Judiciary - Civil

House Committee

Committee on Judiciary - Civil

Committees News & Announcements


Mar 14, 2024
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House Passes Bill allowing Law Officers to Review Camera Footage Prior to report

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, this week passed legislation in the House that would allow police to review camera footage before completing reports or making statements regarding events while they are performing their official duties.  House Bill 3598 would require law enforcement agencies that utilize any type of camera system – including fixed security cameras in a police station or law enforcement office, vehicle mounted cameras, or body cameras worn by peace officers – to establish policies and procedures addressing the proper use, maintenance, and storage of the various cameras and the data recorded. The policies would be individual to each entity, but they must include guidelines that permit a peace officer to review the recorded data before writing a report or providing a statement about any event during performance of their official duties. "We're looking for accuracy," Ford said. Ford, a former police officer, said this would be akin to referring to notes taken at a crime scene before completing reports, or the same as allowing officers the ability to look at documents to refresh their memory before they go to court. The policies also must include guidelines regarding the proper release of audio and video data in compliance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act. Ford said he filed an amendment to the bill that specifies that any policy permitting review of recorded footage by a peace officer may not be used to delay or deny records requests or public access to recorded footage from such cameras. Ford also passed House Bill 3885 on the House floor. The measure would extend the amount of time municipal or district courts would have to file for misdemeanor warrants for a traffic citation when a defendant was released on personal recognizance but failed to appear in court and no arrangement was made with the court to satisfy the citation. The bill moves the requirement to file the warrant from 120 days to one year, giving municipalities and courts more time to obtain accurate records from Service Oklahoma. The measures now move to the Senate for consideration. 



Feb 16, 2024
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Miller Passes Alzheimer's Education Bill Through Committee

Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, passed legislation ensuring the support of adults with cognitive impairments in Oklahoma through the House Judiciary – Civil Committee on Thursday.  House Bill 3667 requires that individuals applying for guardianship of an adult with a cognitive impairment complete specified training before being appointed as a guardian. Particularly, the training for Alzheimer's must encompass understanding the disease, communication techniques, and available resources.  "There are immense challenges faced by Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers. House Bill 3667 is a proactive effort to equip guardians with the necessary knowledge and resources to effectively care for adults with Alzheimer's or other dementias," Miller said. "By ensuring guardians are well informed about the disease and the support available to them, we can enhance the quality of care provided to these vulnerable individuals. Additionally, the disease-specific training helps to better prepare caregivers and reduces caregiver stress."  More than 70,000 Oklahomans live with Alzheimer's disease, and there are over 135,000 loved ones currently serving as caregivers.  HB3667 passed the committee unanimously on Thursday. 



Feb 8, 2024
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Lauria and Ashley's Law Passes Committee

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Steve Bashore, R-Miami, today secured passage of a bill in committee that would add accessory to murder in the first or second degree to the list of crimes that would require an offender to serve 85% of their prison sentence before being eligible for consideration for parole. Those convicted also would not be eligible to earn any type of credits that would reduce the sentence to below 85% of what was imposed. House Bill 2946 is named Lauria and Ashley's Law after 16-year-olds Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, of Welch, who were kidnapped, tortured, raped and killed in 1999. The measure passed out of the House Judiciary-Civil Committee and is now eligible for consideration by the full House. Bashore said his legislation was a response to the shockingly low number of years to which the person accused of accessory to felony murder in this case was sentenced and his early release from prison last year. "Family members of the young women killed in this case came to me imploring my help when they realized the person guilty of accessory to murder was to be released after serving so little time in prison for this horrific crime," Bashore said. "They also are concerned that he's now free to move about their community in close proximity to their family. I'm hoping that no other family going forward will have to go through such a shock after suffering such a devastating loss." Ronnie Busick was convicted of accessory to felony murder in the case that also involved the shooting deaths of Ashley's parents, Danny and Kathy Freeman. Their remains were discovered in their mobile home that had been set on fire. The bodies of the teens have never been found, but court records indicate they were thrown into a Picher area mine pit. Busick was sentenced in 2020 to 10 years in prison and five years' probation for his involvement in the murders, which happened Dec. 31, 1999. It is reported he was offered a lower sentence in exchange for information to help investigators locate the bodies of the teens. Even though Busick was allowed to plea down to the lesser crime, he was unable to provide information leading to the discovery of the teens' bodies. They have not been recovered. According to the Department of Corrections, Busick was credited with three years of time served in a county jail and subsequent good-days earned while incarcerated, leading to his release date of May 19, 2023. He is on supervised probation for one year. "While these girls are dead and missing after being tortured, raped and murdered, this individual is living back in district because he only got five years," Bashore said. "He got credit for brushing his teeth, for taking a shower, for personal hygiene, while this family is out here trying to find their kids. This perpetrator did not pay his debt to society and there's no guarantee a new or similar crime will not be committed. "At the very least, this bill would ensure criminals like him would have to serve more of their actual time and would not earn credits toward their release." Bashore said he learned of Busick's release from Lisa Bible Brodrick, a cousin of Lauria Bible, who is a constituent in his House District 7. After meeting with the family, he first wrote a letter to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond asking him to review the prosecution and sentencing of Busick. He then decided to file legislation. If enacted, Lauria and Ashley's Law would go into effect Nov. 1, 2024. 


Committee Members

(12)

Chair

Chris Kannady

R

District 91

Vice Chair

Bob Culver

R

District 4

Steve Bashore

R

District 7

Collin Duel

R

District 31

Erick Harris

R

District 39

Anthony Moore

R

District 57

Mike Osburn

R

District 81

Melissa Provenzano

D

District 79

Suzanne Schreiber

D

District 70

Chris Sneed

R

District 14

Danny Sterling

R

District 27

Preston Stinson

R

District 96

House Staff Assigned

Grace Shelton

Deputy Chief Counsel

Quyen Do

Deputy Research Director

Robert Flipping

Fiscal Policy Analyst

Audrey Pratt

Staff Attorney II