Lauria and Ashley's Law Passes Second Hurdle
During Thursday's Judiciary and Public Safety Oversight committee hearing, Rep. Steve Bashore, R-Miami, argued that House Bill 1001, or the Lauria and Ashley Law, 'makes you stay in prison where you belong.'
Oklahoma representative refiles 'Lauria and Ashley' legislation
The proposed bill adds accessory to murder in the first or second degree to the list of crimes that require offenders to serve 85% of their prison sentence before being eligible for parole consideration.
Bashore said that felons would not be eligible to earn any credit that would reduce the sentence below 85% of what was imposed.
If passed, 'Lauria and Ashley's Law' would go into effect on Nov. 1.
The measure passed the committee by an 11-2 vote. The bill now goes to the House.
25 years later: Families continue search for missing Oklahoma teens
The Lauria and Ashley's Law references 16-year-old best friends Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman.
Danny and Kathy Freeman, Ashley's parents, were shot to death, and their mobile home was set on fire on Dec. 30, 1999. The teenagers were kidnapped from Freeman's mobile home and taken to Picher, where authorities believe they tortured, raped, drugged, and killed. It is presumed their bodies were dumped in a Picher mine pit, but their remains have never been recovered.
Investigators believe Phil Welch, David Pennington, and Ronnie Buscik were behind the multiple deaths and kidnappings.
The only person convicted – Busick – who pleaded guilty in 2020 to a reduced charge of accessory to felony murder, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He served three years. Busick was credited with time served in the Craig County jail and good behavior, which shaved off five years from the 10-year sentence.
Phil Welch and David Pennington died before authorities could prosecute them.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
4 minutes ago
- The Hill
The Millennium Challenge Corporation advances US interests — don't kill it
The future is unclear for a key, 20-year-old U.S. government initiative advancing American interests around the world and blunting Chinese and Russian influence. The Millennium Challenge Corporation changed the way development assistance was done. It has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty since its launch by President George W. Bush in 2004. It was a year after he created the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which has saved more than 26 million people over the past two decades, especially on the African continent. Both are perfect examples of American soft power at its best. But whereas the AIDS relief program has largely been spared recent budget cutting after some hiccups, the Millennium Challenge Corporation's future is less clear. Its board meets this week to decide whether to terminate more than half of its portfolio of compacts and smaller threshold programs in various stages of development or implementation. These programs are in Africa and Asia, strategically important regions of the world in which China and Russia would be happy to take our place. The board should consider the impact of possible cuts to our country's reputation as a reliable partner and whether such a reduction would actually benefit U.S. economic, national security and diplomatic interests. Although all government programs should be regularly reviewed for efficiency and effectiveness, it seems shortsighted to drastically reduce the footprint of an agency that has been successfully implementing its mandate to the benefit of U.S. interests. Congress has historically supported the Millennium Challenge Corporation as a model for development and a safeguard for our national security, and its funding level in the House fiscal 2026 appropriations bill demonstrates that support. The Millennium Challenge Corporation aims to reduce poverty through economic growth and exemplifies how the generosity of the American people can really make a difference overseas in ways that advance U.S. national interests while driving development. The program has expanded access to electricity in Benin and Georgia so that children can study after dark and hospitals can properly store vaccines. It has created the infrastructure to deliver clean water to homes and businesses in Cape Verde and Mongolia. And it has built or improved roads, airports, ports and bridges in many countries so that people can get to school or work — and efficiently deliver their goods to markets. In Africa, the program has educated more than 255,500 students, contributed more than 26 million megawatt-hours of electricity, guaranteed over 305,000 households and businesses have legal rights and protections over their land, and improved production for over 70,600 farmers. The Millennium Challenge Corporation has funded 82 agreements in 49 countries since 2004, benefiting nearly 400 million people. Twenty-five of these countries are in Africa, and these investments have benefited an estimated 154 million Africans. And it has done all this in financially sound ways. Moreover, this kind of assistance opens doors for the United States, including for American companies seeking to do business in and with these countries. The Millennium Challenge Corporation took a groundbreaking approach to foreign assistance, requiring that countries qualify based on rigorous third-party indicators measuring democratic governance, investment in health and education, and economic freedom. Countries that don't meet these criteria aren't eligible for compacts, which are binding agreements developed in partnership with qualifying countries with rigorous monitoring. As with the Bush-era AIDS program, the Millennium Challenge Corporation's focus on Africa is well placed. By 2050, more than 25 percent of the world's population will live there. By 2030, more than 40 percent of the world's young people will be African. Already, more than half of the world's 20 fastest-growing economies are in Africa, along with 65 percent of the world's arable land and about 30 percent of the world's mineral reserves. The Millennium Challenge Corporation engenders tremendous goodwill among the populations of recipient countries and helps counter efforts by Russia and China to insert themselves at the expense of U.S. interests. Whether through cultural engagement programs and educational opportunities, infrastructure investments or military interference, Beijing and Moscow seek to expand their influence in the