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Oklahoma Legislature· SB 967Second Reading referred to Judiciary

An act relating to criminal procedure, the official text

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1                  STATE OF OKLAHOMA

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2                 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)

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3 SENATE BILL 967               By: Gollihare
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6                               AS INTRODUCED

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7   An Act relating to criminal procedure; amending 22

7   O.S. 2021, Section 251, which relates to duty to

8   inform defendant of the charge and rights; requiring

8   certain pretrial release hearing; amending 22 O.S.

9   2021, Section 1105.2, which relates to pretrial bail

9   requirements; modifying certain bail procedures;

10  prohibiting certain actions without certain hearing;

10  updating statutory language; providing for

11  codification; and providing an effective date.

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14 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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15  SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY   22 O.S. 2021, Section 251, is

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16 amended to read as follows:
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17  Section 251. A. When the defendant is brought before a

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18 magistrate judge of the district court upon an arrest, either with
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19 or without a warrant for an initial appearance, on a charge of
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20 having committed a public offense, the magistrate court must
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21 immediately inform him the defendant of the charge against him, or
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22 her and conduct a pretrial release hearing to determine the
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23 conditions under which the defendant will be held or released
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24 pretrial of his right to the aid of counsel in every stage of the
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    Req. No. 711                                                Page 1
1 proceedings, and also of his right to waive an examination before
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2 any further proceedings are had. The rules of evidence shall not
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3 apply at the pretrial release hearing.
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4   B. The following procedural protections shall be provided at

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5 the pretrial release hearing:
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6   1. Right to counsel:

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7   a. the defendant shall be advised that he or she has the

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8                 right to be represented by an attorney of his or her

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9                 choosing or an appointed attorney at no expense. The

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10                court shall appoint counsel unless the defendant has

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11                counsel, or the court finds that the defendant has

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12                been advised of and knowingly waived appointment of

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13                counsel and chooses to proceed pro se, and

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14  b. the defendant shall be advised that he or she has the

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15                right to consult with his or her attorney privately

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16                before, or at any time during, the pretrial release

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17                hearing,

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18  2. Ability to contest and present evidence:

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19  a. the defendant shall be advised of and shall have the

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20                opportunity to examine and challenge any evidence

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21                presented to or considered by the court in connection

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22                with the release determination and to cross-examine

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23                any witnesses, and

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    Req. No. 711                                              Page 2
1         b. the defendant shall be allowed to present evidence and

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2                 witness testimony and to make argument, and

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3   3. Each of the findings required in this section shall be:

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4         a. made by clear and convincing evidence, and

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5         b. contained in a record which also identifies the

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6                 evidence on which the court relied to make each of its

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7                 findings.

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8   C. At the pretrial release hearing, the court shall:

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9   1. Inform the defendant orally and in writing of the next court

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10 date;
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11  2. Order the defendant, if released, to appear at all court

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12 hearings as directed and not to commit a criminal offense while
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13 released;
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14  3. Advise the defendant that if he or she fails to appear as

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15 directed or commits a criminal offense while released, a warrant may
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16 be issued for his or her arrest for violating the release conditions
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17 and the defendant could be subjected to greater restrictions or
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18 ordered to stay in jail pending trial; and
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19  4. Advise the defendant that he or she can provide up to two

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20 telephone numbers at which he or she can be called or texted with a
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21 reminder on the business day before the next court date. The court
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22 shall give the defendant at the pretrial release hearing, orally and
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23 in writing, instructions for supplementing or changing any numbers
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    Req. No. 711                                               Page 3
1 provided at the pretrial release hearing. If the defendant provides
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2 one or more numbers:
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3   a. the court shall provide the defendant with a telephone

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4                 conversation, voice mail, or text message reminder of

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5                 each court date at which he or she is required to

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6                 appear, at each of the numbers provided, on the

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7                 business day before the scheduled court date, and

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8   b. the reminder shall include the time and date of the

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9                 appearance, the nature of the appearance, and a

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10                warning that if the defendant does not appear, a

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11                warrant may be issued for his or her arrest. The

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12                reminder shall include instructions for contacting the

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13                court by phone with any questions.

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14  D. 1. At the pretrial release hearing, the court shall make a

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15 finding of whether the defendant, if released, is unlikely to appear
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16 in court as directed or will create a safety threat to one or more
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17 identifiable members of the community.
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18  2. The state may present evidence, including evidence received

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19 from pretrial services if available at the time of the pretrial
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20 release hearing, that the defendant, if released, is unlikely to
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21 appear in court as directed or will create a safety threat to one or
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22 more identifiable members of the community.
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    Req. No. 711                                      Page 4
1   3. If the state presents evidence, the defendant shall have the

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2 opportunity to review and challenge such evidence and to produce
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3 contrary evidence and legal argument.
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4   4. In making its finding, the court shall consider the

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5 following factors:
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6   a. the seriousness of the crime charged against the

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7                 defendant, the apparent likelihood of conviction, and

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8                 the extent of the punishment prescribed by the

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9                 Legislature,

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10  b. the defendant's criminal record, if any, and previous

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11                record on bail, if any,

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12  c. the defendant's reputation and mental condition,

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13  d. the length of the defendant's residence in the

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14                community,

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15  e. the defendant's family ties and relationships,

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16  f. the defendant's employment status, record of

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17                employment, and his or her financial condition,

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18  g. the identity of responsible members of the community

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19                who would vouch for the defendant's reliability, and

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20  h. any other factors indicating the defendant's mode of

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21                life, ties to the community, or bearing on the risk of

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22                failure to appear.

