Senate Judiciary committee votes to introduce three committee bills on wrongful convictions, public-safety threats and ski-area liability

The Senate Interim Committee on Judiciary unanimously approved the introduction of three committee bills during a work session following an informational preview.

Chair (as identified in the transcript) asked Tisha to summarize the proposals, and Tisha described LC 97 as a measure “relating to wrongful convictions” creating a post-conviction relief petition process for convictions based on specified discredited forensic-science disciplines and modifying compensation petitions. LC 106 was described as expanding the crime of aggravated harassment to include conveying threats that would alarm a public official or a member of the official’s family and clarifying “a magistrate’s authority to consider the primary and secondary release criteria” including community safety and risk of failure to appear. LC 143 would allow ski areas to enforce liability releases for ordinary negligence signed by adult skiers while listing enforceability exclusions and creating statutory safety duties for ski-area operators.

Senator Thacher moved to introduce the three legislative concepts as committee bills. The clerk conducted a roll-call and the Chair announced: “Votes aye. Vote passes, with a unanimous vote.” The committee directed that LC 97, LC 106 and LC 143 be processed for first reading as committee bills.

The introductions are procedural: the Chair noted that a committee’s vote to introduce a concept “is not an indication whether they will be supporting the concept in the future,” and that if the measures move out of committee they will face public hearings and debate before any final votes.

Next steps: the three LCs will be printed as committee bills and routed for first reading, after which they will follow the usual committee and floor processes for public testimony, amendment and potential enactment.