House Bill No. 2235, introduced by Munson, seeks to amend Oklahoma's laws concerning wrongful convictions and expungement procedures. The bill streamlines the expungement process by allowing hearings to be scheduled within 30 days of filing and establishing a notice requirement for relevant parties. It also introduces automatic expungement for eligible arrest records and outlines criteria for objections. Additionally, the bill provides a waiver of tuition and fees for wrongfully incarcerated individuals and their children, along with guidelines for reimbursing filing fees for successful expungement petitions.

Moreover, the bill modifies the Governmental Tort Claims Act to increase compensation for wrongful felony convictions, establishing a new structure based on years served in prison, with a maximum of $50,000 per year. It includes supplemental compensation for those who served time on death row or were released on parole and allows claimants to access health benefit coverage through the Department of Corrections. The legislation extends eligibility for compensation to convictions after May 28, 2003, and clarifies that the state's liability will be based on its percentage of negligence without raising existing limits. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, with an emergency clause for immediate implementation upon passage and approval.

Statutes affected:
Introduced:
Sub Committee OR Policy Committee Recommendations (House) Sub Committee Recommendation: