Ceremonial signing held for bill establishing permanent Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) Board

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Democratic Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, has spent much of her legislative career championing efforts to better support survivors of sexual assault and bring predators to justice. On Tuesday, a ceremonial bill signing was held to mark the governor’s approval of Senate Bill 1933, making the state’s Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) Task Force into a permanent board, ensuring its work will continue for years to come.

Floyd, who is term limited this year, said SB 1933 represented the culmination of work that has spanned her 12 years in the legislature to help sexual assault survivors pursue justice, utilizing a bipartisan approach and bringing all stakeholders, including law enforcement, prosecutors, survivors and advocates, to the table.

“When we first started, we had more than 7,000 untested rape kits, but by this past session, we’d reduced the backlog to about 700, and those should be cleared within a year. These efforts are proof of what we can achieve on behalf of our citizens through bipartisan cooperation,” Floyd said. “I’m grateful to my principal House author, Rep. Kevin Wallace, for his hard work, for the support of our fellow members on both sides of the aisle, and to Governor Kevin Stitt for signing this bill into law.”

"I'm thrilled to see this bill signed into law and thank everyone who played a role in passing this vital legislation,” said Wallace, R-Wellston. “This is necessary and important work to help us find and prosecute perpetrators and to help assist victims of these horrible crimes."

SB 1933 will take effect on Nov. 1, 2024.

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CUTLINE: Sen. Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City and Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellston, principal authors of SB 1933, along with members of the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence (SAFE) Task Force, took part in a ceremonial bill signing with Gov. Kevin Stitt.  The legislation, which takes effect in November, makes the task force a permanent board.

For more information, contact:
Democratic Leader Kay Floyd
Capitol: (405) 521-5610
Kay.Floyd@oksenate.gov