What Is Blue Lives Matter? States Considering Controversial Bill

The Oklahoma House has approved the Blue Lives Matter in Oklahoma Act of 2017, the latest legislature to take up the controversial measure providing for the death penalty or life without parole for anyone convicted of killing a police officer.

The measure, approved by the House on Wednesday, is one of many iterations of similar legislation being introduced around the country. It now goes before the state Senate.

Read: Kentucky House Passes 'Blue Lives Matter' Bill After Protesters Shut Down Proceedings

Blue Lives Matter bills, as they’ve been nicknamed, generally propose that law enforcement officers be considered a protected class under hate crime law. In other words, officers would be protected from hate crimes along with people of color, religious minorities and members of the LGBTQ community.

Last May, Louisiana became the first state to pass the Blue Lives Matter bill into law.

“The men and women who put their lives on the line every day, often under very dangerous circumstances are true heroes, and they deserve every protection that we can give them,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat whose father is a sheriff, said in a statement. “They serve and protect our communities and our families. The overarching message is that hate crimes will not be tolerated in Louisiana.”

Read: Hate Crime Bill Heads To Mississippi Full Senate

Most Blue Lives Matter bills, however, have died without becoming law. In the past two years, 21 states have considered several Blue Lives Matter bills, but at least 20 bills did not make it past various committees and were killed, according to data compiled by the Huffington Post.

Here’s a map of where the bills stand. In some states, like New York and Pennsylvania, one iteration of the bill was killed while another was still under discussion in the legislature. In two states — Mississippi and Kentucky — bills were passed by both houses of the legislature and are awaiting signature by the governor.