Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Communications Harassment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee passes House Bill 18‑14 to criminalize certain telecommunications harassment
Summary
The Judiciary Committee passed House Bill 18‑14, targeting harassing communications by telecommunications methods defined in the bill; sponsor said it addresses modern social‑media and telecommunication threats while excluding face‑to‑face conduct.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved House Bill 18‑14, which updates statutes to cover harassing communications sent by telecommunications and similar methods.
Centric Cooper, presenting the bill, said its focus is on communications sent via telecommunications methods and that it is designed to address conduct that has grown with social media and modern messaging platforms. Committee members asked about the bill’s scope and whether it applies only to telecommunications rather than in‑person conduct; Cooper and other members confirmed the measure targets the communications medium described in the bill.
There were no registered opponents in committee. Cooper closed and moved a do‑pass motion; Centric Flowers seconded and the committee approved the bill by voice vote. The committee’s recorded remarks and the sponsor’s explanation indicate the bill’s purpose is to define and criminalize communications intended to harass by means covered in the statute rather than to criminalize in‑person confrontations.
