LEGISLATIVE COLUMN Bills Become Law; Budget Deal Announced

by Rep. John George, Dist 36

Several of the bills I authored this year will now become law, along with others waiting on the governor’s signature.

House Bill 1595 increases the maximum penalty for both assault and assault and battery. The assault maximum increases from 30 to 90 days, and assault and battery goes from 90 days to six months.

House Bill 1597 specifies that if a first responder tells a citizen to stay back 25 feet to allow them to do their job, the citizen will face a misdemeanor if they approach closer than that distance after the request is made. This will keep the first responder, including law enforcement, and our citizens safe and hopefully will do away with unnecessary confrontations. 

Senate Bill 369 expands the scope of aggravated assault and battery on a law enforcement officer to include strangulation. Right now, if someone chokes a police officer, it’s simple assault and battery.

Senate Bill 786 makes it illegal to consume marijuana or inhale second-hand marijuana smoke while operating a motor vehicle. It makes it illegal to possess an open container of marijuana in the passenger area of a vehicle, just like what we do for alcohol now. It increases the special assessment for trauma care fee from $100 to $250.

Senate Bill 607 assures victims of domestic violence will not be dragged back and forth to court while assuring the defendants’ Sixth Amendment rights. This is a request from the District Attorney’s Association that will now allow hearsay in domestic violence cases except for at trial. Victims’ statements to officers and when applying for a victim protection order (VPO) can be used without the victim being present in court proceedings.

Another bill passed the House on fourth reading after Senate amendments were adopted. The bill now moves to the governor.

House Bill 1592 creates the crime of organized retail theft and authorizes a task force at the state attorney general’s office to investigate these crimes across multiple jurisdictions throughout the state. Punishment of fines or imprisonment will depend on whether the value of the property stolen is over or under $15,000.

Also this week, House and Senate budget leaders, alongside the governor, announced that a $12.6 billion budget agreement has been reached. The prominent feature is a quarter-point cut to the state personal income tax rate, eliminating the three lowest income tax brackets, and a path to zero if certain revenue triggers are met each year.

We’ll still need to run budget bills through each legislative chamber and have the governor sign them into law. I’ll give many more details in my next column.

On a final note, we adopted House Resolution 1029, recognizing National Police Week, May 11-17, and National Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15. As a retired police officer who spent many years working in law enforcement, I hold my fellow officers and their work to keep the public safe in the highest esteem.

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 Cleveland and Oklahoma counties.