Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 29, 2025

SB 85: County jails; increasing reimbursement rate amount. Effective date.

SB 85 increases the daily reimbursement rate for Oklahoma counties housing state inmates from $27 to $32 per inmate. Counties that incur higher actual costs can request reimbursement for those costs by September 30, with the state either accepting the amount or having the State Auditor determine it if rejected. The bill also adds a 3% annual inflation adjustment to the base rate and specifies that reimbursements must cover jail operational expenses and personnel costs. This directly affects county governments managing jails under state incarceration agreements.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeIncreases county jail reimbursement rates for inmate housing, directly funding correctional operations under criminal justice funding framework.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 28, 2025

HB 1462: Criminal procedure; directing courts to prioritize orders of payments of restitution; effective date.

HB 1462 requires Oklahoma courts to prioritize ordering restitution payments to crime victims when sentencing convicted defendants (excluding death penalty cases). The bill amends sentencing procedures to ensure courts consider restitution as a key requirement before other sentencing options, with interest accruing at 12% annually. It directly affects convicted individuals who must pay restitution, crime victims who receive priority for compensation, and courts that must now formally prioritize this in sentencing decisions. The law applies to all criminal convictions where restitution is feasible without causing undue hardship to the defendant.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticePrioritizes victim restitution in sentencing procedures, advancing victim rights and fair sentencing within criminal justice reform.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 28, 2025

HB 1460: Criminal procedure; fees; fines; court; sentencing; revolving fund; effective date.

HB 1460 adds new fees for criminal convictions in Oklahoma. It requires courts to collect a $10 fee for most convictions (excluding parking violations) and a $150 laboratory analysis fee for cases involving forensic services from OSBI, the Chief Medical Examiner, or local agencies. Funds from these fees are deposited into specific accounts: the $150 fees go to OSBI, medical examiner, or local law enforcement revolving funds, while the $10 fees fund the CLEET Training Center and General Revenue. The bill also creates a $5 fee for misdemeanor marijuana possession cases, with proceeds going to a drug education fund. These fees apply to individuals convicted of offenses punishable by fines or jail time, excluding minor traffic violations.

Topics ✓ Budget & TaxesSupports Budget & TaxesAdds $10 and $150 fees to fund CLEET Training Center, General Revenue, and law enforcement revolving funds, increasing state revenue streams for budget allocation.95% confidence ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeAdds fees funding forensic services (OSBI) and law enforcement training (CLEET), strengthening operational capacity within criminal justice system.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 27, 2025

HB 2235: Wrongful convictions; increasing liability amount for claims of wrongful incarceration; codification.

HB 2235 creates a new automatic process for sealing eligible arrest records in Oklahoma, directly affecting individuals with clean-slate eligible arrests (e.g., dismissed cases or non-convictions). It requires the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to monthly identify eligible records, notify law enforcement and prosecutors, and automatically seal records after 45 days if no objections are raised (e.g., for unpaid restitution or ongoing criminal activity). The bill mandates annual reports to the legislature on non-sealed cases and prohibits employers/educators from requiring disclosure of sealed records. This focuses on expungement procedures, not compensation for wrongful convictions, as clarified by the codified process in the bill text.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeAutomates sealing of non-conviction records, reducing barriers to employment/housing and aligning with criminal justice reform goals to protect civil rights.90% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 27, 2025

HB 1003: Crimes and punishments; modifying age limitations for certain prohibited acts.

HB 1003 modifies Oklahoma's rape statutes by raising age thresholds for certain offenses. It increases the age of protection from 16 to 18 years in key situations (e.g., when a victim is under 18, in school, or in foster care), and clarifies that school employees engaging in sexual conduct with students under 20 must be 18 or older. The bill also updates age difference rules for consent-based cases, requiring perpetrators to be at least 18 and four years older than the victim (who must be 16 or older). These changes directly affect minors in educational or foster care settings and their adult perpetrators. The law took effect May 27, 2025, without gubernatorial action.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRaises age protections for victims in rape statutes, strengthening legal safeguards against exploitation of minors under 18.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 27, 2025

HB 1863: Children; Children's Code; multidisciplinary child abuse team; review; functions; secure database; protocol; Commission on Children and Youth; requirements; rules; codification; effective date.

