Numerous topics covered by House interim studies

CRIMINAL justice reform, a headliner issue during the 2017 legislative session, will receive plenty of attention during the interim as well. Perhaps what’s gleaned during interim studies will translate into better luck for reform in 2018. It certainly needs to.

The list of 63 approved interim studies by House members, released last week by Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, includes at least six that involve criminal justice reform. The primary study, requested by Rep. Scott Biggs, R-Chickasha, will focus on the definition of violent and nonviolent crimes.

This year, Biggs held up legislation from a governor’s task force on corrections reform over concerns about how some crimes would be categorized. A former prosecutor, Biggs said in his request for the interim study that he wants to look at each crime in the task force legislation “in an attempt to ensure the public is protected in this new round of justice reform measures, because violent criminals should not be receiving lower sentences or early release.”

Other reform-related studies include a look at programs used to help inmates transition to life outside of prison, and an effort to study factors that contribute to domestic violence fatalities. These are both worthwhile causes; in their request for the latter, Democratic Reps. Emily Virgin, Cyndi Munson and Meloyde Blancett noted that Oklahoma ranks No. 3 nationally in the number of women killed by men in domestic violence incidents.

McCall said Tuesday that Rep. Terry O’Donnell, R-Tulsa, who carried several criminal justice reform bills this year, will preside over the studies on this topic. The speaker said this approach will ensure the issues are treated fairly and that all sides are heard. Amen to that.

As usual, interim studies cover a broad range of interests. One study will deal with cyber security. One will explore “the case for the Flat Tax.” Another, noting the modernization of liquor laws set to take effect in October 2018, will look at potential changes to how beer and liquor are taxed.

The potential to save money by adjusting the school calendar is the subject of one interim study. Another will explore how the state can create a pro-business environment to attract businesses large and small that are not tied to the oil and gas industry.

An interim study by Rep. Greg Babinec, R-Cushing, will look at Oklahoma Highway Patrol staffing, which has been a primary concern for the Department of Public Safety. “What is the correct number of troopers needed?” Babinec said in summarizing his request.

The Department of Public Safety will be the subject of a study by Rep. Dennis Casey, R-Morrison, particularly what he says is the agency’s coolness toward private drivers’ license examiners. Morrison contends DPS “has changed who the private examiners can test” and that it has “chosen not to share with the public other alternatives or options that are available.”

One benefit of interim studies, McCall says, is that lawmakers are able to hear differing views and ask more questions than during the regular session, “so we have a better understanding of the benefits and consequences of enacting particular policies.”

We’ll see what this deeper understanding begets during the 2018 session.