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Committee hears testimony on enhanced sentences for crimes against vulnerable people; sponsors agree to refine language
Summary
Senate Bill 296 would add sentence enhancements for crimes committed by employees or volunteers in caregiving facilities; survivors and county attorneys urged felony records for offenders, while defenders warned of possible prosecutorial leverage and the need to narrow scope to violent offenses.
The House Human Services Committee heard emotional testimony Wednesday on Senate Bill 296, a penalty-enhancement proposal that would increase sentences for crimes committed against vulnerable persons by people employed or volunteering in caregiving facilities.
Sponsor Senator Mike Yakawich framed the bill as an accountability measure drafted with county attorneys after several high-profile incidents. "The bill is ... enhancing the penalty" he said, describing a proposed 1–10 year enhancement for qualifying offenses committed in caregiving settings and arguing the change would help prevent offenders from cycling through jobs by burying felony records.
Family members and providers recounted cases of abuse and urged passage. Kathy Evans, mother of a…
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