By Journalist Destiny A. Murphy (ORU)
The second bill heard at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature’s Saturday morning Senate session was that of Bill No. OU-502, a sexual assault bill, authored by Representative King (OU). The intent of the bill was to end the backlog of sexual assault kits in the state of Oklahoma.
Section 2, subsection A of the bill outlined that the law enforcement agency would have seven (7) days “to collect and take into custody results of the sexual assault examination, biological evidence, clinical notes, X-rays, and all other relevant documents.” The remaining three (3) subsections of Section 2, further outlined that the law enforcement agency would have fifteen (15) days to submit the aforementioned items to a forensic laboratory operated by the political subdivision of the law enforcement agency or The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The bill also indicated that within ten (10 days) of the agency submitting items to the respective laboratory or investigation bureau, victims should be notified of the submission, progress and outcome of testing.
Furthermore, the bill required law enforcement agencies to make quarterly reports to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation regarding the cases and testing of sexual assault kits.
During questions and caucusing, the author did specify that the intent of the bill was not to bring a resolution to existing backlog sexual assault kits. Rather, the goal of the “End the Backlog” Act of 2022 is more so to provide preventative measures for future sexual assault cases.
The author’s intent was to ensure that survivors receive the answers they deserve regarding their cases.
During the course of proceedings, an amendment was made by O.I.L. Senator Hutson to strike “fifteen” and replace it with “twenty-two” as it relates to the days for submission of testing and review of kits. However, the amendment failed, and ultimately the bill failed to pass in the Senate.