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23  5. If the court finds the defendant, if released, is unlikely

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24 to appear in court as directed or will create a safety threat to one
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    Req. No. 711                                            Page 5
1 or more identifiable members of the community, the court shall
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2 determine the release conditions that are sufficient to reasonably
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3 assure the return of the defendant to court as directed and to
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4 assure the safety of one or more identifiable members of the
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5 community.
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6   6. The court may impose conditions of release in addition to

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7 ordering the defendant to appear in court as directed and not to
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8 commit a criminal offense while released, provided:
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9   a. the court shall impose a condition or a set of

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10                conditions that are the least restrictive necessary to

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11                reasonably assure the return of the defendant to court

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12                as directed or the safety of one or more identifiable

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13                members of the community, and

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14  b. the court shall impose a partially or fully secured

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15                bond, cash bond, or property bond only after a finding

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16                that no set of non-monetary conditions, including

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17                unsecured bond, can reasonably assure the return of

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18                the defendant to court as directed or the safety of

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19                one or more identifiable members of the community.

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20  7. The court may order the defendant detained only after a

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21 finding that no condition or combination of conditions of release
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22 can reasonably assure the return of the defendant to court as
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23 directed or the safety of one or more identifiable members of the
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24 community.
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    Req. No. 711                                       Page 6
1   8. For the purposes of this subsection, any secured or

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2 partially secured bond condition shall be deemed an order of
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3 detention unless the court finds the defendant has the present
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4 ability to pay the secured portion of the bond.
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5   E. 1. If the defendant had a monetary bond set by a schedule

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6 following arrest, and the defendant remains in custody at the time
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7 of the pretrial release hearing, there is a rebuttable presumption
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8 that the defendant is unable to afford the preset bond amount.
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9   2. The defendant shall be presumed presently unable to pay any

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10 bond or fee if the defendant receives means-tested government
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11 assistance, has an income at or below two hundred percent (200%) of
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12 the federal poverty level, is eligible for appointed counsel, is or
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13 within the last two (2) years has been homeless, is incarcerated or
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14 residing in a mental health or other treatment facility, or for the
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15 last three (3) months has had monthly expenses that are equal to or
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16 in excess of the defendant's monthly income and assets.
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17  SECTION 2.    AMENDATORY    22 O.S. 2021, Section 1105.2, is

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18 amended to read as follows:
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19  Section 1105.2. A. Following an arrest for a misdemeanor or

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20 felony offense and before formal charges have been filed or an
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21 indictment made, the arrested person may have bail set by the court
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22 as provided in this act; provided there are no provisions of law to
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23 the contrary.
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    Req. No. 711                                            Page 7
1   B. When the defendant appears before the court for a pretrial

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2 release hearing or when formal charges or an indictment has been
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3 filed, bail conditions of release shall be set according to law and
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4 the pretrial bond, if any, may be reaffirmed unless additional
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5 security is required determined as provided in Section 251 of this
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6 title. Every judicial district may, upon the order of the presiding
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7 judge for the district, establish a pretrial pre-appearance bail
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8 schedule for use by the sheriff or other operator of a jail or
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9 detention facility to set bail prior to the pretrial release hearing
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10 before the court for felony or misdemeanor offenses, except for
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11 traffic. Traffic offenses included in subsections B, C and D of
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12 Section 1115.3 of Title 22 of the Oklahoma Statutes and those
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13 offenses specifically excluded herein shall not be included. The
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14 bail schedule established pursuant to the authority of this act
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15 shall exclude any offense for which bail is not allowed by law. The
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16 bail schedule authorized by this act shall be set in accordance with
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17 guidelines relating to bail and shall be published and reviewed by
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18 March 1 of each year by the courts and district attorney of the
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19 judicial district. The bail schedule authorized by this section
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20 shall be made public and shall be displayed in the public area of
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21 the jail or detention facility.
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22  C. When a person is assigned bail under a bail schedule, the

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23 amount shall be determined by reference to the charge of arrest
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    Req. No. 711                    Page 8
1 associated with the highest bail amount. Scheduled bail amounts
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2 shall not be aggregated.
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3   D. 1. Any bail amount imposed pursuant to a bail schedule or

