Weekly Cockroft Column: Committees Clear Bills

I am proud to say that I have had three bills cleared in committee recently.

Under legislation approved unanimously in the House Government Modernization Committee, open records requests concerning any state entity could be made on a single online site. My legislation, House Bill 2379, would authorize the chief information officer to create and maintain openrecords.ok.gov, where the public could make open records requests. The chief information officer would then make the requested documents available on data.ok.gov.

My second bill, approved by the House Judiciary committee, would ban a greater number of sex offenders from living near schools or playgrounds. House Bill 2437 would impose the ban on rapists living near schools, child care centers, playgrounds or parks to include anyone convicted of molesting a child younger than 18. 

Current state law imposes the ban only if the victim was under the age of 13. I believe that a pedophile who rapes a 15-year-old is just a dangerous as one who targets younger children. We should not allow a technicality to give pedophiles access to schools or playgrounds where they can victimize other children.

The legislation was requested by members of the Pottawatomie County Sheriffs Department.

Finally, House Bill 2381 was approved by the House Public Health Committee. The legislation requires physicians who prescribe RU-486 for the inducement of an abortion to be physically present when the drug is first provided to the patient or they will be subject to a felony.

If you have questions or need information, please contact my office at josh.cockroft@okhouse.gov or (405) 557-7349. Rep. Cockroft is on Facebook and on Twitter, votecockroft27.