Criminal Justice

in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Mar 6, 2025

SB 123: Firearms; modifying scope of certain unlawful act. Effective date.

SB 123 modifies Oklahoma's Self-Defense Act to ban carrying firearms loaded with specific ammunition types: restricted bullets (per Section 1289.19), caliber larger than .45, or other legally prohibited ammunition. It directly affects individuals holding self-defense permits who carry firearms under the Act. The bill adds a $500 administrative fine for violations (in addition to potential criminal penalties), following a hearing by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The law takes effect November 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeRestricts firearm ammunition types under self-defense permits, adding fines and limiting permit holder rights, aligning with 'oppose' indicators.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Firearms

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died · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 16, 2026

SB 1260: Pardons and paroles; prohibiting parole eligibility and earning of credits for persons convicted of certain offenses. Effective date.

SB 1260 mandates that individuals convicted of specific serious offenses - including first-degree murder, child sexual abuse, human trafficking, and certain violent crimes - must serve at least 85% of their prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole. The bill prohibits these individuals from earning credits (such as good behavior time) that could reduce their sentence below this 85% threshold. It directly affects inmates convicted of the listed offenses, which include crimes like child sex trafficking (per Section 1030), forcible sodomy (Section 888), and human trafficking (Section 748). The law repeals prior statutes that allowed for shorter parole eligibility periods for these offenses and updates related legal references.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeMandates 85% sentence served, prohibits parole credits for serious offenses, increasing mandatory incarceration and restricting defendant rights.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Human Trafficking Probation & Parole Sentencing

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vetoed · Oklahoma · House May 29, 2025

HB 1592: Larceny; providing elements of organized retail crime; codification; effective date.

HB 1592 defines "organized retail crime" in Oklahoma, making it a separate offense when two or more specific circumstances occur during retail theft (such as property intended for resale, multiple people acting jointly, using tools to evade detection, or removing anti-shoplifting devices). It sets penalties: up to 5 years in prison or a $1,000 fine for stolen property under $15,000, and up to 8 years in prison or a $1,000 fine for $15,000 or more, plus mandatory restitution. The bill also amends statutes to clarify "pattern of criminal offenses" and recreates the Oklahoma Organized Retail Crime Task Force to study retail theft countermeasures. This law directly affects individuals committing retail theft meeting the defined criteria, with the task force providing policy recommendations until December 2024.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeIncreases penalties for organized retail theft (up to 8 years), expands criminalization, and mandates restitution, opposing reform-focused criminal justice policies.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Victims' Rights

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Feb 13, 2025

SB 78: Crimes and punishments; modifying statutory references to certain offenses. Effective date.

SB 78 requires individuals convicted of 22 specific serious offenses - including first-degree murder, rape, child sex trafficking, human trafficking, and aggravated assault - to serve at least 85% of their prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole. This applies to all sentences imposed after the bill's effective date (November 1, 2025). The bill prohibits earned credits or other sentence reductions that would allow parole eligibility before completing 85% of the sentence. It updates statutory references and language in Oklahoma law related to these sentencing requirements.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeMandates 85% prison time before parole for serious offenses, prohibiting early release options that would reduce sentences, aligning with indicators of restricting defendant rights and increasing mandatory sentences.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Probation & Parole Sentencing Violent Crime

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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

Sub-Topics Corrections Probation & Parole

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

Sub-Topics Corrections Violent Crime

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passed · Oklahoma · House Apr 1, 2025

HB 1593: Criminal procedures; authorizing peace officers to dispute reports of misconduct; codification; effective date.

HB 1593 prevents prosecutors from disqualifying peace officers as witnesses based on unproven misconduct allegations. It allows officers who are placed on a "Do Not Call" list for alleged misconduct to dispute the claim by filing a petition with the Attorney General. An administrative law judge will hold a hearing to review the allegations, and if the misconduct claim isn't proven by a preponderance of evidence, the officer must be reinstated as credible. Courts must then consider the judge's findings when evaluating the officer's testimony. This bill directly affects peace officers and changes how misconduct allegations impact their ability to testify in criminal cases.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill weakens accountability by requiring proof to disqualify officers for misconduct, reducing oversight of law enforcement conduct.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Judges Policing

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in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1061: Crimes and punishments; making certain acts unlawful; codification; effective date.

HB 1061 makes it a crime to intentionally assault or batter municipal, county, or state officials while they are performing their official duties. It creates two offenses: a misdemeanor for assault (up to 1 year in jail or $1,000 fine) and a felony for battery or assault-and-battery (up to 5 years in prison or $5,000 fine). The law specifically covers officials like police, fire, health, code enforcement, and zoning personnel, as defined in the bill. It applies to intentional harm without justifiable cause, directly affecting both officials performing their duties and individuals who target them. The bill takes effect November 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeCreates new criminal offenses for assaulting officials with penalties, expanding criminalization without reform elements.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Corrections Policing Violent Crime

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in committee · Oklahoma · House Feb 4, 2025

HB 1307: Crimes and punishments; establishing penalty for certain persons convicted of murder in the first degree; effective date.

HB 1307 amends Oklahoma law to change penalties for first-degree murder convictions. It mandates the death penalty for foreign-born individuals convicted of first-degree murder who were in the U.S. without valid immigration documentation or violated their visa terms at the time of the crime, unless "overwhelming mitigating evidence" is presented. For all other first-degree murder convictions, the bill maintains the existing options of death, life without parole, or life imprisonment. The law takes effect November 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeMandates death penalty for foreign-born murder convicts without valid immigration status, expanding criminalization and increasing severity for a specific group, opposing reform-focused criminal justice principles.90% confidence

Sub-Topics Probation & Parole

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in committee · Oklahoma · Senate Mar 3, 2025

SB 965: Juries; increasing certain violations related to juror misconduct to a felony. Effective date.

SB 965 amends Oklahoma law to increase certain serious jury misconduct violations from misdemeanors to felonies. It specifically targets jurors or appointed arbitrators who promise a verdict or improperly receive information about a pending case. Subsequent or severe violations of these rules may now be prosecuted as felonies instead of misdemeanors. The bill takes effect on November 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill elevates juror misconduct to felony, expanding criminalization per indicators.95% confidence

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