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4 by any order of the court can be satisfied by posting a cash bond or
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5 secured bond in the full amount, or by posting a partially secured
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6 bond by depositing cash equal to ten percent (10%) of the bond
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7 amount and executing a promise to pay the remaining amount upon a
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8 court ordering the bond forfeited.
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9   2. An individualized court order may require that a money bond

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10 be fully secured but only if the order complied with all the
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11 requirements of Section 251 of this title for imposing bail
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12 conditions.
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13  E. Bail amounts prescribed by a bail schedule shall not be

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14 considered presumptively reasonable when a judge subsequently
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15 determines the person's release conditions.
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16  C. F. The pretrial pre-appearance bail shall be set in a

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17 numerical dollar amount. If the person fails to appear in court as
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18 required the judge shall may, if in accordance with the provisions
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19 of Section 3 of this act:
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20  1. Rescind the bond and proceed to enter a judgment against the

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21 defendant for the dollar amount of the pretrial bail if no private
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22 bail was given at the time of release; provided, however, the court
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23 clerk shall follow the procedures as set forth in Section 1301 et
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24 seq. of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes in collecting the
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    Req. No. 711                                                Page 9
1 forfeiture amount against the person who fails to appear in court;
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2 or
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3     2. Rescind and forfeit the private bail if cash, property or

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4 surety bail was furnished at the time of release as set forth in
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5 Section 1301 et seq. of Title 59 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
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6     D. G. When a pretrial program exists in the judicial district

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7 where the person is being held, the The judge may utilize the
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8 services of the pretrial release services program when ordering
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9 pretrial release, except when private bail has been furnished.
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10    E. H. Upon an order for pretrial release or release on bond,

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11 the person shall be released from custody without undue delay.
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12    F. I. The court may require the person to be placed on an

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13 electronic monitoring device as a condition of pretrial release,
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14 provided that the provisions of Section 251 of this title for
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15 requiring such a condition have been satisfied.
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16    G. J. In instances where an electronic monitoring device has

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17 been ordered, the court may impose payment of a supervision fee.
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18 Payment of the fee, in whole or according to a court-ordered
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19 installment schedule, shall be a condition of pretrial release,
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20 provided that a finding of ability to pay has been made in
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21 accordance with Section 251 of this title. The court clerk shall
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22 collect the supervision fees.
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    Req. No. 711                                              Page 10
1   SECTION 3.    NEW LAW  A new section of law to be codified

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2 in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 1105.2a of Title 22, unless
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3 there is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
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4   A. A bond may not be modified, revoked, or forfeited without a

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5 hearing that complies with the procedural requirements for a
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6 pretrial release hearing as provided in Section 251 of Title 22 of
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7 the Oklahoma Statutes.
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8   B. A bail modification hearing shall be scheduled:

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9   1. At any time, upon a showing by any party that there has been

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10 a change in material circumstances; or
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11  2. Sua sponte by the court, within forty-eight (48) hours of

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12 imposition of a monetary bond condition if the person remains in
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13 jail, unless at the time the bond was imposed the court found the
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14 person unable to pay as provided in Section 251 of Title 22 of the
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15 Oklahoma Statutes. The administrator of the jail in which the
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16 person is detained shall provide the court with the information
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17 necessary to schedule hearings as provided in this subsection.
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18  C. At a modification hearing:

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19  1. The court may not revoke or forfeit bond, impose additional

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20 or more restrictive conditions of release, or order the person
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21 detained:
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22  a. unless the substantive and procedural requirements for

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23                imposing conditions at pretrial release hearings as

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    Req. No. 711                                        Page 11
1                 provided in Section 251 of Title 22 of the Oklahoma

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2                 Statutes are satisfied, or

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3   b. on grounds that the person violated a condition of

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4                 release if:

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5                 (1) the violated rule or condition was imposed by any

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6                       entity other than the court, including court

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7                       services or pretrial services, or

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8                 (2) the violated condition was a requirement to pay a

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9                       monetary amount, absent a finding of willfulness;

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10                      and

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11  2. No person shall be jailed for failure to pay an unsecured

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12 portion of bond following forfeiture absent a finding of ability to
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13 pay that follows the procedural and substantive requirements for
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14 determining ability to pay at a pretrial release hearing.
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15  D. Whenever a bond modification hearing is scheduled, and the

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16 person is not in custody, the court shall provide notice to the
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17 person, as follows:
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18  1. Notice shall be provided in person or by mail at least seven

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19 (7) calendar days before the hearing, and by phone on the business
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20 day before the scheduled hearing at every phone number, if any,
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21 provided by the person as provided in Section 251 of Title 22 of the
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22 Oklahoma Statutes; and
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23  2. The notice shall include the time and date of the hearing,

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24 the nature of the hearing, and an advisement that if the person does
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    Req. No. 711                                              Page 12
1 not appear, a warrant may be issued for his or her arrest. The
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2 reminder shall include instructions for contacting the court with
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3 any questions.
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4   SECTION 4. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.

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    Req. No. 711                             Page 13
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