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Judiciary Committee Chairman and Senator Julie Daniels saw a bill she co-authored become law. Governor Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 1373 Tuesday.

Sen. Daniels and House District 28 Representative Zack Taylor worked on the bill together to make progress on criminal justice reform and to create effective strategies for those who have been incarcerated.

House Bill 1373 is aimed at getting formerly incarcerated Oklahomans back to work so they can provide for their families.

Sen. Daniels said the bill reduces employment barriers by allowing individuals to request state licensing boards to make an initial determination as to whether their criminal record would make them ineligible for licensing.

She said it is designed to help them reintegrate into their communities and to let them know which jobs or professions are available to them before they decided to pay for the education or training necessary for a particular job.

As mentioned in weeks prior, Oklahoma has the largest incarceration rate in the U.S. You can find the story on how the House and Senate have been trying to reduce the incarceration rate here.