Senate Approves Bill to Expand Laws Against Threatening Phone Calls to Text/Instant Messaging

A joint House/Senate committee is the next stop for a bill to make sure the law against threatening, harassing or obscene phone calls is extended to include cell phones, text messaging, email and other forms of telecommunications. Sen. Ted Fisher, D-Sapulpa, is Senate author of House Bill 1804 which was approved unanimously Tuesday afternoon. The measure had previously won unanimous approval by the House as well.

“Cell phones, email, text messaging, instant messaging—none of those were even imagined when Oklahoma originally passed laws against threatening phone calls. We simply need to make sure our statutes are up-to-date so that the public is protected against this new form of harassment,” Fisher said.

Fisher noted that while these technological advancements have helped improve communications in business, government and for individuals, they’ve also been exploited by criminals who’ve used these modern communications tools as a new way to harass their victims.

Tamatha Mosier, Domestic Violence Specialist with the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault agreed that these new technologies are increasingly being used to threaten and harass individuals with a constant barrage of messages.

“Not just adult women but children are being harassed. Technological harassment and stalking is on the increase—we need to stave it off now before it gets worse,” Mosier said.

Rep. Lance Cargill, R-Harrah, is the House author of HB 1804 which would make a first offense a misdemeanor while a subsequent offense would be a felony. The measure next moves to a conference committee and then will return to both chambers for a final vote.