By Rep. John George
Feb. 20 was the original deadline for bills to be out of policy committees or Appropriations & Budget subcommittees. Ice and snow closed the House for a day, pushing that deadline forward to Feb. 24.
Now, we are hearing bills in oversight committees and in full A&B before they’re eligible to be heard on the House floor.
Six of my bill passed the Judicial and Public Safety Oversight Committee on Tuesday.
House Bill 1591 moves three crimes into the 85% sentencing category: domestic abuse by strangulation, domestic assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault and battery upon a law officer. Those convicted would be required to serve 85% of their prison sentence before being eligible for consideration for parole and would not be allowed to earn credits to reduce their sentence.
House Bill 1592 creates the crime of organized retail theft, authorizes a task force at the state attorney general’s office to investigate these crimes across multiple jurisdictions throughout the state, and lowers the threshold for felony theft of this nature from $1,000 to $500.
House Bill 1593 is a due process bill for law enforcement officers who feel they have been unjustly put on a do-not-call list by a local district attorney. Such an action effectively ends their career, and his bill outlines recourse procedures We passed this bill overwhelmingly in the House two years ago, but the District Attorneys Council requested a change in language, and we accommodate that in this measure.
House Bill 1594, would make domestic aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon the same language as aggravated assault and battery with a deadly weapon. Both will now include more than just firearms. We never want to lessen domestic crimes.
House Bill 1595 would increase the maximum penalty for both assault and assault and battery. For assault, the maximum would go from 30 days to 90 days incarceration, and for assault and battery, the maximum would go from 90 days to six months.
House Bill 1597 should cut down on unnecessary confrontations between first responders and citizens during protests. If a first responder performing their duty requests a citizen to stay back 25 feet, the citizen would face a misdemeanor charge only if they approaches closer than that distance after the request is made.
One bill passed in the House and now moves to the Senate.
House Bill 1598, would allow veterans with more than 50% disability to get discounted license plates for up to four vehicles instead of the two they are now allowed.
One additional bill passed the House Appropriations & Budget Finance Subcommittee and now moves to full A&B.
House Bill 1599 would exempt state pensioners from state income tax once they turn 65.
As always, thank you for electing me to serve District 36. Please feel free to reach out with any thoughts or concerns on legislation. I can be reached at (405) 557-7322 or at john.george@okhouse.gov.
Rep. John George, a Republican, serves District 36 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Luther, and Oklahoma and Cleveland counties.
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