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Showing: March, 2016
Senate Pro Tem's weekly Q&A with Capitol press (Week 8)
Senate Pro Tem's weekly Q&A with Capitol press (Week 8)

The Senate unveiled a portrait Tuesday of the nation’s first African American Deputy Marshal, Bass Reeves.
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Unveiling of portrait of Deputy Marshal Bass Reeves.

Legislation to help families get assisted outpatient treatment for adult relatives with mental illness before a situation reaches a crisis has been approved by the full Senate. House Bill 1697, by Sen. AJ Griffin and Rep. Lee Denney, was approved unanimously by the full Senate on Tuesday. The legislation is named the Labor Commissioner Mark Costello Act. Costello’s adult son, Christian, who struggled with mental illness for years, is charged in his father’s 2015 death.

read more.
Sen. Griffin explains mental illness bill.
Sen. Griffin welcomes Cathy Costello to the Senate.
Cathy Costello talks to reporters after passage of Mark Costello Act.

Legislation to help families get assisted outpatient treatment for adult relatives with mental illness before a situation reaches a crisis has been approved by the full Senate. House Bill 1697, by Sen. AJ Griffin and Rep. Lee Denney, was approved unanimously by the full Senate on Tuesday. The legislation is named the Labor Commissioner Mark Costello Act. Costello’s adult son, Christian, who struggled with mental illness for years, is charged in his father’s 2015 death.

read more.
Sen. Griffin explains mental illness bill.
Sen. Griffin welcomes Cathy Costello to the Senate.
Cathy Costello talks to reporters after passage of Mark Costello Act.

Legislation to help families get assisted outpatient treatment for adult relatives with mental illness before a situation reaches a crisis has been approved by the full Senate. House Bill 1697, by Sen. AJ Griffin and Rep. Lee Denney, was approved unanimously by the full Senate on Tuesday. The legislation is named the Labor Commissioner Mark Costello Act. Costello’s adult son, Christian, who struggled with mental illness for years, is charged in his father’s 2015 death.

read more.
Sen. Griffin explains mental illness bill.
Sen. Griffin welcomes Cathy Costello to the Senate.
Cathy Costello talks to reporters after passage of Mark Costello Act.
Senate Pro Tem's weekly Q&A with Capitol press (Week 6)

Two bills reforming parts of Oklahoma’s juvenile justice system won approval by the full Senate on Wednesday. Sen. AJ Griffin is the author of Senate Bills 1200 and 1233. She said the measures are part of a comprehensive juvenile justice reform effort based on the findings and recommendations of a two-year task force. read more.

Sen. Griffin explains juvenile justice reform bills.

The full Senate has approved Sen. David Holt’s legislation to make “revenge porn” against the law in Oklahoma. Approved Wednesday on a vote of 42 to 2, Senate Bill 1257 criminalizes the dissemination of non-consensual pornography, sometimes called “revenge porn.”

“Non-consensual pornography is a purely destructive act,” said Holt, R-Oklahoma City. “It targets women and it should be a crime. Prosecutors have told me that our current laws are inadequate, and I hope we can get this legislation through to change that.”
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Sen. Holt says bill makes revenge porn illegal.

The full Senate has given unanimous support to legislation to better protect victims of domestic violence. Senate Bill 1491, also known as Kristen’s Law, was authored by Sen. Bryce Marlatt and changes the legal definition of pattern of physical abuse. The bill was approved Wednesday 44 to 0.
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Sen. Marlatt explains his domestic violence bill.