Hate-crimes exclusion bill is DEAD in the Oklahoma House

The crazy ass Hate Crimes Exclusion Bill died in the Oklahoma House committee, thanks to the help of Rep. Mike Shelton.

Rep. Mike Shelton, D-Oklahoma City, became the House author of Senate Bill 1965, by Sen. Steven Russell, R-Oklahoma City.

Shelton said he took control of the bill to kill it and asked that the bill not get heard in the House Judiciary Committee.

Russell said he had substantially rewritten the bill from its original version. Under the new language, if local law enforcement objected to turning information over to the federal government in a hate-crimes investigation, federal authorities would have to file a petition in court showing good cause why they needed the information, Russell said.

If local law enforcement didn’t object to turning over the information, court approval would not be needed, Russell said.

Russell said the law is needed to protect free speech after the passage of a federal law that added sexual orientation or gender identity to the categories protected under the federal hate-crimes law.

President Barack Obama signed the law in October. Oklahoma’s existing hate-crimes law does not include sexual orientation or gender identity.

Shelton said SB 1965 would have prohibited Oklahoma law enforcement agencies from cooperating with any federal agency in the investigation of a federal hate crime.

It was foolish of Sen. Steven Russell to even present this idea in the first place. Maybe he will learn from his myopic actions.

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