Lawmakers at the state Capitol this week observed National Crime Victims’ Rights Week by advancing several pieces of legislation aimed at protecting victims of crime and their families and enhancing their rights.

First was House Bill 1102, which would add many of the requirements from State Question 794 – otherwise known as Marsy’s Law – into state statute. The state question, passed by voters in November, already amended the Oklahoma Constitution to give crime victims the right to be notified throughout criminal justice proceedings. It also requires they receive information about services available to them and to be updated on an offender’s release from custody. Victims also have the right to be heard in plea or sentencing.

 Advocates of the new law requested the additional bill this year to ensure the law is uniformly administered throughout the state. This is particularly important in rural areas where district attorneys may not have the same resources as urban areas but also for urban courts that may be inundated with criminal cases and affected victims.

 House Bill 2640, also known as Francine’s Law, also advanced this week. The measure, which previously passed the House, passed the state Senate this week and now moves to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. This measure requires law enforcement, medical examiners and coroners to enter all missing and unidentified persons’ information into the national NamUs unidentified persons’ database, which provides free forensic services for families with missing persons to help them help law enforcement identify their loved ones.

 The legislation was named after Francine Frost, who was abducted from a Tulsa grocery store in 1981. Her case went cold until 2014 when a grandson found information in the NamUs database that matched his grandmother. DNA evidence found the victim was in fact Francine. Had this law been in place 40 years ago, Francine’s family might have known much sooner what happened to her. Now, other families will not have such an agonizing wait.

The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, the Medical Examiner’s Office and CLEET, the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training, collaborated with lawmakers on the language of the bill.

 Protecting the rights of victims of crime and ensuring they see justice is a passion of mine. I am glad to support these pieces of legislation just as I have been happy to work on many others of this nature throughout my career as a lawmaker.

 As always, I would love to hear your thoughts. I can be reached at (405) 557-7407 or mike.sanders@okhouse.gov.