Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Criminal Law topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate unanimously votes to raise Oklahoma age of consent from 16 to 18
Summary
Senate Bill 445, which raises Oklahoma’s age of consent from 16 to 18 and adjusts the Romeo‑and‑Juliet window, passed the Oklahoma Senate unanimously on third reading and was designated an emergency measure.
The Oklahoma Senate voted 46‑0 on March 20 to pass Senate Bill 445, a measure that raises the state's age of sexual consent from 16 to 18 and relocates the statute’s "Romeo and Juliet" close‑in‑age provision.
Senator Hamilton, the bill’s author, explained the measure on the floor: "what we're attempting to do here is raise the age of consent in Oklahoma, which is currently 16. We're attempting to raise it to 18. And the operative language for this is on page 1, line 22." Hamilton also described an amended close‑in‑age window: the existing four‑year window that currently runs from ages 14 to 18 would be shifted to run from 16 to 20.
After the explanation, the Senate advanced the measure without recorded debate and the clerk recorded 46 aye votes and 0 nays. The author requested, and the Senate granted, that the vote on the bill be considered an emergency matter; the clerk announced the bill was adopted and designated an emergency measure.
Senate Bill 445 will move to the House for further consideration or to the enrolled process per legislative rules. The bill’s text locates key operative language on page 1, line 22 and the revised Romeo‑and‑Juliet provision starting on page 4, line 8.
Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 445 — third reading and final passage, 46‑0; adopted as an emergency measure.
