Immigration, school safety & Owasso music merit

Last week, the House passed HB 3195 to help crack down on the number of illegal immigrants in the state.

This bill, that I coauthored, directs all sheriffs, jailers and deputies to comply with federal immigration agencies by alerting them to a person’s immigration status and holding a person for at least 48 hours until federal officials arrive.

I have heard directly from members of law enforcement who asked that their role in these situations be outlined in statute. Oklahoma has seen several cases where illegal immigrants were released by local law enforcement despite their immigration status having been confirmed.

HB 3195 passed the House 78-21. It now heads to the Senate for consideration. Our local laws should enforce cooperation with federal immigration agencies in these instances, and hopefully we will soon be able to provide legislative reasoning to better facilitate work with these agencies.

Parkland students February 2018

You may recall one of my bills from last session, HB 2336. This was a request bill from Osage County Sheriff Virden.  Sheriff Virden is working with local schools to help develop ways they can protect themselves and contacted me to help draft this bill. It would allow a local school board to determine the criteria for onsite safety personnel who can help protect students and teachers in the event of an emergency or active shooter and gives school districts final say in their protection measures.

Having someone onsite who can respond to a situation that arises is critical, especially if law enforcement is 30 minutes away. The bill had passed 72-25 in the House in March 2019 and was heard in the Senate Education Committee but did not make it to the Senate floor for vote last session.

I’m very pleased HB2336 passed in the Senate 37-7 this week, but since some changes were made to the language while it was in the Senate, the House must approve it again before it can be sent to the Governor.

I was also honored to welcome the Owasso High School band to the Capitol this week. They were recognized on the House floor for their sixth trip to the Rose Parade and an extensive number of these students have received placements in honor bands as well. I was pleased to present them with a state citation for their achievements!

I am working hard to ensure that bills passed are in the best interest of District 36 and Oklahoma. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to my office to share. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

About the author: Rep. Sean Roberts (R), serves District 36 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which includes Osage and Tulsa Counties.

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