Lauria And Ashley's Law Stalled In State Senate

The legislation honoring two victims of a high-profile Welsh crime is stalled at the state capitol. The bill is named for two 16-year-old girls who went missing in 1999 and have never been found. 

“It's just very important to the family and all Oklahomans and I'm taking it as a personal quest, it's something we have to get done,” said Rep. Steve Bashore, (R-Miami)

House Bill 2946, known as Lauria and Ashley's law, is named after the Welch girls who went missing in 1999. Ronnie Busick, the man convicted for being an accessory to murder in the case of Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, was released from prison in May.

“The person that was convicted, Ronnie Busic currently lives 20 miles from Lauria Bible's doorstep today because he's out early because he didn't serve 85% of the crime,” said Bashore.

The legislation written by Bashore would have required anybody convicted of accessory to murder to serve 85% of their sentence. “Not gonna bring the daughters back but it was something the family has been looking forward to for the last 8 years,” said Bashore.

The bill made it out of the state house but didn’t get a hearing on the Senate floor. “Really sad, so in essence what the senate is saying is that criminals are more important than victims and families and other Oklahomans,” said Bashore.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Greg McCourtney said it was a “policy decision based on not going backward on criminal justice reform.”

Sen. McCourtney said in a statement “While I wholeheartedly agree that the facts and circumstances surrounding the case in question are horrific and my heart goes out to the families involved, it is the job of the Senate to craft and pass sound public policy, while not undermining the will of Oklahomans.”

“It's a travesty, it's ridiculous, unacceptable, it's a slap in the face to the Bible and Freeman families is what that is,” said Bashore.

Full statement from Sen. Greg McCourtney:

“The Senate not hearing this bill is a policy decision and based on not going backward on criminal justice reform,” Sen. McCortney said. “Statistics have made it clear that Oklahoma previously led the nation and parts of the world in over-incarceration. The demands for reform reached a fever pitch and the state legislature, our current governor, as well as voters, acted to make the conscious decision that we needed criminal justice reform, and we acted accordingly. This measure would run counter to that collective goal. The mission of the Department of Corrections in part is to rehabilitate and prepare individuals convicted of crimes to reenter society. The individual who pleaded guilty in this case was released based on earned credits from policy decisions at the Department of Corrections, not the Senate.”

“While I wholeheartedly agree that the facts and circumstances surrounding the case in question are horrific and my heart goes out to the families involved, it is the job of the Senate to craft and pass sound public policy, while not undermining the will of Oklahomans.”