Committee approves printing of bill to criminalize ‘swatting’ after testimony on public‑safety risks

The Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee voted to send RS31967 — a study/print request to criminalize so‑called “swatting” — to print after sponsor Senator Tammy Nichols (R‑District 10) described recent incidents and answered committee questions.

Senator Tammy Nichols told the committee RS31967 would revise Idaho Code section 18‑3‑333 to “explicitly criminalize false reports of violence or emergencies in public or private places.” Nichols said swatting — making false reports intended to prompt a large‑scale law enforcement response — poses risks to innocent people, endangers responding officers and wastes public safety resources.

Nichols said the draft aligns penalties with existing Idaho code for similar crimes and that the proposed language mirrors penalty structures already in statute, adding “we just lined it up to make it consistent with what we currently have on code.” She told the committee a distributed packet documented about 15 swatting incidents in the prior year that closed roads and affected businesses, places of worship and the state Capitol.

Committee questions focused on statutory language and the term “caused,” with Senator Foreman asking whether that wording could be vague; Nichols replied the draft borrows language already used in manslaughter provisions and similar statutes. Senator Ricks asked whether the current version differed from a prior bill; Nichols said penalties were refined after House concerns the previous year.

A motion to send RS31967 to print was made by Senator Ricks and seconded by Senator Foreman; the motion carried by voice vote and the measure will be printed for further consideration.