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House approves bill allowing multiple DUI charges within a year to be aggregated into a single felony
Summary
The Oklahoma House passed Senate Bill 15‑43 after adopting an amendment to limit forum shopping; the measure lets prosecutors aggregate multiple DUIs obtained within a year into one aggravated felony charge if each underlying charge is proven beyond a reasonable doubt. The final vote was 85‑3.
The Oklahoma House on Tuesday approved Senate Bill 15‑43, a measure that would let prosecutors aggregate multiple DUI charges obtained within a single year into one aggravated felony case.
Representative Geiss, who explained the bill on the House floor, said the change is intended to strengthen prosecutors’ ability to pursue repeat impaired‑driving cases. “This bill just allows for multiple DUI charges obtained within 1 year to be aggregated as a single felony case,” Geiss said on the floor as he moved the measure for adoption.
Geiss and colleagues adopted an amendment aimed at preventing forum shopping by prosecutors. Geiss said the amendment “ensures that our DAs will not have the ability to forum shop to maintain the constitutionality of this bill,” and that the change was added to preserve the measure’s legal soundness.
Members pressed for procedural and substantive clarifications. Representative Crosswhite Hayley asked whether the bill came from an association or from the bill’s sponsor; Geiss said it was a constituent request and that he had worked with district attorneys’ counsel and victims’ advocates. Representative Provenzano asked whether pending, unadjudicated charges could be aggregated; Geiss replied that each DUI would still have to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt for the aggravated aggregate charge to apply.
The House advanced the bill and, on final passage, approved it 85 aye, 3 nay. Geiss said he expects the Senate to consider the measure next and expressed hope the governor would sign it, but he framed that as an expectation rather than a certainty.
What it would do: Under the bill’s text as explained on the floor, prosecutors could seek an aggregated aggravated DUI charge when multiple DUI charges within a one‑year window meet proof requirements and when district attorneys agree to pursue the consolidated charge. Geiss said both district attorneys involved would have to agree before an aggregated charge is filed.
Next steps: The House passed SB 15‑43 to be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration. The measure’s supporters said legal safeguards were added on the floor to reduce constitutional risk and to limit prosecutorial discretion about forum selection.
(Reporting from the House floor; vote tally on final passage recorded on the official roll: 85 aye, 3 nay.)
