Senate Judiciary Division B advances package of criminal-justice, public-safety and consumer bills

The Senate Judiciary Division B on an omnibus voice vote advanced a series of bills addressing criminal penalties, evidence rules for prosecutors, administrative subpoena enforcement and protections for likenesses and voices in the age of artificial intelligence.

The committee moved most measures by voice vote after brief sponsor explanations and member questions. The most debated items included revisions to methamphetamine possession penalties, the Ensuring Likeness, Voice and Image Security Act (an "Elvis" bill), and legislation granting the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) stronger enforcement tools for subpoenas.

Senator Hill said of Senate Bill 2192 that it "makes our driver's license statute consistent with statute 1-3-83 that the governor signed into law last year," explaining the bill would make license entries mirror the designation recorded at birth and that "a court order that's inconsistent with this subsection shall have no effect on the issuance or renewal of license under this chapter." The committee advanced that bill.

Senator Thompson described Senate Bill 2208 as creating an enhanced penalty for terroristic threats made against an airport, explaining the bill responds to isolated incidents for which no specific airport-targeted offense existed. That bill was advanced by the committee.

Senator Sparks sponsored several bills before the committee. He explained Senate Bill 23-08 would increase fines for illegal dumping, including raising a minimum fine from $100 to $500 in one provision and increasing penalties for larger-volume dumping. He also described Senate Bill 23-29 addressing the practice by some prosecutors of placing law-enforcement officers on a so-called Giglio or "do not call" list; the bill creates a notice-and-hearing process and a path to seek injunctive or appellate relief if the prosecutor persists.

On controlled-substance legislation, Senator Sparks said the measure on hemp products clarifies existing law that products derived from the hemp plant designed for human ingestion are exempt from controlled-substance prohibitions only if they are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The committee advanced that clarification.

The committee devoted substantial discussion to Senate Bill 23-47, which revises penalties for simple possession of methamphetamine. "If I can get them into misdemeanor court... within a matter of a couple of weeks, that it would be better for these very small amounts to be utilized as a misdemeanor," Senator Sparks said, explaining the bill lowers penalties for amounts under one gram (making a first offense a misdemeanor with required drug-education programming) while strengthening penalties for possession from one to two grams. Members discussed diversion, local court capacity and treatment program availability before advancing the bill.

Senator Robinson and other members questioned the operational details of requiring treatment in misdemeanor venues; Senator Sparks said the bill directs courts to require participation in an approved drug-education program on conviction and that the committee would work with community mental-health centers and local providers on implementation.

Senator Robinson (vice chair), Senator Barrett and others questioned Senate Bill 28-33, which would add criminal penalties and civil enforcement for persons who fail to comply with PEER Committee subpoenas. Sponsor Senator Robinson said the bill would allow the sergeant-at-arms of the Senate to serve PEER subpoenas and would add fines and up to six months' jail for contempt, and would permit civil enforcement in Chancery Court. The committee advanced the measure.

Senator Williams presented Senate Bill 27-96, the Ensuring Likeness, Voice and Image Security Act of 2025, modeled on legislation from Tennessee and aimed at preventing misuse of voice, image and likeness by artificial-intelligence tools. Williams said the Motion Picture Association and Recording Industry of America were drafting language the committee might incorporate; members raised questions about exemptions for news and public-affairs use, consent for deceased persons and whether civil claims should be heard in chancery or circuit court. The committee approved a proposed committee substitute and advanced the bill for further work.

Votes at a glance

- SB 2192: Sponsor Senator Hill — motion: title sufficient, do pass; outcome: advanced by voice vote; notes: updates driver's license issuance to reflect designation on birth record; voice vote recorded as "ayes have it." (Intro: s10.48-e51.495; passage motion: s156.26999-e157.62999.)

- SB 2200 (Parker's Law repealer removal): Sponsor (committee explanation) — motion: do pass; outcome: advanced by voice vote; notes: removes statutory repealer for the Parker's Law provision concerning fentanyl distribution causing death. (Intro: s165.845-e187.05; vote: s194.125-e206.065.)

- SB 2208: Sponsor Senator Thompson — motion: do pass; outcome: advanced by voice vote; notes: creates enhanced sentence for terroristic threats against an airport. (Intro: s224.115-e250.93501; passage: s294.79-e304.895.)

- SB 2308 (illegal dumping): Sponsor Senator Horn (explained by Senator Sparks) — motion: title sufficient, do pass; outcome: advanced by voice vote; notes: raises fines and maximum penalties tied to weight/volume thresholds; text raises certain minimums from $100 to $500 and increases maximum penalties cited in bill text. (Intro: s322.02002-e360.60498; vote: s371.145-e378.56003.)

- SB 2329 (Giglio/do-not-call list): Sponsor Senator Sparks — motion: title sufficient, do pass; outcome: advanced by voice vote; notes: requires notice and opportunity to respond before a prosecutor places an officer on a "do not call" list and creates a path to seek injunctive relief. (Intro: s384.72-e442.18; vote: s857.105-e858.565.)

- SB 2314 (hemp product clarification): Sponsor Senator Sparks — motion: title sufficient, do pass; outcome: advanced by voice vote; notes: clarifies that hemp-derived products designed for ingestion are exempt from controlled-substance scheduling only if FDA-approved. (Intro: s875.02496-e911.055; vote: s1028.1649-e1036.3.)

- SB 2347 (meth possession penalties; bill cited as 23-47): Sponsor Senator Sparks — motion: title sufficient, do pass; outcome: advanced by voice vote; notes: reclassifies small amounts under one gram as misdemeanors with required drug-education programming on conviction and increases penalties for one- to two-gram possession to strengthen eligibility for intervention courts. Committee discussion addressed diversion, crime-lab delay and local court capacity. (Intro: s1045.9601-e1072.33; motion/vote: s2161.78-e2168.18.)

- SB 28-33 (PEER subpoenas): Sponsor Senator Robinson — motion: title sufficient, do pass; outcome: advanced by voice vote; notes: creates criminal penalties (fine up to $1,000 and/or up to six months' jail) and allows civil enforcement of PEER subpoenas in Chancery Court; authorizes the Senate sergeant-at-arms to serve subpoenas. (Intro: s2183.57-e2275.6501; vote: s2375.355-e2382.255.)

- SB 27-96 (Ensuring Likeness, Voice and Image Security Act of 2025): Sponsor Senator Williams — committee substitute offered and approved; motion: committee substitute, title sufficient, do pass; outcome: advanced by voice vote; notes: seeks to criminalize or civilly remedy unauthorized commercial use of a person's likeness, voice or image by AI tools; committee members raised questions about news/public-affairs exemptions, consent for deceased persons and venue for civil claims. (Intro: s2405.9949-e2458.8699; committee sub passage: s3010.6802-e3014.685.)

Implementation notes and next steps

Committee members generally advanced bills to the next stage with voice votes; several sponsors said they would work with staff and stakeholders on drafting clarifications. Senator Sparks said he would work with mental-health and community providers regarding the meth bill's treatment requirements; Senator Williams said he expected to continue drafting the AI/likeness bill with industry groups. Several members asked legal staff to review immunity, venue and First Amendment considerations on the PEER and likeness measures.

Ending note

The committee adjourned after advancing the package and said it will reconvene in the morning to consider further business.