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Senate committee sends 'swatting' bill to print after sponsor seeks tougher penalties
Summary
The Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to send RS31967, a measure to explicitly criminalize false reports of violence or emergencies, to print. Sponsor Sen. Tammy Nichols said the proposal aligns penalties with existing criminal code to address rising swatting incidents.
The Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to send RS31967 to print after Sen. Tammy Nichols (R.-Dist. 10) described the measure as a targeted update to Idaho Code to combat so-called "swatting." The motion to send the RS to print passed by voice vote after a brief question-and-answer period.
Nichols told the committee RS31967 would revise section 18-333 of the Idaho Code to explicitly criminalize false reports of violence or emergencies made to prompt large-scale police or emergency responses. She said the bill defines swatting, clarifies enforcement, and aligns penalties with similar crimes already on the books. "This bill is a proactive measure," Nichols said, adding it aims to deter false emergency reports and prevent waste of law enforcement resources.
Nichols said the state had recorded about 15 swatting incidents the prior year that affected churches, businesses and even the Idaho State Capitol. She said some swatting incidents nationally have resulted in deaths and that the bill adds "more teeth" compared with treating these acts solely as misdemeanor false reports.
Sen. Ricks asked whether the language differed from last year's version; Nichols said the bill is largely the same, with penalty language adjusted to mirror current code for comparable crimes. Sen. Foreman questioned the use of the term "caused" in the felony provision and asked whether it could be read as vague. Nichols replied the wording mirrors language already used in Idaho statutes for offenses such as involuntary and voluntary manslaughter and is intended to be consistent with existing code.
Sen. Ricks moved that the committee send RS31967 to print; Sen. Foreman seconded. The motion carried by voice vote.
The printed RS will proceed through the committee process and, if taken up again, return to the committee for further consideration or a public hearing.
