State Legislators Speak After Bill To Help Prevent Sexual Assault Among Teens Fails In House

The State House of Representatives internship program is suspended temporarily after female high school intern accused a male intern of sexually assaulting her.

One night after the alleged assault, a bill to have schools teach teens “No means no” failed in the House. 

Midwest City Police confirm they’re investigating allegations that a male House intern, called a page, sexually assaulted a female page at a hotel Tuesday night.

Read Related Story: State House Suspends Page Program As MWC PD Investigates Sexual Assault Report

Wednesday, the bill failed in the House of Representatives.

“The debate and the bill, it was almost two hours. I mean, I was beat down with people saying stupid things,” said bill author Jacob Rosecrants (D) Noble. 

Rosecrants said other legislators were concerned the program, which would have been developed locally, would have a pro-LGBTQ agenda.

“Unbelievable to think that, but that’s the feedback I got. And I was like, first of all, this is not sex ed. At all. This is preventing sexual assault,” said Rosecrants. “Why would we not be for something that prevents sexual assault? What would be the point behind this? And a lot of it is ignorance. Massive massive ignorance.”

Representative Emily Virgin (D) Minority Leader added, the alleged assault “...really underscores the need for this legislation that our kids are still unclear on what’s OK and what’s not.”

House Speaker Charles McCall (R) said the bill failed because Rosecrants didn’t make changes he said he would make. McCall wouldn’t talk about the alleged assault.

“This has to do with an alleged incident between two minors that were part of this weeks’ page program. And we just don’t know any facts and it would be reckless for anybody in this body to comment,” said McCall.

Rosecrants asked, “How proud would we have been to have passed something out of the House to prevent what just happened inside the House?”

The teens are chaperoned and are not supposed to be in each other’s hotel rooms.

Midwest City Police say they’re releasing few details because of the ages of the two teens involved, and because the investigation is on-going.