logo
OK lawmakers Advances Bill to Governor Stitt to Raise Age of Consent

OK lawmakers Advances Bill to Governor Stitt to Raise Age of Consent

Yahoo16-05-2025

OKLAHOMA CITY—Oklahoma lawmakers sent a bill to Gov. Stitt to sign, raising the age of sexual consent to 18.
If signed, Oklahoma would become the 12th state where the age of consent is 18.
Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, authored House Bill 1003, which is designed to 'to shield minors from exploitation while still showing grace to young people in close-in-age relationships.'
Under Oklahoma law and the proposed law, the maximum age difference is four years.
The propsed law also clarifies that sex between a school employee and a student under the age of 20 is considered rape.
The bill, House Bill 1003, also clarify the state's 'Romeo and Juliet' law, meaning young people who engage in consensual sexual activity with someone under 18 would not be charged with rape if the age difference between them is less than four years.
The current Romeo and Juliet law applies when one partner is at least 14 but under 18, and the other is no more than four years older.
Under the current law, a 17-year-old could legally engage in consensual relations with a 14-year-old, but an 18-year-old in the same situation would not be covered by the exemption. If the law is passed a 21-year-old could legally engage in a consensual relations with a 17-year-old.
The Romeo and Juliet law does not apply if the older party is in a position of authority, trust, or influence over the younger individual, for example, teachers, coaches, clergy members, and others in positions of power.
Sexual activity with a child below the age of 14 is classified as first-degree rape under Oklahoma law regardless of the age gap.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Military members boo Newsom, Biden and the press during Trump speech
Military members boo Newsom, Biden and the press during Trump speech

Yahoo

time37 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Military members boo Newsom, Biden and the press during Trump speech

Members of a crowd filled with members of the military and their families booed and jeered President Trump's political rivals and the press Tuesday at the president's prompting during his address at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The response from attendees, most of whom were wearing military fatigues, was a jarring sight given the military's history as a traditionally nonpartisan entity. Presidents have historically drawn criticism when they have been seen as using the military as a political pawn. Trump opened with a dig at his predecessor, noting the Biden administration had renamed Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty under a 2023 congressionally mandated rule to rename installations honoring Confederate generals. The Trump administration has since changed the name back. 'Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?' Trump asked, eliciting boos from those in the crowd. Trump later bragged that he didn't think former President Biden would be able to draw a similar crowd. 'Do you think this crowd would have showed up for Biden? I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't think so, maybe I'm wrong,' he said to more jeers from the crowd. At one point, Trump invoked the unrest in Los Angeles, where demonstrations in response to immigration raids have at times turned violent. The president referred to the 'governor of California' and 'the mayor of Los Angeles,' which triggered boos from some in the audience directed at Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and Mayor Karen Bass (D). The president identified journalists in attendance as 'the fake news,' a comment that prompted jeers from some service members on hand. The address drew criticism from some Democrats. 'It's truly disgraceful to watch Trump give a nakedly political speech at Fort Bragg, and encourage uniformed members of the military to boo and hiss political opponents,' Tommy Vietor, who served in the Obama White House, posted on the social platform X. 'I realize we've given up on norms from the before times, but it's still awful and harmful to the military!' Trump was at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to attended a military demonstration and mark a celebration of the Army's 250th anniversary. For his speech, hundreds of service members were in attendance, including dozens seated behind the president's podium. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Ep. 010: Pat Harrigan
Ep. 010: Pat Harrigan

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Ep. 010: Pat Harrigan

(WGHP) — Politicians from coast to coast like to claim they're 'fighting for you,' but few know fighting quite like Pat Harrigan does. Harrigan is the freshman congressman representing North Carolina's 10th district, and, as a Green Beret, he saw combat overseas and knows not only what that's like but the cost of it all. It was what he considers the U.S.'s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan that inspired him to run for Congress, and Harrigan has strong opinions not just about what's happening in Ukraine but the long fight we're engaged in with China and, more importantly, how that fight can be won. On the lighter side, Harrigan reveals how he and his wife, Rocky, named their two daughters. Hosted by , is a weekly look at what's going on in the world of politics and how it all affects you. Watch the full episode in the video player above. You can also watch Swing State on or stream it on the on Roku, AppleTV and Fire TV. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Senate Republican calls July 4 ‘false deadline' for megabill
Senate Republican calls July 4 ‘false deadline' for megabill

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Senate Republican calls July 4 ‘false deadline' for megabill

Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah), a moderate Republican, called July 4 a 'false deadline' for Republicans to pass their megabill and said it's more important for the Senate to get it done 'right' than fast. In an interview at Politico's Energy Summit in Washington on Tuesday, Curtis said he's confident the bill would eventually pass. But, he added, 'I can't tell you what it's going to look like or when it's going to pass.' He signaled a lightly less optimistic note on whether it would pass by the GOP's self-imposed July 4 deadline. 'Well, let me just say, I think a lot of us would be surprised if it passed by July 4,' Curtis said. 'I think that's a false deadline,' he added. 'I don't think that we need to put a specific deadline on it. Let's get it right.' Other GOP senators have also publicly and privately voiced doubts about meeting the July 4 deadline that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is shooting for as Senate Republicans remain divided on a number of hot-button issues. On Monday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he thinks the deadline is still realistic. 'We certainly hope, I believe, we can still meet that,' Johnson said. 'It's up to the Senate, the bill's in the Senate's hands now. But I spoke with Leader Thune as recently as last night, he's feeling very optimistic.' At Tuesday's summit, Curtis said he thinks the House-passed version unfairly rolls back some of the energy tax credits in Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). He said some of those tax credits 'have run their life cycle' but it's important to 'be thoughtful in how we phase them out.' 'Banks, investors have invested billions of dollars based on the rules of the road, and you have employees who have set careers based on these things,' Curtis said. 'Let's not destroy careers and things like that,' he added. 'Let's give people a chance to adjust. So in the case of those that it's time to phase them out, I think how we phase them out matters.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store