Monday, March 7, 2016
OKLAHOMA CITY — Governor Mary Fallin today commended the Oklahoma House of Representatives for its bipartisan approval of four bills related to reforms spotlighted in her State of the State address last month.
“These measures address Oklahoma’s prison population, which is among the highest in the nation, without jeopardizing public safety,” said Fallin. “With our state prisons filled to well over capacity, it is vital that we make some changes to our criminal justice system.”
The House passed:
The measures, all by Rep. Pam Peterson, now go to the Senate.
The bills were proposed by the governor’s Oklahoma Justice Reform Committee.
They won the endorsement of several groups and business leaders, such as the Oklahoma Policy Institute; the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber; the Tulsa Regional Chamber; the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association; Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA) President Jonathan Small; OCPA Impact; Clay Bennett; David Rainbolt; and Adam Luck, state director of Right on Crime.
The Oklahoma Justice Reform Committee includes the governor, House speaker, Senate president pro tempore and heads of corrections and mental health departments, with subcommittees made up of prosecutors, judges and law officers.