The effort to give Oklahoma crime victims the same level of rights as those accused of committing crimes is making headway in both the House and Senate. Marsy’s Law is on track to ask voters to provide constitutional rights to victims.
Senate Joint Resolution 46 by Senator Anthony Sykes made it through the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday.
The House version of Marsy’s Law is House Joint Resolution 1002. Rep. Scott Biggs authored the measure which sailed through a House floor vote.
“Oklahomans deserve the right to have their voices heard should they find themselves immediately, and unwillingly, thrown into the processes of the criminal justice system,” said Biggs. “The swift passage of HJR 1002 through a favorable House Floor vote is a reassuring nod in the direction of securing elevated, constitutional rights for victims and their families in the state of Oklahoma.”
Upon passage of HJR 1002, the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association released a statement of support.
“The passage of HJR 1002 though the House of Representatives, with a 90-5 vote, is an incredible step in the right direction for leveling the playing field for victims of crime in our state. Marsy’s Law for Oklahoma has garnered bipartisan support throughout the legislative process thus far and the favorable stance today is telling of the understood need for constitutionally enforced rights for Oklahomans who in the future will find themselves in need of equal, respective protections, as currently afforded to defendants. The District Attorneys Association feels strongly that Marsy’s Law will only elevate the rights of victims, with no intentions of diminishing the rights of the accused, and we look forward to following the bill through the rest of the 2017 session,” said the statement.
