The state Legislature’s recently completed session was productive for Oklahomans in many ways. I am especially pleased that legislators passed several new laws that will help in our fight against domestic violence.
Sadly, Oklahoma is plagued by domestic violence more than almost any other state. Approximately 40 percent of Oklahoma women and 38 percent of men have been or currently are being abused physically. We also have the second-highest rate of the number of women killed by men.
During the 10 years that I served on the board of the Tulsa Family Safety Center, one of the more surprising things I learned about domestic violence is that it impacts people from all walks of life. It does not discriminate based on age, social status, race, gender or political affiliation.
It is critical we continue to find new solutions to combat the horrors of domestic violence and to support victims and survivors. Eight new pieces of legislation emerged this year to do just that.
- House Bill 1273, authored by Rep. Toni Hasenbeck and Sen. Aaron Reinhardt, introduces alternative standards for batterers’ intervention programs. It allows my office to certify two pilot intervention programs to explore new ways to help abusers accept responsibility for their actions. Gov. Stitt tried to block these important new programs, but thankfully our state Legislature stepped up to override the veto and ensure these much-needed services are delivered.
- HB 1360, authored by Rep. Hasenbeck and Sen. Jerry Alvord, allows the Address Confidentiality Program director to request the personal information of a participant be kept from public view on a county assessor’s website. This provides important protection for survivors of domestic violence who need to keep the location of their residence confidential. The Address Confidentiality Program protects the physical address of victims of domestic violence and other violent crimes from disclosure. Victims who move to a new location unknown to their abuser are provided with a substitute address when interacting with state and local agencies. The program also provides participants with a cost-free, first-class mail forwarding service.
- HB 1413, by Rep. Josh West and Sen. Bill Coleman, strengthens consequences for repeat domestic violence and stalking offenders. If an offender pleads guilty or no contest to stalking or violating a protective order, or if the offender is found guilty of doing so, the plea or finding will count as a conviction for sentencing purposes. This change allows the past actions of a repeat offender to be fully considered when a sentence is handed down.
- HB 2207, by Rep. Mike Lay and Sen. Aaron Reinhardt, gives qualified residential treatment facilities the ability to file for a protective order on behalf of a child in its care. In 2023, children were present at almost a quarter of domestic violence incidents in Oklahoma. During the same year, 21 children in Oklahoma were killed as a result of domestic violence. This is horrific. We must do more to protect the most innocent victims of domestic violence, and this bill is key to our fight.
- Senate Bill 541, by Sen. Todd Golihare and Rep. Nicole Miller, makes domestic assault and battery subsequent offenses and domestic assault and battery on a pregnant woman statutorily violent crimes. This legislation eliminates the discrepancies between domestic and non-domestic crimes. Prior to this law, offenders faced harsher penalties for assaulting a stranger than they did for assaulting an intimate partner.
- SB 607, by Sen. Brent Howard and Rep. John George, makes statements related to domestic abuse admissable in pre-trial and post-trial hearings. This modification will give more flexibility to prosecutors and courts when domestic abuse cases are heard.
- SB 623, by Sen. Coleman and Rep. John Pfeiffer, requires that the initial attempt to serve an emergency domestic abuse protective order is completed within 24 hours of its issuance, including service to the county jail if the defendant is in custody. This enhances protections for victims who may be facing imminent danger from their abusers.
- SB 813, by Sen. Ally Seifried and Rep. Stan May, also bolsters victim safety through the service of protective orders. It requires peace officers to attempt to serve the subject of an emergency temporary order and to file a petition in district court expeditiously if service is not made.
I sincerely appreciate the work of these bill authors to create critical new laws addressing the blight of domestic violence and the willingness of the state Legislature to support these new measures, some of which were recommended by the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board and championed by my office.
In addition, my office has received a pair of grants to bolster the implementation of the Oklahoma Lethality Assessment Protocol (LAP) to enhance services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. LAP is used by law enforcement to identify intimate-partner violence victims who are at high risk of homicide so they can be connected with support services.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office on Violence Against Women awarded my office $994,032 to add two LAP training coordinators to the unit who will implement a statewide training and awareness campaign on best practices. Moreover, the grant adds law enforcement agencies to a new digital database that will streamline referrals to domestic violence and sexual assault service providers.
A $270,434 DOJ grant administered by the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council adds a third training coordinator to the unit to assist with the LAP training and implementation effort. The grant applications were based on recommendations by the Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board.
We must, and will, remain focused on the fight to end domestic violence.
