Bill > SB731

This bill modifies the Oklahoma Evidence Code to expand hearsay exception rules for statements made by vulnerable populations in legal proceedings. Specifically, the bill amends existing law to include "vulnerable adults" alongside children and incapacitated persons when admitting statements about physical abuse, sexual contact, domestic violence, neglect, or other serious criminal acts. The modified law allows such statements to be admitted in juvenile deprived proceedings, criminal trials, juvenile delinquent proceedings, and other legal contexts, such as preliminary hearings and probation revocation hearings. The bill achieves this by inserting the phrase "or vulnerable adult" multiple times throughout the existing statute, effectively broadening the categories of individuals whose statements can be considered as evidence. The bill defines a "disability" as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities, and it will become effective on November 1, 2025. This change is likely intended to provide additional legal protections and evidentiary flexibility for vulnerable populations who may have difficulty testifying in court, ensuring that their accounts of abuse or criminal acts can still be heard and considered by the judicial system.

Justice

http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb731&Session=2600