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Committee rejects bill that would make nonconsensual tracking a harassment crime; debate centers on parents and custody
Summary
House Bill 1641 would have made using a tracking device to monitor a person without consent a form of harassment. Supporters said it would close a gap and protect victims; opponents and some prosecutors warned the bill's exceptions and parental provisions could create unintended consequences for custody disputes and routine parental tracking.
The Senate Judiciary Committee considered House Bill 1641, which would add tracking devices to the state harassment code and make it an offense to "use a tracking device to determine the location or movement of a person without that person's consent." Representative Nicole Clowney sponsored the bill, saying it stemmed from a constituent who discovered a tracking device placed on her car without consent.
Clowney told the committee the bill defines "tracking device" and makes unauthorized tracking a form of harassment while preserving exceptions for law enforcement, licensed private investigators and other authorized uses. "What…
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