Bill Aims To Make Strangulation An 85% Crime
A state lawmaker filed a bill that would address a common domestic violence red flag.
Republican State Sen. Darrell Weaver’s Senate Bill 1236 would designate strangulation as an 85% crime. That means those found guilty of the crime would be required to serve at least 85% of their sentence before being considered for parole.
In a news release, Weaver said strangulation is often not just a single act of violence but a precursor for more severe forms of violence.
He also said the reclassification will hold perpetrators accountable, protect victims from further harm, and strengthen Oklahoma’s legal framework to address domestic violence.
Clear Warrants At Reduced Charge In OKC
Oklahoma City is offering a reprieve on overdue tickets for things like speeding or parking illegally.
From now until the end of the year, OKC is letting anyone with a warrant for an unpaid municipal ticket to clear it at a reduced charge, similar to what they would’ve paid if they’d done it on time.
Here’s an example the city cites: A speeding ticket from a few years back might normally cost more than $600 to resolve when you add up fines, fees and a failure to appear charge.
With the program, it can now be resolved for just $155.
The program counts for any class “A” offense occurring before the start of 2022.
Bice Leading Effort For Paid Family Leave Legislation
A bipartisan group has unveiled a framework for potential federal legislation on paid family leave.
Oklahoma Congresswoman Stephanie Bice is helping to lead the effort.
Bice said the U.S. is one of only a handful of developed countries that does not have some sort of paid family leave program.
The framework released last week emphasizes a public-private partnership, coordination of benefits across states, incentivizing small businesses and expanding existing paid leave tax credits.
The group is now in the process of drafting the bill and seeking feedback.
Jones Academy Students Plan Science Experiment With Choctaw Nation Heirloom Seeds
Choctaw Nation heirloom seeds were sent to the International Space Station recently.
The seeds are due to come back to earth in April, and will undergo special experiments.
Smith peas, flour corn, lambsquarter greens, and a variety of Choctaw peas called chukfi were provided by the Nation’s Growing Hope seed bank.
The seeds were grown from traditional plants that originally traveled with Choctaw families on the Trail of Tears from their ancestral homelands to Oklahoma.
After the seeds come back to earth, students from Jones Academy in Choctaw Nation will plant them side by side with seeds that stayed on the ground.
Jacqueline Putman is a program coordinator with Growing Hope. She said this is as much a STEM program as it is helping the students connect with Choctaw culture.
“We want them interested in our seed program, interested in history and culture, who they are, where we come from and why this is so important that these seeds came on that Trail of Tears, to we have seeds in the heavens now,” Putnam said.
Putman said the students will monitor their growth rate to see how the seeds may grow differently when exposed to the elements of outer space.
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