Non -partisan Bill facilitates access to college for Oklahomans with a criminal register

Oklahoma City, Okla.–A legislation that facilitates College access for Oklahomans with criminal registers has passed a state house committee and has brought a step closer to a complete house vote.

Oklahoma House Bill 1980 would ban state universities and universities to ask about the crime history of an applicant whether the applicant plans to virtually participate and not live on campus. The measure would also prohibit the university facilities to ask about the behavior of an applicant as a teenager.

According to the text of the law, locations that violate this proposed law would be fined, loss of state funds or other punishments.

The cross-party law was written by the third state MP Trish Ranson (D-Stillwater) and the Senator Jack Stewart (R-Yukon). The legislation was confronted on February 11 before its first major hurdle when the Oklahoma House Postsecondary Education Committee voted 6-2 to send it to the House Floor.

In a state dominated by Republicans, the two Democrats of the Committee, Rep. Trish Ranson and the newly elected Michelle McCane (D-Tulsa), joined four Republicans to support the bill. The only two no voices came from Rep. Steve Bashore (R-Mami) and Rep. Max Wolfley (R-Oklahoma City).

The Legislation to facilitate College access for people with a criminal register must adopt the House Education supervisory committee until Friday, March 7, in order to receive a complete coordination of the House Floor.

(In particular, some websites have incorrectly listed the newly elected Rep. Ron Stewart (D-Tulsa) as a co-sponsor, but but The Black Wall Street Times confirms with a legislative assistant that co-sponsor Senator Jack Stewart is.)

College access and crime history: according to the numbers

D'Marria Monday is a well -known lawyer for criminal justice, community organizer, local radio broadcast and entrepreneur in Tulsa. It is also an okoman with a conviction of crimes. It supports HB 1980.

“I think it is what we need, what Oklahoma needs because there is a fair chance of university education. The university education creates a way to the future, ”said Monday, said Monday The Black Wall Street Times.

“I had a 120-month prison in the federal prison for drug accusation. And when I went to prison, I only had one, ”she said.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, around 40% of state prisoners and around 47% of prisoners in local prisons had not received a high school diploma.

In the meantime, 60% of private universities and 55% of public institutions demand that applicants answer questions about their crime stories, as can be seen from a report by Brookings.

HB 1980, Oklahoma's proposed legislation, would prohibit this requirement.

“It invests in humans and invests in opportunities. These obstacles to opportunities hold people in a circulation of poverty. If you are in a circulation of poverty, you are more likely to return to survival tactics that you have put into prison, ”said Monday.

“But I also know the need as it is not to have a degree and rely on a life with crimes. Now I could come home and lift myself out of poverty and my family. ”

Your mission is now to create opportunities for others. She hopes that legislators will support their efforts by adopting HB in 1980 and pursuing the reform of the criminal justice at universities and universities in Oklahoma.

“I've been at home for 12 years now and I don't plan to go back,” she said. “But I'm just one of many.

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