To continue the series of Oklahoma bills that legislators are trying to pass, The Madill Record is highlighting a few more bills that are awaiting legislation.
Oklahoma Senate Bill 79, introduced by Senator Darrell Weaver during the 2025 Regular Session, seeks to establish the Uniform Child Abduction Prevention Act. This legislation aims to provide courts with guidelines and procedures to prevent child abduction in custodyrelated cases. Key provisions include Risk Assessment. Courts are directed to evaluate credible risks of child abduction by considering factors such as previous abduction attempts, threats or activities.
If a credible risk is identified, courts may implement measures like imposing travel restrictions, requiring supervised visitation, or mandating the surrender of travel documents to prevent potential abductions.
The bill emphasizes the application of the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act to ensure cooperation and communication among courts handling abduction prevention proceedings.
Oklahoma House Bill 1001, known as 'Lauria and Ashley'sLaw,'aimstoamend state sentencing guidelines by requiring individuals convicted of accessory to first or second-degree murder to serve at least 85% of their prison sentences before becoming eligible for parole. This legislation is named in memory of 16-year-olds Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, who were tragically kidnapped and murdered in 1999.
The bill seeks to prevent situations where individuals involved in such serious crimes serve minimal time due to earned credits. For instance, in this case, a man convicted as an accessory served less than three years of a ten-year sentence.
The bill was introduced by Representative Steve Bashore on February 3, 2025, and successfully passed the House Civil Judiciary Committee on February 6, 2025, with a 6 to 1 vote. It has since been referred to the Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight Committee for further consideration. The proposed legislation has financial implications. According to the Oklahoma House Bill Summary, applying the 85% rule to accessory to murder convictions would increase the average time served by approximately 4.87 years per inmate, resulting in an estimated additional cost of $37,790.71 per inmate due to extended incarceration periods.
Oklahoma House Bill 2733, introduced in the 2025 RegularSessionbyRepresentative Gerrid Kendrix, aims to amend criminal procedure by establishing time limitations for bail hearings. The bill was first read on February 3,2025,andsubsequently referred to the House Rules Committee on February 5, 2025. The proposed legislation seeks to amend specific sections of the Oklahoma Statutes related to bail procedures, including Sections 180 and 181 of Title 22, and Section 1105 of Title 21.
A notable provision is the introduction of a rebuttable presumption against granting bail to individuals arrested for manufacturing controlled dangerous substances, especially if they are dependentonorregularlyuse such substances. The bill is slated to become effective on November 1, 2025, if enacted.
Oklahoma Senate Bill 593, introduced by Senator DustyDeeversonFebruary3, 2025, aims to address issues related to obscenity and child sexual abuse material by establishing felony offenses and associated penalties. The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 4, 2025, for further consideration.
The proposed legislation seeks to criminalize the production, distribution, and possession of materials deemed obscene or constituting child sexual abuse content. Under SB 593, individuals convicted of offenses involving child sexual abuse material would face felony charges, with penalties ranging fromthreetotwentyyears in prison and fines starting at $10,000.
Repeat offenders could face enhanced sentences of ten to thirty years and fines of at least $20,000. Additionally, those convicted would be required to register as sex offenders under the Sex Offenders Registration Act. The bill has garnered attention and criticism from various organizations concerned about its potential impact on free speech and artistic expression.
The Author’s Guild, for instance, has expressed concerns that the bill's broad definitions could encompass works of fiction, such as romance novels, potentially subjecting authors and distributors to criminal penalties. They argue that the bill's language deviates from the established Miller Test for obscenity, which considers whether a work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, educational, political, or scientific value.
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