Governor Signs 3 Bills Into Law

Governor Brad Henry signs three important bills into law. Each of the new laws, in one way or another, is aimed at helping our state's most useful resource, our children. Sex offenders will soon find

Thursday, May 31st 2007, 11:17 am

By: News On 6

Governor Brad Henry signs three important bills into law. Each of the new laws, in one way or another, is aimed at helping our state's most useful resource, our children. Sex offenders will soon find it more difficult to prowl the Internet, looking for their next child victims. News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren reports Governor Henry signed a bill into law that allows judges to prohibit registered sex offenders from accessing social networking websites where they could meet children.

Websites like MySpace, Xanga and Facebook are among the most popular. All registered sex offenders will have to register their e-mail addresses, code names and passwords. Then, in a joint effort, at least twelve Oklahoma law enforcement agencies will monitor the sites and ultimately send any sex offenders they find on them, back to jail.

The second bill signed into law makes it a felony crime to falsely report a missing child which leads to an Amber Alert. Tulsa Police dealt with a false Amber Alert back in 2005 when a woman's van was stolen. She said her son was inside the van, hoping police would look for her van more quickly. False Amber Alerts happen all the time. Legislators hope this new law will keep these false reports from happening, making the Amber Alert system more reliable.

And the final bill Henry signed is aimed at young adults. The new law will teach high school students about basic finances. All public Oklahoma high schools will be required to teach financial literacy in schools. The class will help young people understand economic realities like credit card debt, taxes, savings, investments and bankruptcy. The classes will begin in the fall of 2008.

On Thursday, the governor also unveiled four new highway signs that will be placed near Lawton. The signs recognize that Lawton is the home town of Miss America 2007, Lauren Nelson.

Watch the video: Governor Henry Signs Bills Aimed At Protecting Children