Advocates for Oklahoma law heading to Washington

For nearly a decade, Bledsoe has pushed state lawmakers for stricter laws to prevent the abuse of nursing home residents. Most recently, he helped pass a bill directing the construction of a new, stand-alone nursing facility that will house registered sex offenders in need of long-term care.

Now, Bledsoe is heading to Capitol Hill to address federal lawmakers on the dangers faced by many residents living in long-term care facilities.

"Residents, staff and visitors to nursing homes and other long-term facilities are being raped, assaulted and even murdered by violent and sexual predators who are also living in those same facilities," Bledsoe said. "There's a lot of risk to the public, and most people are clueless that this is going on."

Bledsoe and state Rep. Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, will be among those testifying Wednesday at a hearing conducted by the House Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight.

Bledsoe said he plans to urge lawmakers to require mandatory background checks of nursing home residents, improve notification to staff and residents about residents with violent or sexual criminal histories and require reporting of all criminal acts or suspected criminal acts against residents to law enforcement.

"Women, and even men, are being raped in facilities, and law enforcement aren't even being called in on it," Bledsoe said. "That's outrageous."

"Oklahoma is definitely out front on this," Bledsoe said. "There's more we need to do on this, but this is a huge step in the right direction."

There are approximately 30 known sex offenders currently living in Oklahoma nursing homes, Bledsoe said. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections estimates 2,250 inmates convicted of sex crimes will be released from prison in the next 10 years, and 26 percent of these convicts will be age 51 or older and potentially in need of long-term care.

Steele, who authored the Oklahoma law, said he hopes the measure can be a blueprint for other states seeking to protect residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities.

"I believe House Bill 2704 is a commonsense, fiscally responsible way to reduce the risk to our parents and grandparents residing in nursing homes and I hope this hearing will encourage others to implement similar protections," Steele said.