FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 31, 2017

CRIME VICTIMS’ RIGHTS INITIATIVE TO LAUNCH STATE QUESTION 794 CAMPAIGN

Proposed Constitutional amendment will be on 2018 general election ballot for final vote

OKLAHOMA CITY – The campaign for State Question 794, also known as Marsy’s Law for Oklahoma, will officially launch statewide, on September 13 and 14, by hosting three press conferences throughout the state to formally announce the designated initiative. Marsy’s Law for Oklahoma proposes a constitutional amendment that would elevate the rights of victims of crime to mirror those rights granted to the accused and convicted.

On Wednesday, September 13 the first press conference will be held at Park House Event Center at the Myriad Gardens at 10 a.m. in Oklahoma City and the Tulsa announcement will be made from Central Center in Centennial Park in Tulsa later that afternoon, at 2 p.m. The final campaign launch event will be in Lawton at 10 a.m. the following day, Thursday, September 14 at the Hilton Garden Inn. The public is invited to attend all events.

A victim of crime from the respective market will provide remarks during the program; Lauren Layman, President with Oklahoma Homicide Survivors Group will take the podium in Oklahoma City and Sheri Farmer, founder of Oklahoma Chapter of Parents of Murdered Children will speak in Tulsa. Other local speakers will include a member of law enforcement, an advocacy group and/or a civic leader, while state director Kim Moyer will offer closing statements.

Marsy’s Law for Oklahoma passed through the full legislative process in April, unanimously approved by a final House vote of 88-0, and now prepares for a final statewide vote of the people – as State Question 794 – on the next general election ballot in 2018. The effort was initially introduced in January of 2017 before the start of the 2017 legislative process and is seen as the culmination of 30 years of movement to ultimately provide Oklahomans with the opportunity to have standing in court and a voice in the criminal justice process.

To date, the coalition of support for SQ 794 includes a range of victims of crime and their families, law enforcement, advocates and general supporters of the cause for equal rights for crime victims. Statewide voices of support include endorsements from Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police, Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Oklahoma District Attorneys Council, Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police, Oklahoma Sheriffs Association, Oklahoma Women’s Coalition, and YWCA Oklahoma City.

About Marsy’s Law for Oklahoma

SQ 794, also known as Marsy’s Law for Oklahoma, seeks to amend the state constitution in order to provide an equal level of constitutional protections to victims of crimes, which are already afforded to the accused and convicted. Marsy’s Law is a bipartisan issue, supported across the political spectrum to ensure that victims have the same “co-equal” rights as the accused and convicted – nothing more, nothing less. Marsy’s Law gives the victim a voice in the process; not a veto.

###