region while at the same time spreading anti-Western propaganda and taking advantage of disenfranchised or struggling populations to export their authoritarian brand of governance. This is a risk for the African population, global security and American interests. Without this program, the picture would look much worse. It empowers its partners, championing country ownership of its development projects rather than holding them hostage to burdensome loan terms, like China does. It creates jobs, rather than taking them from the local population. Ut requires transparency and accountability for every dollar spent, as opposed to the shady, corrupt deals China and Russia seek. There must be accountability both from partner countries and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The compact countries must maintain their performance on the indicators and implement the compact transparently. Meanwhile, they Millennium Challenge Corporation measures economic rates of return on its investments and rigorously evaluates every program for effectiveness and results. The Millennium Challenge Corporation demands democratic governance, investment in people, and policies supporting economic freedom from its partners so they can escape poverty and build strong economies, rather than undercutting democracy and saddling its partners with debt. At the same time, it creates opportunities for private investment and develops trade and economic partners. A drastic reduction in its work could leave unfinished projects that China would sweep in and complete — and claim credit for. The Millennium Challenge Corporation uses foreign assistance dollars responsibly to lift people out of poverty while strengthening U.S. diplomatic ties and economic partnerships — all while fostering a positive view of America among both citizens and governments. Its board should keep this in mind this week. Monica Vegas Kladakis is senior advisor for Outreach and Strategic Partnerships at the George W. Bush Institute and previously served as managing director for Threshold Programs at MCC. David J. Kramer is executive director the George W. Bush Institute.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Remote participation now firmly embedded in WA Legislature
The Senate chambers at the Washington state Capitol. (Legislative Support Services) Washington state lawmakers long resisted routinely taking testimony from those not seated in a committee hearing room. But when forced by the pandemic to operate remotely for two sessions, their minds changed and it is reshaping public involvement in the legislative process. Thousands signed up to testify remotely this past legislative session. They took part from their homes, their offices and their cars. Thousands more, sometimes tens of thousands, who did not want to speak still went online to register support or opposition to pending legislation. Organizations pressing to pass or defeat bills sometimes cited the numbers to bolster their arguments. When crowds did pack hearings on controversial bills, lawmakers wanted to know how many had taken a stand via the online option, as another barometer of public opinion. 'It's encouraging to see more people engaging — testifying in committee, sharing comments on legislation, and emailing lawmakers,' said House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma. 'We've worked to expand these options so that people across the state, including those far from Olympia, can participate.' House committees held 326 meetings with public hearings this past session. For those, 11,768 people signed up to testify in person or remotely and 8,963, or 76%, did get to say their piece, according to tallies provided by legislative staff. Another 585,378 people signed in with a viewpoint but did not wish to testify. In the Senate, there were 302 committee sessions with hearings and 10,037 people sought to speak. There were 615,023 people who weighed in without testifying in the course of the 105-day session, three times as many as the shorter 2024 session. 'It's a good thing. It means more public engagement. Now they have a way to express their opinion on a deeply unpopular bill,' said Senate Minority Leader John Braun, R-Centralia. 'That's good for democracy. Braun points to what transpired with Democrat-sponsored legislation to repeal a voter-approved limit on property tax growth. Republicans fought the bill in both chambers, rallying residents to state their opposition at public hearings. On March 31, when the Senate version reached the Senate Ways and Means Committee, 308 people signed in to speak, with 288 opposed. Of the 45,174 not wishing to testify, 42,865 signed in as opposed, based on sign-in logs posted online. A similar scenario unfolded April 3 in the House Finance Committee for a hearing on the original House bill to hike the cap on the annual property tax growth factor. This time, 16,027 people who did not testify signed in opposed, versus 2,183 in support. Eventually, the controversial provision was stripped from this bill. 'Providing the option of remote testimony helps open the door to the state capital and allows more voices to be heard before laws are passed affecting the daily lives of citizens and businesses,' said Jason Mercier, who lobbied hard for allowing remote testimony a decade ago while working at the Washington Policy Center. Mercier recalled testifying remotely for the first time in May 2013 at a hearing chaired by Republican Mike Padden, the former Spokane state senator who embraced the idea early on as a way for his constituents to participate without having to travel to Olympia. Six years later, the Senate committed to making remote testimony a permanent option and the House leaned into doing it on a trial basis with several of its panels. This allowed Washington's Legislature to hit the ground running during the pandemic, said Mercier, now vice president and director of research for Mountain States Policy Center in Idaho. COVID-19 arrived in early 2020, worsening after that year's short legislative session. Lawmakers worked entirely from home in 2021 and only a handful could be on the floor at any one time in 2022. Since returning in-person, they've made it routine to participate from outside Olympia. 'It took time and effort, but Washington state is now the model for other states across the country for remote testimony,' Mercier said.
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What have Oklahoma's governor candidates said about education?
