Senate Committee on Judiciary passes several bills, defers others for later decision-making

At a decision-making meeting of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, members adopted recommendations to pass or amend several bills and deferred other items for a later decision-making session.

The committee voted to pass HB 111 unamended. According to the committee summary, HB 111 authorizes civil claims against a person, business owner, or business operator that profits from sexual exploitation or sex trafficking and extends the statute of limitations for related civil claims to 10 years. Chair Rhodes recorded the committee recommendation as “pass unamended,” and the recommendation was adopted with Chair Rhodes and Senator Chang recorded as voting aye; Vice Chair Gabbard and Senator Law were noted as excused.

The committee voted to pass HB 54 with amendments addressing identification processing. HB 54 increases penalties for third or consecutive excessive-speeding offenses within five years to a misdemeanor and raises penalties for a second offense within five years. The committee accepted the Attorney General’s suggested amendment requiring that a person convicted under the excessive-speeding statute be ordered by the court to report to an appropriate police department, sheriff’s office, or government agency for identification processing, including fingerprinting and photographing, unless the person has previously undergone such identification. The committee adopted the recommendation with a recorded reservation from Senator San Buenaventura.

The committee adopted the recommendation to pass HB 70 as amended. The bill clarifies requirements for condominium budget summaries, including that budget summaries contain all required information (rather than referring the reader elsewhere) and clarifies enforcement and the association’s burden of proving compliance. The recommendation was adopted by the members present.

The committee deferred HB 239 to a date certain (the transcript records the item as deferred to 10 a.m. Thursday, April 3) pending additional work on the bill’s details. HB 239 would amend the definition of child abuse or neglect to clarify that a caregiver’s lack of financial resources, by itself, does not constitute child abuse or neglect.

The committee moved HB 320 forward with an adopted recommendation to pass with amendment. HB 320, as presented in the packet, would allow qualified adults, including adults with disabilities, adults with serious mental illness, and adults 65 and older, to enter into supported-decision-making agreements with one or more members of a supportive community.

The committee adopted amendments and the recommendation to pass HB 359. The bill amends covered offender registration and certain assault provisions to create an exemption for those under 24 in limited circumstances; the committee chose to delete a separate section (section 2) after committee members and the Attorney General’s Office raised concerns about overlap with existing statute and potential title issues.

The committee adopted a recommendation to pass HB 412 with amendments that clarify the scope of a new lobbying presumption. Chair Rhodes proposed adding a clarifying sentence stating, “this presumption does not include communications made solely for informational purposes, ceremonial interactions, or routine relationship building that does not involve advocacy for or against specific outcomes.” The bill, as amended, also would make certain contracts voidable if entered into in violation of the State lobbying law and expand the definition of lobbying to include specified communications about procurement decisions.

Several items scheduled after HB 412 — including discussion of HB 472 (digitized identification cards) — were postponed. Committee staff announced that decision making on matters following HB 412 would be rescheduled to the committee’s next decision-making session (the transcript records the chair indicating a later Thursday session at 10:30 in the same room). The chair closed the meeting after deferring the remaining items.

Votes at a glance: HB 111 — recommendation to pass unamended adopted (recorded ayes: Chair Rhodes, Senator Chang; Vice Chair Gabbard and Senator Law excused); HB 54 — recommendation to pass with amendments adopted (Senator San Buenaventura noted a reservation); HB 70 — recommendation to pass as amended adopted; HB 239 — deferred to 10 a.m. Thursday, April 3; HB 320 — recommendation to pass with amendment adopted; HB 359 — recommendation to pass with amendments adopted; HB 412 — recommendation to pass with amendments adopted; HB 472 and subsequent items — deferred for later decision making.

The committee’s actions will be reflected in the committee record; bills receiving adopted recommendations will be reported out of the committee unless further changes are made before final enactment.