Utah House OKs bill making entry onto school grounds to evade police a misdemeanor

The Utah House of Representatives passed House Bill 244 on Jan. 29, 2009, making it a Class A misdemeanor to enter school property with the intent to evade law enforcement.

Representative Carol Spackman Moss, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure was prompted by an incident in which suspects parked in front of Jackson Elementary, causing a lockdown. She told colleagues the bill “just gives prosecutors another tool” without eliminating other criminal remedies and stressed the law targets people who enter school grounds specifically to avoid police.

Supporters said the change would reinforce schools as safe places and act as an insurance policy for prosecutors. Representatives asked technical questions about the bill’s scope and fiscal impact: one member asked whether the provision might penalize someone who unintentionally caused a precautionary lockdown, and another asked why there was no fiscal note. Moss answered that the statute is specific to persons who enter school property to evade law enforcement and that felonies would supersede the misdemeanor charge; she said the fiscal analyst decided there was no cost to attach.

After brief discussion and a summation by the sponsor, voting was opened and the House recorded passage with a unanimous voice or recorded tally reported as 72 yes, 0 no. HB244 will be transmitted to the Utah Senate for further consideration.

The procedural next step is Senate consideration; the House record shows the bill will be transmitted with the accompanying legislative documents.