Attorney General Gentner Drummond gives a speech on improving Oklahoma public education for his gubernatorial campaign at the Edmond History Museum on Tuesday in Edmond. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY — While other leading GOP candidates for Oklahoma governor pledged to continue a campaign against the 'radical left' in public schools, Attorney General and gubernatorial hopeful Gentner Drummond called for state leaders to change their tone toward teachers. In a speech Tuesday at the Edmond History Museum, Drummond urged state officials to 'stop tearing down our teachers' and elevate the profession instead. He pointed his remarks at state Superintendent Ryan Walters, whose fiery brand of politics has been built on attacking perceived 'left-wing indoctrination' in schools, and at Gov. Kevin Stitt, who initially endorsed Walters' rise to statewide office. An anti-left message similar to Walters' is prevalent in the platforms of former House Speaker Charles McCall and former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, Drummond's highest-fundraising Republican opponents. Both McCall and Mazzei have focused much of their campaign messaging on defeating alleged liberal influence in schools and elsewhere in deep-red Oklahoma. Walters, himself, has been suggested in statewide polling as a potential candidate to succeed Stitt, who is term limited as governor. Walters hasn't yet announced a campaign for higher office nor for reelection as superintendent. Drummond, a native of Hominy, said he hopes to see Walters join the gubernatorial race. 'That's one way of term-limiting him,' Drummond told reporters after his speech. 'So, we can get a new opportunity for new leadership in (the state Department of Education) to where the next superintendent works with educators, not against them.' Like his GOP colleagues, Drummond voiced support for empowering parents' role in their children's schooling and improving Oklahoma's poor academic outcomes, particularly in early elementary reading. Only 23% of fourth graders and 20% of eighth graders in Oklahoma performed at a proficient level in reading last year on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a test administered every two years in all 50 states. Drummond, like many Oklahomans in recent weeks, also referenced a survey by the website WalletHub that ranked Oklahoma 50th in the nation for education. 'I've met with scores and scores of teachers throughout the state of Oklahoma that simply want leadership from Oklahoma City that acknowledges their worth, their devotion and dedication to our young people,' he said. 'And then, together let's encircle that profession, lift it up, empowering our parents to be engaged and providing a path forward for our young people to be successful.' It's unclear whether Drummond's emphasis on elevating educators would include a teacher pay raise. He said the answer to Oklahoma's teacher shortage isn't 'just throwing money at it,' but he included 'competitive pay' in his plan for recruiting and retaining educators, as well as teacher mentorship and streamlining certification. Mazzei, of Tulsa, said he would put $200 million into reading education, a plan that includes paying tutors to help struggling students catch up to their grade level. 'School principals and superintendents need to have direct oversight of these kids and be held responsible for the lack of significant improvement,' he wrote in his campaign platform. Mazzei said Oklahoma should reframe the standards and criteria to become a superintendent 'to weed out those who adhere to the woke tenets of liberalism which has undermined and destroyed public education in this state.' He pledged to move school board elections to November and to get personally involved in school board races to help elect conservative candidates. McCall, of Atoka, hasn't released a formal education platform, but when announcing his run for governor, he pointed to 'the left and outside forces' that he said are 'waging war' on Oklahomans' way of life, including by radicalizing schools. He highlighted school policies the Legislature passed during his tenure as House speaker, a time when Republicans 'beat the radical left every step of the way.' That included new laws requiring individuals to use school bathrooms that align with their biological sex, banning transgender girls from participating in women's sports and offering tax credits to families with children in private schools. The Legislature also poured hundreds of millions of dollars into increasing public-school funding and teacher salaries. McCall voiced support for President Donald Trump's plan to close the U.S. Department of Education and give more control of public schools to the states. He joined Trump's secretary of education, Linda McMahon, and Stitt on Tuesday for a charter school tour in Warr Acres. He later posted on social media that Oklahoma's education rating is 'unacceptable' and he looks forward to working with McMahon to 'strengthen opportunity and better education for every Oklahoma student.' Former state Sen. Jake Merrick, of Tuttle, said Oklahoma should redirect school funds from 'bloated administration' to classrooms. Leisa Mitchell Haynes, a Republican candidate from Choctaw, would prioritize prayer in schools, teacher support and leadership programs for high school seniors, according to her website. House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, is the only non-Republican in the race for governor. Munson said she would push to raise education funding over the regional average, increase salaries of teachers and school staff, and eliminate tax credits that benefit private schools. Oklahoma is behind all six of its bordering states in per-pupil spending, a key metric in determining school funding, according to the Oklahoma State School Boards Association. Recent teacher pay raises have bumped Oklahoma up to fourth in the seven-state region for average teacher compensation. 'You hear the governor continue to say, 'We can be a top 10 state in X,Y,Z category,' Munson said while speaking with reporters on May 16 during the legislative session. 'He has said that for seven years. Education (in Oklahoma) is still last in the nation. We are still behind when it comes to teacher pay and per-pupil spending.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Solve the daily Crossword
