Oklahoma
State Senate
Communications Division
State Capitol
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405-521-5774
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For Immediate Release: May 27,
2005
Senator Debbe Leftwich
Long-term Care Security Act Headed to Governor
The State Senate has approved a bill to provide Oklahoma
nursing homes with sex offender notifications. Principal Senate
author of HB 1963, Sen. Debbe
Leftwich said the measure will give greater peace of mind to
nursing home residents and their families. In addition to providing
nursing homes with notifications of individuals on the statewide
sex offender registry, it also requires notification of those who
are on the state’s violent offender registry.
“When local law enforcement receives notification that a convicted
sex offender or violent offender is moving into a nursing home,
I believe the residents, employees and the families need that information.
This bill will ensure that happens,” said Leftwich, D-OKC.
The measure, authored by Rep. Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, in the House,
also mandates that once the nursing home is provided with copies
of sex and violent offender notifications, they would then be required
to display the information in an area accessible to residents, employees
and visitors. The bill also requires that when the Department of
Corrections places a sex offender or violent offender in a nursing
home that they must then notify the State Health Department, which
then must notify the nursing home.
“We’re also going to require criminal background checks
for non-licensed full-time employees not currently covered by such
requirements, such as cooks, janitors and other staff members,”
Leftwich said.
The measure also requires background checks on any state employees
that work in nursing homes from agencies such as the Department
of Human Services and the Health Department. The bill includes required
background checks on nursing home ombudsmen.
“We want to make sure that none of those employees are on
the statewide registries for sex or violent offenders,” Leftwich
said. “We need to do all we possibly can to protect Oklahoma’s
most vulnerable citizens.”
HB 1963 now goes to Gov. Brad Henry for his signature.
For more information contact:
Senator Debbe Leftwich's Office- (405) 521-5557
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