Judiciary Committee advances two bills, defers one: HB 2212 and HB 2183 pass; HB 2173 deferred

At the end of the hearing day, the Committee on Judiciary met to work several bills. Members debated and voted on two bills and deferred further action on a third pending drafting clarifications.

HB 22‑12 (Secretary of Corrections discretionary payments): Representative Williams moved HB 22‑12 favorably for passage and Representative Lewis seconded. The bill author and the reviser explained the measure authorizes the Secretary of Corrections to pay claims up to $750 that otherwise would go to the special claims committee. The committee adopted the motion and the bill passed out of committee favorably for passage; Representative Williams asked that his affirmative vote be recorded in the minutes.

HB 21‑73 (Offender Registration Act): Representative Barth presented an amendment intended to forbid petitioning for relief from registration for offenders convicted of certain violent child‑victim crimes. Committee members discussed the scope and drafting of the amendment, whether the statutory references capture aggravated and non‑aggravated offenses and the potential retroactivity effects created by 2011 changes to the registration statute. The reviser advised additional tailoring would be required to avoid unintentionally sweeping in other offenses. Members agreed to postpone work on HB 21‑73 to a subsequent committee meeting (Thursday) to allow staff to prepare precise draft language; the committee did not vote on the amendment.

HB 21‑83 (artificially generated child sexual depictions): The committee considered and adopted two amendments and then voted the amended bill favorably out of committee. Representative Barrett offered an amendment that narrowed the bill to criminalize possession of (a) a visual depiction of a child under 18 that is sexual in nature, or (b) an artificially generated visual depiction that is obscene and indistinguishable from a real child. Representative Barrett described the change as raising the constitutional standard (requiring obscenity) for images not traceable to an identifiable child. The committee adopted Barrett's amendment. Representative Ward offered a technical amendment adding “cable services” to the list of entities that are excluded from liability under the bill (consistent with federal immunities for communications carriers); the committee adopted that amendment. Representative Williams then moved the amended HB 21‑83 favorably for passage; Representative Ward seconded and the bill passed out of committee as amended.

Votes at a glance: - HB 22‑12: Mover — Representative Williams; Seconder — Representative Lewis; Outcome — passed favorably out of committee (ayes announced; no recorded roll call tally in transcript). - HB 21‑73: Amendment by Representative Barth discussed and drafting changes requested; action deferred to Thursday for redrafting (no final vote). - HB 21‑83: Mover — Representative Williams; Seconder — Representative Ward; Key amendments adopted — Barrett amendment (adds obscenity/indistinguishable standard for AI depictions), Ward amendment (adds cable services to statutory exclusion); Outcome — passed favorably out of committee as amended (ayes announced; no recorded roll call tally in transcript).

Ending: Committee members announced they would not meet the following day; they scheduled follow‑up work on HB 21‑73 for the next meeting and recorded that several additional bills might be considered at the next session.