Journalist: Heidi Hampton (TU)
House member Caden Jolliff, student at The University of Tulsa, presented her bill, House Bill No. TU-507, on the second day of session. Her bill shall be titled “Animal Cruelty Offender Registry” Act of 2026. The bill passed the house after a tied vote of 40-40. Speaker of the House Cannon Mitchell was the tie-breaker for this bill and voted in favor of passing the bill.
The “Animal Cruelty Offender Registry” Act was a very contentious bill. The bill was the first heard on Thursday morning and was the first tie-breaker vote of the session in the House. Two members of the House from Oklahoma State University, Ashley Landt and Titus Montgomery, voted against the bill’s passage. Two members of the House from The University of Tulsa, Ella Hampton and George Leydorf, voted in favor of the bill’s passage.
Members of the House Ashley Landt and Titus Montgomery of OSU, voted against the passage of the bill reasoning, in part, that the penalties outlined were too harsh. They agreed animal abuse should not go unpunished, however classifying abuse as a felony and forcing offenders to register on a list of abusers was too harsh for the pair. Landt and Montgomery both agreed the bill has a lot of merit, however they would like amendments made, particularly in regards to the punishment.
Members of the House Ella Hampton and George Leydorf of TU, voted in favor of passing the bill. Hampton said she was for the passing of the bill because it would help prevent further animal abuse in the future by the same perpetrators. Leydorf stated he liked the transparency the bill would create by having a list of offenders it would be easier to see who is committing these crimes. Both Leydorf and Hampton said the problem of animal abuse will exist regardless of whether or not we pass the bill, however the bill would allow a bit more transparency around the issue.
Despite the contentions surrounding the bill, it passed with a tiebreaker vote and a final vote count of 41-40. This was the first bill to pass in the House this session.