Capitol Briefs
Capitol Briefs
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Published: March 27, 2008
Abortion bill passes committee
A bill that combines several previously passed anti-abortion measures advanced Wednesday to the House floor.
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Safe pregnancy bill advances
A bill strengthening the law for assaulting a pregnant woman won approval Wednesday by a Senate subcommittee.
House Bill 1897 by Sen. Debbe Leftwich, D-Oklahoma City, would make it a felony to assault a pregnant woman and cause a miscarriage.
The legislation is called the "Scum of the Earth Bill.”
A person who beats a woman and knows she is pregnant could be charged with a misdemeanor and jailed for up to a year.
A second or subsequent offense would be a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
If a miscarriage or injury to the unborn child was caused by the beating, the perpetrator would be charged with a felony that carries a maximum 20-year sentence.
School requests dorm funding
The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics again is asking the state to provide money to build an addition to the school's residence hall.
Previous Legislatures pledged to match money raised by the school. The school has raised $4.2 million and is asking the state for $3 million to expand the Dan Little Residence Hall on the Oklahoma City campus.
The residence hall would allow the high school to double the students it can accommodate, from 140 to 280, said the school's president, Edna Manning. Students apply from across the state to attend the school.
"We turn away about 75 people a year that we could take if we had space for them and that number's going to grow over the years,” Manning said.
The one-time $3 million allocation puts the school's request for the upcoming fiscal year at $11.5 million.
John Greiner and Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau
Related Topics:
Culture and Lifestyle, Special Interest Groups, Education, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Family, Higher Education, Colleges and Universities, College Life, Abortion, Women's Issues
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