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Judiciary committee clears several bills including capital‑protection, corrections assault clarification and critical‑infrastructure penalty increases
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a series of largely uncontested bills: a capital‑protection measure (House Bill 13‑13), clarification of aggravated‑assault penalties for assaults on corrections staff (House Bill 17‑27), temporary guardian authority (Senate Bill 5‑86), and expansion of enhanced penalties for damage to defined critical infrastructure (House Bill 13‑21), plus a technical voyeurism penalty change (House Bill 17‑32).
The committee moved quickly through several bills that drew limited debate.
House Bill 13‑13 was presented by Representative Johnny Rye as a "capital protection" measure establishing misdemeanor and felony tiers for damage or disturbance at the State Capitol and Governor's Mansion; the bill received a do‑pass recommendation and was approved by voice vote.
House Bill 17‑27, a Department of Corrections bill to clarify the definition of "contact" for aggravated assault against corrections staff (including strikes to issued PPE or uniforms), was presented with testimony from Secretary Solomon Graves and passed after questions concerning historical referrals and prosecutorial outcomes.
Senate Bill 5‑86, which would allow parents to appoint a temporary guardian to act pending a court's permanent guardianship order (signed in front of a notary and two witnesses), was discussed briefly and approved by voice vote.
Representative Gazzaway's House Bill 13‑21, defining "critical infrastructure" for the criminal mischief and criminal trespass statutes and increasing penalties for damaging or trespassing in such locations, was presented with industry support and passed by voice vote.
Representative Garner's House Bill 17‑32 made a technical change to voyeurism penalties to make certain offenses automatically class C felonies when the victim is under 14; it passed without opposition.
