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HB 1935

Criminal procedure; crimes; limitation; effective date.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Danny Sterling and 1 co-sponsor

HB 1935 changes Oklahoma’s prosecution time limits across many crimes, extending discovery-based windows for some offenses (especially child-related) and adding DNA-driven accelera

Becomes law without Governor's signature 05/08/2025
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Bill Summary · HB 1935

Summary of HB 1935 (2026) – Oklahoma

HB 1935 amends criminal procedure rules related to the statute of limitations for various crimes and sets an effective date. The bill focuses on increasing or clarifying time limits for commencing prosecutions for specific offenses, with particular emphasis on long-standing or high-stature crimes and certain victim cohorts.

Main purpose and intent

  • Clarify and modify the time limits within which prosecutions for select crimes must be commenced.
  • Extend or impose definite limitations for certain offenses, while establishing more rapid timelines for others.
  • Create a uniform framework for when prosecutions must begin, including provisions tied to discovery, DNA evidence, and victim age.

Key provisions and changes

  • Section 152A (A) – General limitation periods
    • Prosecutions for bribery, embezzlement of public money, misappropriation or improper handling of public money or property (state, counties, school districts, municipalities), falsification of public records, and conspiracy to defraud public bodies must be commenced within:
    • 7 years after discovery of the crime, with exceptions.
    • Specific exceptions (within 5 years after discovery) apply to:
    • Embezzlement or misappropriation of public funds/assets for school districts (including student activity funds),
    • Falsification of records for independent school districts,
    • Criminal conspiracy,
    • Embezzlement under certain 21 O.S. Sections (1451–1461),
    • False personation or identity theft (21 O.S. Sections 1531–1533.3),
    • Financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult (21 O.S. Sections 843.1, 843.3, 843.4),
    • Medicaid fraud (21 O.S. Section 1005).
  • Section 152A (B) – State income tax violations
    • Prosecutions for state income tax violations must be commenced within 5 years after the commission of the violation.
  • Section 152A (C) – Sexual crimes against children and related offenses
    • For most listed child-focused offenses (rape/forcible sodomy, sodomy, lewd/indecent proposals or acts involving minors in pornography, certain child-abuse offenses, child trafficking, nonconsensual dissemination of private sexual images, and failure to report abuse/neglect), prosecutions must be commenced by the alleged victim’s 45th birthday.
    • For offenses committed against victims 18 or older, prosecutions must be commenced within 20 years after discovery of the crime.
    • Discovery for crimes involving victims 18+ is defined as the date the crime is reported to law enforcement.
    • Any offense not time-barred on the act’s effective date would retroactively become subject to these provisions.
    • A DNA-related exception may allow earlier commencement if:
    • Physical evidence enabling DNA profiling is collected and preserved,
    • A DNA profile subsequently establishes identity,
    • The accused confesses or admits to the crime.
    • Prosecutions cannot rely on recovered repressed memories from psychotherapy alone; there must be independent evidence.
    • False claims can lead to criminal investigation and felony penalties if made knowingly and willfully.
  • Section 152A (D) – Wildlife violations
    • Prosecutions for violations of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Code must be commenced within 3 years.
  • Section 152A (E) – Fraud in workers’ compensation or criminal fraud
    • Prosecutions for certain fraud offenses must commence within 3 years after discovery, but not more than 7 years after the crime.
  • Section 152A (F) – False or bogus check offenses
    • Prosecution must commence within 5 years after the offense.
  • Section 152A (G) – Solicitation for murder (first degree)
    • Prosecution must commence within 7 years after discovery, defined as when the crime is made known to someone other than the solicitor.
  • Section 152A (H) – General provision
    • In all other public-offense cases, prosecutions must commence within 3 years after the commission of the offense.
  • Section 152A (I) – Accessory after the fact
    • Prosecution must occur within the same period as the felony for which they acted as an accessory.
  • Section 152A (J) – Arson
    • Prosecution must commence within 7 years after the commission of the arson offense.
  • Section 152A (K) – Deadly weapon enhancements
    • Crimes involving the use (or attempted use) of a deadly weapon must be commenced within 7 years.
  • Section 152A (L) – Human trafficking
    • Prosecution must commence within 3 years after discovery, defined as the date the crime is reported to law enforcement.

Who/what is affected

  • Prosecutors and the courts, by changing the time limits for bringing cases in a broad range of offenses, including:
    • Public corruption (bribery, embezzlement, falsification, conspiracy),
    • Tax offenses,
    • Sexual offenses involving minors and related offenses,
    • Identity theft and false personation,
    • Financial exploitation of vulnerable adults,
    • Medicaid fraud,
    • Wildlife conservation offenses,
    • Civil and workers’ compensation fraud,
    • Fraud-related offenses (false checks, etc.),
    • Arson and violent offenses involving deadly weapons,
    • Human trafficking.
  • Victims, particularly of child-focused offenses, due to extended or fixed timelines for prosecution.
  • Law enforcement, which would have access to expanded discovery and DNA-evidence-based windows for prosecution.
  • Public entities (state, counties, school districts, municipalities) through the altered limitation periods for their crimes.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • Effective date: November 1, 2025.
  • Retroactivity: If an offense was not time-barred on the act’s effective date, it would retroactively fall under these provisions.
  • Discovery-based timing: For several crime categories (notably child-related offenses and some trafficking offenses), “discovery” is defined by when the crime is reported to law enforcement, which can extend regulatory windows.
  • DNA exception: Certain cases may be prosecuted at any time if DNA evidence is collected, preserved, and a DNA profile identifies the offender, or if the offender confesses.
  • Penalty risk for false claims: Knowingly making false claims can be prosecuted as a felony if proven false.

Overall assessment

HB 1935 establishes comprehensive updates to Oklahoma’s statute of limitations for a broad spectrum of crimes, emphasizing longer windows for complex or high-severity offenses (e.g., child-related crimes with discovery-based timelines), while also codifying tighter or alternative timelines for specific fraud and property crimes. It also introduces DNA-based acceleration opportunities and clarifies retroactivity for offenses existing at the act’s effective date. The act is positioned as a substantive reform of prosecution timelines across multiple criminal categories.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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