A roller coaster week at the state Capitol comes to a close.Late-night sessions, controversial bills, public feuds and even a disruptive protest on top of what was already a busy time during the legislative session. In the meantime, Oklahoma has made national headlines as Gov. Kevin Stitt signed bills related to protests and riots. All this is happening during an important deadline week at the Capitol – meaning bills are piling up on Stitt’s desk.As for the protests, one interrupted the House session Wednesday. Protestors were angry in part about two bills that Stitt signed. One could give legal protections to drivers who hit people while trying to escape a riot and another would bar people from sharing personal information about police officers. This could include some photos if the person posting them is doing so to harass or threaten the officer. The ACLU of Oklahoma said it’s having serious conversations about next steps – possibly hinting at a future legal challenge
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A bill that would designate Oklahoma as a Second Amendment sanctuary state headed to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk this week after approval by the state’s House of Representatives.
If signed into law by the Republican, the measure would prevent the confiscation of guns from residents in the state due to any new county, state or federal laws, executive actions or court orders passed, according to FOX 25 in Oklahoma City. Senate Bill 631 ensures that the State Legislature will protect the unalienable right of Oklahomans to keep and bear arms as guaranteed to them by the Second Amendment, state Rep. Sean Roberts, who co-authored the bill with state Sen. Warren Hamilton, said, according to KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City. Both Roberts and Hamilton are Republicans.
New Oklahoma law targets protesters while protecting drivers who hit them theguardian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theguardian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
• Updated: April 20, 2021 6:00 p.m.
arrow A row of high chairs sit along a wall in the dining hall at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York. Bedford Hills has a prison nursery where women can live with infants under the age of 18 months. Julie Jacobson/AP/Shutterstock
The number of COVID-19 cases has spiked in recent weeks at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, a women’s prison that houses inmates who are pregnant as well as a nursery program for newborns. As of April 16th, 108 inmates at the facility had COVID-19 about one in five of the 529 women currently residing there. That’s up 23% from April 7th, when there were 88 inmates with COVID-19.