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 27, 2025 · House May 6, 2025
How they voted
42–7
Passed
Total votes 49
Mar 27, 2025
D
Democratic9
77% Nay
R
Republican40
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
28
Key actions
9
Committee
7
May 15, 2025
Committee
Referred for enrollment
upper
May 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Measure and Emergency passed: Ayes: 35 Nays: 6
upper
May 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
HAs adopted
upper
May 7, 2025
Lower · Passed
Engrossed, signed, to Senate
lower
May 6, 2025
Committee
Referred for engrossment
lower
May 6, 2025
Lower · Passed
Third Reading, Measure and Emergency passed: Ayes: 93 Nays: 0
lower
Apr 17, 2025
Lower · Passed
CR; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Policy recommendation to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee; Do Pass, amended by committee substitute Criminal Judiciary
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Judiciary
lower
Mar 31, 2025
Introduced
First Reading
lower
Mar 31, 2025
Upper · Passed
Engrossed to House
upper
Mar 27, 2025
Committee
Referred for engrossment
upper
Mar 27, 2025
Upper · Passed
Measure and Emergency passed: Ayes: 40 Nays: 7
upper
Feb 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported Do Pass Public Safety committee; CR filed
upper
Feb 3, 2025
Introduced
First Reading
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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