HB 1863 requires Oklahoma counties to form multidisciplinary child abuse teams (including police, medical staff, and child welfare workers) to handle cases of child sexual abuse, physical abuse, or neglect. These teams must create joint investigation protocols to minimize trauma for child victims, use a secure database for case reviews, and eliminate duplicative efforts across agencies. The bill increases penalties for confidentiality breaches from $500 to $5,000 fines and mandates annual reviews of teams by the Commission on Children and Youth. It directly affects district attorneys' offices, child protective services, and the Commission on Children and Youth. The law standardizes procedures for investigating and reviewing child abuse cases statewide.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires multidisciplinary teams for child abuse cases, improving interagency coordination and reducing victim trauma - aligns with criminal justice reform indicators.92% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 21, 2025

HB 1414: Counties and county officers; qualifications for county sheriff; military police service; effective date.

HB 1414 changes Oklahoma's requirements for county sheriff candidates by adding a four-year full-time peace officer experience prerequisite, or equivalent military police service (verified by a DD214 form). It also mandates that newly elected sheriffs complete an approved sheriff's administrative training program within 12 months of taking office or risk losing their CLEET certification. The bill applies to all candidates filing for office after November 1, 2025, and does not affect current or previous sheriffs. This update aims to standardize qualifications and training for county law enforcement leadership.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires four years' peace officer experience/military service and mandatory training for sheriffs, enhancing law enforcement standards and accountability per criminal justice reform indicators.90% confidence ✓ VeteransSupports VeteransExplicitly accepts military police service (verified by DD214) as equivalent sheriff qualification, supporting veteran employment in law enforcement roles.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · House May 15, 2025

HB 2103: Judicial Nominating Commission; recusal of member; removal of board member; campaign contributions disclosure; eligibility of members; effective date.

HB 2103 updates procedures for Oklahoma's Judicial Nominating Commission. It requires Commission members to recuse themselves if related by blood or marriage to a judicial applicant within the third degree, and mandates immediate removal for violations. The bill also requires members to disclose campaign contributions to judicial candidates within 10 days of receiving applications, with this information posted publicly online. These changes take effect November 1, 2025, and the bill was approved by the Governor on May 14, 2025. The law focuses on transparency and conflict avoidance in judicial appointments.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeRequires judicial recusal and campaign disclosure to enhance court integrity and transparency, supporting judicial accountability within criminal justice system.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 14, 2025

SB 391: Opioid overdose fatalities; dissolving Overdose Fatality Review Board; providing for Attorney General oversight. Effective date. Emergency.

SB 391 extends the Opioid Overdose Fatality Review Board's existence until July 1, 2026 (correcting the bill title's "dissolving" error), requiring it to review opioid overdose cases involving adults. The Board gathers confidential records from medical examiners, hospitals, law enforcement, and other agencies to identify systemic issues in medical or law enforcement responses, then makes recommendations for improvement. All case discussions and recommendations remain confidential and privileged, not admissible in court, while the Board must publish an annual public report by February 1 detailing its findings and system coordination. This directly affects state agencies (like mental health services, law enforcement, and medical examiners) and ensures public transparency through annual reports.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeBill extends Opioid Overdose Review Board to identify systemic issues in law enforcement responses, making recommendations for improvement. Aligns with criminal justice reform by enhancing oversight and accountability.85% confidence ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill establishes board to review opioid overdose cases and improve medical/law enforcement responses, strengthening public health system oversight in healthcare.95% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice

signed · Oklahoma · Senate May 14, 2025

SB 83: Prisons and reformatories; modifying elements of exemption to certain account. Effective date.

SB 83 amends Oklahoma law governing inmate trust funds for prisoners working in prison industries or the Construction Division. It requires that at least 20% of most inmates' wages be placed in a mandatory savings account (exempt for life-sentence inmates), with funds payable upon release. The bill specifies that interest from these accounts goes to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund, not inmates, and establishes rules for accessing funds (e.g., transfers between accounts limited to once every 90 days). This directly affects incarcerated Oklahomans earning wages through prison work programs.

Topics ✓ Criminal JusticeSupports Criminal JusticeMandates inmate savings for post-release support, funds Crime Victims Fund with interest - supports rehabilitation and victim compensation, aligning with reform goals.85% confidence | Rep's Stance ✓ Voted Yes ✓ Supports Criminal Justice