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Senate passes amended public-lewdness measure making third conviction a felony, tying registry consequences to felony status
Summary
The Utah Senate adopted amendments to House Bill 384 to coordinate it with a related bill and voted to make public lewdness a felony on a third conviction; senators debated scope, juvenile exposure, and whether registry placement or longer incarceration is the appropriate repeat-offender response.
The Utah Senate on March 12 adopted an amended version of House Bill 384 that makes public lewdness a felony on a third conviction and coordinates penalty language with a companion measure from the House. Senator Urquhart, the Senate sponsor, said the coordinating clause makes this bill’s provisions govern when both chambers pass different versions: "the provisions of this bill would govern, meaning that lewdness would be a felony on the third conviction."
Supporters framed the change as a tool to respond to repeated, crude public sexual conduct that endangers community safety. "By the third conviction ... we have very crude behavior that does require some serious reaction on behalf of the state," Urquhart said, urging colleagues to focus on repeat offenders rather than isolated youthful…
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