Oklahoma Senate
Lawmakers Say Clock is Ticking on Bill to Help Rape/Domestic Violence Victims
Senator Debbe Leftwich
State Sen. Debbe Leftwich and Rep. Rebecca Hamilton are continuing their push to get a hearing for a bill to help victims of rape and domestic violence, but said with each passing day the measure comes closer to dying in the House of Representatives.
“We’re in the final two weeks for House committee action on Senate bills and we’ve seen absolutely nothing to indicate they plan to give this measure the hearing it deserves,” said Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City. “This passed the Senate unanimously, and I believe if this was put to a vote of the people, the support would be overwhelming—yet the House so far has refused to even hear this bill.”
Senate Bill 935, the “Victims Economic Security and Safety Act” (VESSAS), would ensure a level of economic security for rape and domestic violence victims by ensuring they would have unpaid time off from work to meet with police, doctors or seek a safe shelter for themselves and their children.
“The number one cause of death for pregnant women in this country is murder. In Oklahoma, a woman is raped every six hours,” said Hamilton, D-Oklahoma City. “Rape victims should be able to go to the doctor without fear of being fired. What kind of two-faced values do we have when we claim we support rape victims and then make them choose between seeking medical care and losing their livelihood? What good does it do to say we're tough on crime if we won't protect victims so they can go to court? SB 935 is necessary and it's the right thing to do. I hope that Representative Sue Tibbs will stop stalling and give this bill a hearing.”
Among those organizations supporting the measure are the Oklahoma Conference of Churches, Oklahoma’s Catholic Charities, the Oklahoma City YWCA and the Oklahoma City Firefighters’ Local 157.
“I think the obvious reason we favor this legislation is because as first-responders, we are eyewitnesses to the effects of domestic violence and abuse,” said Mike Anderson, president of the firefighters’ union. “The physical trauma these victims suffer is obvious to us, but we can only imagine the additional emotional trauma they suffer. They shouldn’t have to worry about losing their job on top of that.”
To voice support for a hearing on SB 935, call or email Rep. Sue Tibbs and House Speaker Todd Hiett at 405-521-2711 or 1-800-522-8502, or suetibbs@okhouse.gov toddhiett@okhouse.gov.
