Committee approves amended bill to study and improve public‑official safety, 5–4

The State and Local Government Committee voted to report LD695 as amended, an item re‑titled to improve safety in public service, after debate about the bill’s scope and funding.

Representative Will Tulle described his updated amendment to add an ethics commission member and a public member to a proposed working group tasked with developing an education and awareness program for legislators and advising policy for protecting lawmakers and candidates. “I thought some of the ideas might be worth considering,” Tulle said of stakeholder suggestions; his amendment would expand the group from seven to nine members and focus on low‑cost, implementable measures.

Opponents raised funding questions and alternatives. Representative Tulle (flooring his own amendment as a minority report) and others said constituent services funds — small, discretionary amounts available to offices — could be repurposed for immediate security needs for individual legislators, while some members emphasized that a statewide educational approach via a working group was preferable. Representative Tulle said the approach would rely on existing resources where possible.

There was also a fringe discussion over language appearing in some proposed bullet points concerning concealed carry; Representative Greenwood clarified the intent in his bullet list included a concealed‑carry reference, which members noted separately in minority reports.

On the roll call the committee recorded five votes in favor and four opposed; members also filed competing minority reports describing alternate language preferences. The committee directed staff to print amended language and to continue follow up work as part of the legislative process.