Lawmakers at the state capitol moved forward with a handful of controversial bills Tuesday, including legislation dealing with corporal punishment and gender definition.

House Bill 1028 prohibits the hitting, slapping, paddling, or any other means of inflicting physical pain on a student with a disability. This bill has been debated in both chambers for a few years, and still had pushback in the state Senate today.

“This is not how we discipline this subset of humans,” said Sen. David Rader (R-Tulsa).

The bill is written by Sen. Rader and Rep. John Talley. The measure failed in 2023, but was still eligible to be brought back up this session.

After a handful of amendments, lawmakers in both chambers agreed on the bill language, which does not allow a parent to provide written consent for their child to receive corporal punishment.

Many state Senators argued that parents should be able to choose whether or not their child's teacher would be allowed to use corporal punishment. 

“I think we're taking away something that parents desire for their children to grow up and be good citizens,” said Sen. Blake Stephens (R-Tahlequah).

Sen. Stephens was one of 11 Senators who voted against the measure, while 31 Senators voted to pass the bill.

“Why is a parent needing the school to administer corporal punishment when that same parent could do that themselves in the context of parental guidance?” Sen. Mary Boren said.

Senator Paul Rosino is a grandfather to a child with autism, saying corporal punishment is just cruel.

“We do have discipline for him, timeouts, we do different things for him. But we don't hit him. One: intellectually he doesn't understand what the hitting is supposed to be doing. Two: it enables him to hit someone else because he feels like that's the proper way to treat people,” said Sen. Rosino.

The bill passed with a vote of 31-11 and will head back to the House since it was amended. If it passes the state House, it will head to the governor.

Also passing out of the state senate Tuesday, is the “Women’s Bill of Rights.” 

“This bill is addressing biological men and biological women and nothing else,” said Sen. Jessica Garvin (R-Duncan).

House Bill 1449 would ensure women in the state are entitled to separate but equal spaces, including bathrooms and prisons.

“Sadly we live in a day and age where people wish to blur or erase the female sex,” said Sen. Julie Daniels (R-Bartlesville).

“The state recognizes that in public places whether that's a restroom or a prison or a park or wherever that we will follow the definitions set in statute just like thousands of other laws we set in this building,” said Sen. Garvin.

The bill also defines male and female by biological sex when it comes to data collection, medical practice and shared spaces.  

“This bill is designed to affirm the actual reality of the existence of the biological female,” said Sen. Daniels.

Senate democrats debate the bill for a number of reasons.

“Oklahomans who are transgender or gender non-conforming exist, they are part of our community. My constituents deserve dignity and respect and if they tell me this legislation is causing them harm I believe them,” said Sen. Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City).

Senator Kirt says the bill doesn’t define clear protections for transgender Oklahomans. 

“This further marginalized communities that we all represent across the state of Oklahoma,” said Sen. Carri Hicks (D-Oklahoma City).

Senator Mary Boren argues this legislation will have unintended consequences

“It's gonna become a bathroom monitoring bill because it's going to only take one person who sees somebody who doesn't necessarily look like they're fitting in the right gender for that particular restroom,” said Sen. Boren (D-Norman).

To many lines of questioning from her colleagues across the aisle, Senator Garvin gave the same answer:

“Again the germaneness of the bill, I think, is at question here. This is simply defining biological men and biological women,” said Sen. Garvin.

The bill passed out of the state Senate with a vote of 35-7 and will now head to the governor’s desk.