Senate Bill 594 Summary

• Replaces term "enabling" with "failure to protect from" throughout child abuse statutes to clarify language describing violations related to child abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse.

• Modifies penalties for child abuse offenses in Section 843.5: child abuse now carries up to life imprisonment (previously more limited); failure to protect from child abuse limited to 10 years maximum; child neglect up to life imprisonment; failure to protect from child neglect up to 10 years maximum.

• Establishes affirmative defenses for failure to protect charges when the accused had reasonable fear of great bodily injury or death, experienced domestic violence impairing their ability to act, or voluntarily took immediate steps to stop the abuse or neglect.

• Makes penalty modifications retroactive as of January 1, 2026, allowing persons convicted before that date to seek postconviction relief under Oklahoma law.

• Expands definitions and scope of child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation to include trafficking offenses and clarifies application to all children under 18 years of age; establishes mandatory post-imprisonment supervision for certain convictions.