Innocencent Men, Money, and Time.

November 18, 2018 admin News 0

Kelsey Briggs

Nov. 16, 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Time and money are of the essence when it comes to ORU-513. Innocent until proven guilty not only justifies in a court of law but likewise to this new bill.

ORU-513 is also known as “Protecting the Innocent and Their Earnings” act of 2018. In section 3 subsection A-1, the bill states, “Any individual under criminal investigation shall not lose governmental assistance or awards given by institutions funded by the government until it is proven in the court of law that the individual is guilty of the allegations.” Under the section, individuals with aid from the government are set to have a hold on their financial help until the trial has found them innocent or guilty. Section 4 subsection A states that, “Any institution or organization funded by the government that terminates awards or assistance prior to having a court verdict over an individual’s allegations will be obligated to give 50% (fifty) of the original assistance or award plus the remaining assistance or award that was yet to be used to the individual.” College students will receive half of their scholarships or awards even if the current student has allegations against them. Debates surfaced among delegates over the idea that “the accused deserves equal right s as their accuser. Students do not deserve to be outcast socially or within the class.”

​“Originally it was just an idea given the recent events with Justice Kavanaugh. I knew that everyone would agree with this idea, but I wasn’t sure about all the details, so I just put my trust in the House. I’m really happy with all the input I have received,” said, Jose Osorto, House of Representatives member and bill author.

Figure 2: Rep. Blanton(RSU) debating ORU-513
Amendments were added to the bill in order to make the piece of the legislature a fair standard for convicted students. Rep. Blanton gave a compelling debate in order to back up the idea of unfairness in students. “Our fellow students do not deserve to be kicked out of class nor penalized under this, therefore, we amended the bill not to penalize our own,” said Blake Blanton, House of Representative member.

​Representatives voted in favor of the bill Nov. 16, 2018, and the bill to move to the Senate floor for debate. The Senate debated the bill and in conclusion, the bill fails with a vote of 14-8 opposed to the bill and 12 abstained. ORU-531 was vetoed by the Senate.