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Bill unveiled after OK court's sodomy ruling

Posted at 12:57 PM, May 04, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-04 19:36:08-04

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Oklahoma lawmakers have unveiled a bill, House Bill 2398, designed to fix a loophole in Oklahoma's forcible sodomy law after criminal charges were dropped against a 17-year-old boy accused of forcing a heavily intoxicated girl to perform oral sex.

The new language was introduced Wednesday in a House conference committee and author Rep. Scott Biggs says he expects no problems getting the signatures needed to have the bill considered by the Legislature.

Lawmakers moved quickly after the Oklahoma Supreme Court said in a unanimous ruling that while Oklahoma's rape law addresses unconscious or intoxicated victims, the forcible sodomy law does not.

Biggs is a former prosecutor and called the ruling an embarrassment for the state.

The bill also expands the definitions of "sexual assault" and "consent."