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Committee advances SB 31 with technical amendment; members seek clearer "credible threat" definition for student cases
Summary
SB 31, a bill adjusting the state's terrorist-threat law including limiting school classroom credible-threat treatment for students and adding evaluation requirements, was advanced with a technical amendment; a proposed broader rewrite was held for further stakeholder review.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced SB 31 with a technical amendment and agreed to continue stakeholder conversations about broader changes to the bill's definition of a "credible threat."
Senator Woods described SB 31 as a practical package of safeguards that updates penalties, defines a credible threat, removes automatic classroom penalties for student threats and requires psychological evaluation and counseling before a student could return to a public school. A technical amendment updating an effective year to 2026 was adopted without objection.
Senator Coleman Madison offered a substantive amendment to tighten the definition of a credible threat; Woods said he would not accept it immediately without further stakeholder review and asked to continue discussions. Coleman Madison agreed to withdraw the amendment for now and work with the sponsor to develop more specific language to avoid penalizing students for impulsive or ill-understood language.
The committee ordered a roll call on the bill as amended with the technical change and moved SB 31 out of committee for further consideration. Sponsors and members said they will continue to refine the definition to balance school safety and students' rights.
