Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 601 By: Rader
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to the death penalty; creating the
7 Death Penalty Moratorium Act; providing short title;
8 staying the execution of judgments in all death
8 penalty cases; prohibiting the Court of Criminal
9 Appeals from ordering the execution of judgments in
9 death penalty cases; prohibiting the setting of
10 execution dates; vacating all current execution
10 dates; suspending all statutes related to death
11 penalty sentences; returning death penalty statutes
11 to full force and effect upon repeal of the Death
12 Penalty Moratorium Act; providing construing
12 provision; creating the Death Penalty Reform Task
13 Force; providing purpose of the task force; providing
13 for membership; establishing date for appointing
14 members; setting organizational meetings; providing
14 for the selection of a chair and vice chair; stating
15 primary function of the task force; authorizing the
15 task force to collaborate with other agencies,
16 organizations, entities, and educational
16 institutions; providing quorum requirements; making
17 meetings of the task force subject to the Oklahoma
17 Open Meeting Act; prohibiting compensation or travel
18 reimbursement; directing the Department of
18 Corrections to provide staffing and administrative
19 support; requiring the submission of certain report
19 to the Legislature and Governor; providing for
20 codification; providing for noncodification; and
20 declaring an emergency.
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23 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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Req. No. 213 Page 1
1 SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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2 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1001a-1 of Title 22, unless
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3 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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4 This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Death Penalty
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5 Moratorium Act".
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6 SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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7 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1001a-2 of Title 22, unless
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8 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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9 A. The execution of the judgment in all cases where a sentence
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10 of death has been imposed is hereby stayed until further act of the
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11 Legislature.
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12 B. The Court of Criminal Appeals shall not order execution of
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13 the judgment in cases where a sentence of death has been imposed.
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14 C. No further execution dates shall be set by the Court of
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15 Criminal Appeals or by the Governor.
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16 D. All execution dates currently in place at the time of the
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17 effective date of this act shall be vacated.
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18 SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
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19 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1001a-3 of Title 22, unless
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20 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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21 A. All statutes governing the execution of the penalty of death
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22 in this state are hereby suspended. Upon repeal of this act by the
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23 Legislature, any such statute that has not otherwise been repealed
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24 shall return to full force and effect.
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Req. No. 213 Page 2
1 B. The provisions of this act shall not be construed to vacate
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2 the individual judgments in cases where a sentence of death has been
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3 imposed.
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4 SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law not to be
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5 codified in the Oklahoma Statutes reads as follows:
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6 A. There is hereby created until November 30, 2029, the Death
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7 Penalty Reform Task Force to study and report on the progress of
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8 implementing reforms to the use of the death penalty in this state.
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9 B. The task force shall be comprised of five (5) members to be
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10 appointed as follows:
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11 1. One member to be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of
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12 the Senate;
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13 2. One member to be appointed by the Minority Leader of the
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14 Senate;
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15 3. One member to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of
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16 Representatives;
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17 4. One member to be appointed by the Minority Leader of the
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18 House of Representatives; and
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19 5. One member to be appointed by the Governor.
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20 C. Appointments to the task force shall be made within sixty
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21 (60) days after the effective date of this act.
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22 D. The task force shall conduct an organizational meeting no
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23 later than November 1, 2025. A chair and vice chair shall be
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24 selected to serve by the membership of the task force at the
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Req. No. 213 Page 3
1 organizational meeting. The task force may meet as often as may be
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2 required to perform the duties imposed upon the task force.
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3 E. The primary function of the task force shall be to create
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4 reports describing in detail the degree to which the recommendations
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5 contained in the 2017 Report of the Oklahoma Death Penalty Review
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6 Commission have been put into effect in this state. The task force
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7 may coordinate, communicate, and collaborate with state and federal
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8 agencies, nonprofit organizations, public and private health care
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9 entities, and state educational institutions regarding issues
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10 associated with the death penalty.
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11 F. A quorum of the task force members shall be required to
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12 approve any final action of the task force. For purposes of this
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13 subsection, three members of the task force shall constitute a
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14 quorum.
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15 G. The meetings of the task force shall be subject to the
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16 Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.
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17 H. Members of the task force shall receive no compensation or
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18 travel reimbursement.
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19 I. The Department of Corrections shall provide staff and
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20 administrative support for the task force.
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21 J. The task force shall electronically submit a report of its
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22 findings no later than November 30, 2026, to the President Pro
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23 Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
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24 and the Governor, such report to be supplemented and updated on
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Req. No. 213 Page 4
1 November 30 of each year thereafter until the termination of the
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2 task force.
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3 SECTION 5. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
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4 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby
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5 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and
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6 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
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Req. No. 213 Page 5Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.