A bill that would give prosecutors the discretion to seek the death penalty on a first conviction for child rape is moving to the governor after final passage in the Senate this week.
Senate Bill 599 would subject anyone convicted of child sexual abuse crimes against a child under 14 to the death penalty or to life without parole on first conviction, rather than after a subsequent offense under current law.
I agree with the Senate author of this bill that under no circumstances should an individual convicted of these heinous crimes get a second chance to abuse another youth. Such criminals should receive the full weight of punishment, and survivors should know they will receive justice and better protection under the law.
Also this week, the House passed final amendments on House Bill 1003, which would increase the age threshold for statutory rape from 16 to 18 years old. This will better protect our kids from groomers and child sex traffickers. The bill now goes to the governor for his consideration of signing it into law.
The bill does preserve some protections under the state’s “Romeo and Juliet” law, meaning young people who engage in consensual sexual activity with someone under 18 would not be charged with rape if the age difference between them is less than four years. We certainly want to punish child predators to the fullest extent, but we don’t want to criminalize teens who may have been in a longterm relationship when one turns 18 before the other. Sex between a school employee and a student under the age of 20 would still be considered rape.
House and Senate leaders came together with the governor this week to announce a budget agreement. Budget bills will still have to run through the leg- islative process, but the intent is to deliver a budget that is just a hair above what was appropriated for the current fiscal year. We also plan to provide some tax relief via a quarter-percent personal income tax cut for the top three tax brackets while eliminating tax altogether for the lowest three brackets. This will benefit all Oklahomans.
We’ll still provide education almost 50% of the budget, while increasing funds for county roads and bridges and other rural projects through Rural Economic Action Plan grants. I’ll share more details from the budget in future columns.
On a final note, the House this week held a moment of silence to recognize fallen law enforcement officers on May 15, Peace Officers Memorial Day, during the observance of National Police Week. Our law enforcement officers willingly risk their lives every day to ensure all Oklahomans remain safe. It’s gratifying to see the Legislature recognize the sacrifice made and the ultimate cost of this duty.
Remember, if I can help you in my capacity as your representative, please do not hesitate to contact me at the Capitol. My office phone is (405) 557-7375, and my email is tim.turner@okhouse. gov.
Rep. Tim Turner, a Republican, represents House District 15 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes Haskell County and portions of McIntosh, Muskogee, Le Flore and Pittsburg counties.
