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Senate passes bill making repeated false reports about others to law enforcement a prosecutable offense
Summary
House Bill 1194, clarified and amended by the Senate, targets vexatious repeated false reports to law enforcement about another individual; the Senate passed it unanimously 47-0.
The North Dakota Senate unanimously passed House Bill 1194 on April 3, a bill that clarifies and criminalizes repeated, vexatious false reports to law enforcement about another individual.
Senator Castaneda, the bill sponsor, said the bill adds the term 'vexatiously' and focuses on instances where a person repeatedly provides false information about another individual to law enforcement, causing unnecessary law-enforcement action and harassing the alleged target. Under the bill, after repeated vexatious false reports, an officer will provide information to the state's attorney, who can determine whether to prosecute under the relevant offense provisions.
Sponsor testimony stressed the measure is not intended to penalize routine misidentification (for example, a motorist giving a false name during a traffic stop) but rather deliberate, repeated false allegations directed at another person. The Judiciary Committee reported the measure 7-0 and the Senate passed the bill 47-0 on final reading.
Floor remarks emphasized the statute’s focus on protecting victims of false reporting and preventing waste of law-enforcement resources; procedural safeguards require referral to a state's attorney for charging decisions.
