Bill barring name changes for sex offenders clears committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee has given unanimous support to legislation barring registered sex offenders from changing their name. Sen. Kyle Loveless, R-Oklahoma City, is the principal author of Senate Bill 1421, which was approved with a bipartisan vote of 8-0 by the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Loveless explained to committee members that when he was researching another bill last year, he ran across an alarming situation.

“We found that there are registered sex offenders in Oklahoma who have legally changed their names so they could continue to work near children without their registration being discovered,” Loveless said. “There was one man in Tulsa who had changed his name nine times. We found another person in Lawton who was working as a bus driver who had changed his name three times. Both were registered sex offenders going under different names so they could conceal their background.”

SB 1421 would make it more difficult for registered sex offenders to hide their criminal record by simply walking into court and changing their name.

“Sex offenders, especially those who prey on children, are some of the most devious criminals there are. They are very adept at tricking children and their families into believing they are someone to be trusted,” Loveless said. “We need to make it as difficult as possible for these predators to hide their crimes.”

SB 1421 now moves to the full Senate for approval.