Committees

OKLAHOMA CITY – Two measures authored by Rep. Cynthia Roe, R-Lindsay, to expand reporting access for victims of abuse and increase physical education time for students in schools passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives and now move to the Senate for further consideration. "I’m grateful to my colleagues in the House for recognizing the importance of these bills and supporting their passage," Roe said. "Encouraging more physical activity in our schools can help students stay healthier and focused and in some cases may even reduce the need for certain medications. At the same time, expanding opportunities for victims to report abuse in hospitals is critical if we are serious about helping victims of human trafficking and working to end it." House Bill 3287 would require hospitals and health care facilities across Oklahoma to post signage related to domestic violence and human trafficking in both inconspicuous areas and private spaces used for patient-provider interactions. The signs would inform victims they can notify facility staff if they are experiencing abuse, coercion or trafficking. The measure was previously passed in the House Health and Human Services Oversight Committee and later passed the full House unanimously. Sen. Brenda Stanley, R-Midwest City, is the Senate author. The bill also would require facilities to establish clear protocols for responding when a victim comes forward. These procedures would include contacting law enforcement at a victim’s request and ensuring the victim can be safely discharged or released without alerting or interference from an alleged perpetrator. A second measure by Roe, House Bill 3288 , would expand physical education requirements for students in full-day prekindergarten through 12th grade. The bill passed the House with a vote of 81-11 and now heads to the Senate, where Sen. Bryan Logan, R-Paden, is the Senate author. HB3288 would expand current physical education requirements to include students in full-day prekindergarten and increase activity time for elementary students from a weekly average of 60 minutes to at least 150 minutes per week, or about 30 minutes per school day. Recess would not count toward the required minutes. For students in grades six through 12, the bill would replace the current law that strongly encourages physical education with a requirement that school districts provide at least 225 minutes of physical activity per week, or about 45 minutes per school day. Both measures now move to the Oklahoma Senate for further consideration.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. John George, R-Newalla, this week unanimously passed a bill in the House that would add domestic violence by strangulation to the list of crimes requiring a person to serve 85% of a prison sentence before being eligible for consideration for parole. If enacted, House Bill 3264 would prohibit those convicted from being eligible to receive earned credits toward reducing the length of their sentence to less than 85%. "Strangling an intimate partner is among the most horrific acts of violence and can all too often be deadly," George said. "Yet people convicted of this crime, in many cases, currently only have to serve about a third of any sentence imposed. This legislation would strengthen Oklahoma laws so that anyone committing this type of aggravated assault would be subject to greater punishment." The bill matches a recommendation of the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board.  Research shows that strangulation is one of the most common forms of domestic assault and battery and also one of the most fatal. Victims can lose consciousness in less than 10 seconds and can die within minutes. Strangulation victims are more likely to die than victims of other types of domestic assault and battery. Victims who have been strangled are 750 percent more likely to be killed by the same person in the future. Even if a person survives being strangled, there are short- and long-term physical effects, including memory loss, headaches, seizures, strokes, blood clots, even delayed death. In addition, George said Oklahoma has consistently ranked among the top 10 states of women murdered by men in single-victim, single-offender homicides. Despite the seriousness of the crime, domestic violence by strangulation is not yet considered a violent crime that requires an offender to serve at least 85% of their sentence before being considered for release. "We're talking about taking someone's very breath away – the essence of their life," George said. "All I'm asking is for the punishment to fit the crime." HB3264 passed the House on a vote of 89-0. It has been engrossed to the Senate where it is authored by Sen. Kristen Thompson, R-Edmond. 

OKLAHOMA CITY- Legislation by Rep. Preston Stinson, R-Edmond, aimed at improving awareness and prevention of dangerous blood clots has passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives and now moves to the Senate for further consideration. House Bill 3644 , titled the Blake Burgess Act, passed the House with a 71-24 vote. The bill is named in honor of Blake Burgess, a 21-year-old former neighbor and constituent of Stinson who died from a pulmonary embolism in 2020. The bill would require hospitals with emergency departments and ambulatory surgical centers to develop policies and procedures for identifying and responding to patients at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The measure also would require annual training for nonphysician staff on these procedures. "Blake’s death was a heartbreaking reminder of how quickly and quietly this condition can take a life," Stinson said. "Every six minutes, someone dies from complications of VTE. If we can increase awareness and improve screenings and respond faster, we can save lives like Blake's." Pulmonary embolism is a type of venous thromboembolism (VTE), a condition caused by blood clots that form in veins and can travel to the lungs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 Americans die from VTE each year, and many more experience long-term complications. The legislation also directs the Oklahoma State Department of Health to contract with the state’s designated health information exchange to create and maintain a statewide VTE registry. The registry would track data and performance measures to help improve patient care, ensure compliance with nationally recognized medical guidelines and monitor outcomes. Beginning July 1, 2027, hospitals with emergency departments would be required to report certain data to the registry. The Department of Health would submit a report on the incidence of VTE in the state by June 1, 2027. The bill also adds definitions of pulmonary embolism and venous thromboembolism to the Continuum of Care and Assisted Living Act. Assisted living facilities would be required to provide residents with a consumer information pamphlet about VTE upon admission. The pamphlet would be provided at no cost by the National Blood Clot Alliance. In addition, the measure would require assisted living facilities to include recognition of VTE symptoms and emergency response techniques as part of their comprehensive resident screening instruments. Stinson said the legislation is designed to improve education and coordination across the health care system. "Many people simply don’t know the warning signs of a blood clot until it’s too late. VTE is the leading cause of preventable death in a hospital setting." Stinson said. “This bill helps ensure that both patients and health care providers have the information and systems in place to recognize the risk and respond quickly." HB3644 now moves to the Senate for further consideration.