Representative Toni Hasenbeck

R

District 65

Hi, I'm Toni Hasenbeck and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 65th District.


representative

News & Announcements

Apr 23, 2024
Recent Posts

House Sends Age Restriction of Online Porn Access to Governor's Desk

The Oklahoma House of Representatives on Tuesday approved legislation restricting online access to pornography for people under the age of 18. Senate Bill 1959, which is authored in the House by Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, holds commercial entities accountable for knowingly distributing obscene material or material promoting child pornography on the internet. "Right now, pornography is easily accessible to kids of all ages through practically any device that has internet access," Hasenbeck said. "With Senate Bill 1959, we can close the current loopholes that grant children access to inappropriate materials." It mandates that such entities must compensate individuals for damages and provide mechanisms for subscribers to block access to harmful content. Additionally, entities employing reasonable age verification methods are exempt from liability. SB1959 also allows the Attorney General to seek injunctions against non-compliant entities. The measure is authored by Sen. Jerry Alvord, R-Wilson. "This legislation is something I am very proud to have authored," Alvord said. "This bill has been carried by my colleague Rep. Toni Hasenbeck in the House. Her support and true concern for passing this child protection bill has been truly impressive. There have been many talented people working behind the scenes to make this happen." The measure passed the House 79-13 and now moves to the governor's desk for consideration. If signed into law, SB1959 would take effect Nov. 1.

Mar 9, 2024
Recent Posts

House Approves Inclusion of AI Content in Definition of Child Pornography

Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, on Thursday secured passage of legislation that includes artificial intelligence images of a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the definition of "child pornography." House Bill 3642 would include any visual depiction that appears to be a child engaged in sexually explicit content, regardless of whether the image is a depiction of an actual child. "The capabilities of AI today are terrifying," Hasenbeck said. "Somebody could screenshot an image of a toddler online and create a very realistic image or video of that child. While that image or video might technically be fake, the intent behind it is not, which is why we need to expand the definition of child pornography to include AI content." The measure passed the House 81-0. HB3642 is authored in the Senate by Pro Tem Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City.

Feb 9, 2024
Recent Posts

Hasenbeck Passes Domestic Abuse Survivorship Act Through Committee

Legislation requiring courts to consider abuse in sentencing for cases of the murder of domestic partners passed the House Judiciary - Civil Committee Thursday. House Bill 3640, authored by Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, creates the Domestic Abuse Survivorship Act. It requires that the court must consider as a mitigating factor that a person found guilty of the homicide of their intimate partner had been abused physically, sexually, economically or psychologically by that partner. HB3640 requires at least one proof of evidence, such as a sworn statement from a witness to the domestic violence, an order of protection, or a record from the court, social services, law enforcement or hospital. Under the act, if a court finds evidence that abuse occurred within one year before the offense, it can depart from the applicable sentence. "It's so easy to say 'this person should have done this' or 'they should have done that,' but that attitude fails to take into account not only the very nature of abuse, but the specific details of each survivor's situation as well," Hasenbeck said. "In contrast, the Domestic Abuse Survivorship Act requires the consideration of all details of the relationship between the offender and the deceased prior to sentencing." Hasenbeck pursued similar legislation last year, but she says the biggest change this year is the option for currently imprisoned people with similar cases to petition for sentencing relief. If the court finds evidence that the applicant is a survivor of domestic abuse, the court may reduce the original sentence. There is no period of limitation for applications of relief. "Each survivor's circumstance and case is unique, and House Bill 3640 allows for consideration of the full scope of the situation not only in future cases, but for domestic violence survivors sitting in our state prisons right now," Hasenbeck said. The bill also requires certain attorneys to complete three hours of education and training annually on domestic abuse survivorship, as well as requires presentence investigations to include whether the offender previously survived abusive relationships, sexual assaults or human trafficking. According to the  Oklahoma Dept. of Health , 40% of Oklahoma women and 38% of Oklahoma men have experienced violence, rape or stalking from an intimate partner at least once in their lives.